Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release — 2012-08-23

Employers took 1,340 mass layoff actions in July involving 137,420 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each mass layoff involved at least 50 workers from a single employer. Mass layoff events in July increased by 23 from June, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 6,014. Year-to-date mass layoff events (9,425) and initial claims (905,310) both recorded their lowest figures for a January-July period since 2007. In July, 364 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 44,920 initial claims. Mass layoff data are identified using administrative data sources without regard to layoff duration. (See table 1 and the note at the end of this release.) The national unemployment rate was 8.3 percent in July, essentially unchanged from the prior month but down from 9.1 percent a year earlier.