Mass layoffs up in July

In July 2005, employers took 1,249 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 131,326, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of layoff events in July rose by 74, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 3,439 from June. In the manufacturing sector, 360 mass layoff events were reported during July 2005, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 48,967 initial claims. The number of mass layoff events in manufacturing was somewhat higher than a month earlier, while the number of initial claims was lower.

The manufacturing sector accounted for 43 percent of all mass layoff events and 56 percent of all initial claims filed in July 2005. A year earlier, manufacturing comprised 42 percent of events and 57 percent of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in July 2005 was highest in transportation equipment (69,393, mostly automotive-related), followed by plastics and rubber products (9,202) and primary metals (7,984).