Mass layoffs in April 2011

In April, employers took 1,564 mass layoff actions involving 143,927 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month.

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The number of mass layoff events in April increased by 278 from March, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 25,404.

In April, 327 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 35,022 initial claims; both figures increased over the month. The manufacturing sector accounted for 23 percent of all mass layoff events and 25 percent of initial claims filed in April.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. To learn more, see "Mass Layoffs – April 2011" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-11-0724. Each mass layoff event involves at least 50 persons from a single employer.