Extended Mass Layoffs In The Second Quarter Of 2004 — 2004-08-26

In the second quarter of 2004, 1,233 mass layoff actions were taken by employers that resulted in the separation of 233,852 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures re- leased 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 April-June 2003 and were the lowest for a second quarter since 2000. (See table A.) The decline over the year was most notable in transportation equipment manufacturing, adminis- trative and support services, air transportation, and general mer- chandise stores. In the second quarter of 2004, the national unem- ployment rate was 5.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted; a year earlier it was 6.1 percent. Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by 1.3 percent or 1,383,000 jobs from April-June 2003 to April-June 2004.