Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release — 2012-02-23

Employers took 1,434 mass layoff actions in January involving 129,920 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 January increased by 50 from December, while the number of associated initial claims decreased by 15,728. In January, 341 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 33,597 initial claims. (See table 1.) The national unemployment rate was 8.3 percent in January, down from 8.5 percent the prior month and from 9.1 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 243,000 over the month and by 1,953,000 over the year. The number of mass layoff events in January was 1,705, not seasonally adjusted, resulting in 141,703 initial claims for unemployment insurance.