Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release — 2011-02-23

Employers took 1,534 mass layoff actions in January involving 149,799 workers, sea- sonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits dur- ing the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each mass layoff event involved at least 50 workers from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in January increased by 51 from December, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 11,807. In January, 341 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 39,189 initial claims; both figures increased over the month. (See table 1.) The national unemployment rate was 9.0 percent in January, down from 9.4 percent the prior month and 9.7 percent a year earlier. In January, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 36,000 over the month and by 984,000 from a year earlier.