Mass layoffs in August 2012

In August, employers took 1,267 mass layoff actions involving 127,454 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month. The number of mass layoff events in August decreased by 73 from July, while the number of associated initial claims decreased by 9,966.

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There were 314 mass layoff events reported in the manufacturing sector in August, seasonally adjusted, which resulted in 38,667 initial claims for unemployment insurance.

Year-to-date mass layoff events (10,692) and initial claims (1,032,764) both recorded their lowest figures for a January–August period since 2007.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. To learn more, see "Mass Layoffs — August 2012" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-12-1889. Each mass layoff event involves at least 50 persons from a single employer. Mass layoff data are identified using administrative data sources without regard to layoff duration.