Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release — 2011-08-23

Employers took 1,579 mass layoff actions in July involving 145,000 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. The number of mass layoff events in July increased by 47, or 3 percent, from June, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 1,556, or 1 percent. In July, 342 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 35,460 initial claims. (See table 1.) The national unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in July, essentially unchanged from the prior month but down from 9.5 percent a year earlier. In July, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 117,000 over the month and by 1,258,000 over the year. The number of mass layoff events in July was 2,176, not seasonally adjusted, resulting in 216,774 initial claims for unemployment insurance.