Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release — 2008-10-22

In September, employers took 2,269 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance bene- fits 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 employer; the number of workers involved totaled 235,681, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events this September increased by 497 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims rose by 61,726. Layoff events reached their highest level since September 2001, a month that experi- enced substantial layoff activity due to the September 11 attacks. Mass layoff initial claims reached their highest level since September 2005, which was a month with high layoff activity due to Hurricane Katrina. The effects of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike contributed to the higher September 2008 layoff activity.