Mass Layoffs In September 2007 — 2007-10-23

In September, employers took 1,271 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 123,656, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events in September increased by 82 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims rose by 5,536. Over the month, 428 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 50,636 ini- tial claims. Compared with August, mass layoff activity in manufacturing increased by 103 events, and initial claims increased by 14,960. (See table 1.) From January through September 2007, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 11,114, and initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 1,140,148, were higher than in January-September 2006 when the totals were 10,221 and 1,071,997, respectively.