Extended Mass Layoffs In The First Quarter Of 2004 — 2004-05-18

In the first quarter of 2004, 1,204 mass layoff actions were taken by employers in the private nonfarm economy that resulted in the separation of 239,361 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both the total number of layoff events and the number of separations were sharply lower than in January-March 2003 and were the lowest for a first quarter since 2000. (See table A.) The decline over the year was most notable in general merchandise stores, administrative and support services, computer and electronic product manufacturing, and air transportation. In the first quarter of 2004, the national unemploy- ment rate was 6.1 percent, not seasonally adjusted; a year earlier it was 6.3 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by 0.2 percent or 247,000 jobs from January-March 2003 to January-March 2004.