Mass Layoffs In November 2007 — 2007-12-21

In November, employers took 1,300 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits 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 136,924, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events in November decreased by 20 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims rose by 5,144. Over the month, 402 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 55,926 initial claims. Compared with October, mass layoff activity in manufacturing decreased by 22 events, and initial claims decreased by 367. (See table 1.) From January through November 2007, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 13,734, and initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 1,408,852, were higher than in January-November 2006 when the totals were 12,627 and 1,328,251, respectively.