Mass Layoffs In November 2006 — 2006-12-21

In November, employers took 1,208 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 136,415, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events increased by 37 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims in- creased by 22,691. During November, 415 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 60,827 ini- tial claims. Both the number of events and the number of initial claims in manufacturing were higher in November than a month earlier. (See table 1.) The national unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in November, seasonally adjusted, essentially unchanged from 4.4 percent the prior month and down from 5.0 percent a year earlier.