First Quarter — 1999-07-21

In January through March of 1999, there were 1,484 mass layoff actions by employers that resulted in the separation of 267,214 workers from their jobs for more than 30 days, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both the number of layoff events and the number of separations were higher than in January- March 1998. (See table A.) The completion of seasonal work was the major reason cited for layoffs and accounted for 34 percent of all first-quarter 1999 events and separations. Layoffs due to internal company restructuring resulted in 76,534 separations. Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 12 percent of all events and affected 49,742 workers, up from 37,500 workers in the same period a year earlier. The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs covers layoffs of at least 31-days duration that involve 50 or more individuals from a single establishment filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a consecutive 5-week period.