Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release — 2012-07-20

Employers took 1,317 mass layoff actions in June involving 131,406 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 June decreased by 63 from May, while the number of associated initial claims increased by 1,215. Year-to-date mass layoff events (8,085) and initial claims (767,890) both recorded their lowest figures for a January-June period since 2007. In June, 267 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 29,093 initial claims. Mass layoff data are identified using administrative data sources without regard to layoff duration. (See table 1 and the note at the end of this release.) The national unemployment rate was 8.2 percent in June, unchanged from the prior month but down from 9.1 percent a year earlier.