For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, April 23, 2013 USDL-13-0728
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * mlsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/mls
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
MASS LAYOFFS -- MARCH 2013
Employers took 1,337 mass layoff actions in March involving 127,939
workers as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits
during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
(Data are seasonally adjusted.) Each mass layoff involved at least 50
workers from a single employer. Mass layoff events decreased by 85
from February, and the number of associated initial claims decreased
by 7,529. In March, 311 mass layoff events were reported in the
manufacturing sector resulting in 36,696 initial claims. Monthly 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 7.6 percent in March, essentially
unchanged from the prior month and down from 8.2 percent a year
earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 88,000 over the
month and by 1,910,000 over the year.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in March was 1,132, not seasonally
adjusted, resulting in 114,897 initial claims for unemployment
insurance. (See table 2.) Over the year, the number of average weekly
mass layoff events for March increased by 1 to 226, while associated
average weekly initial claims decreased by 584 to 22,979.
Ten of the 19 major industry sectors in the private economy
reported over-the-year decreases in average weekly initial claims,
with the largest decrease occurring in information. (See table 3.)
The six-digit industry with the largest number of private nonfarm
initial claims due to mass layoffs in March was school and employee
bus transportation. (See table A.)
In March, the manufacturing sector accounted for 24 percent of mass
layoff events and 26 percent of associated initial claims in the
private economy. Within manufacturing, the numbers of mass layoff
claimants were highest in transportation equipment and in food. Nine
of the 21 manufacturing subsectors experienced over-the-year decreases
in average weekly initial claims. (See table 3.)
Table A. Six-digit NAICS industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims
in March 2013, private nonfarm, not seasonally adjusted
Industry March peak
Initial Claims Year Initial claims
School and employee bus transportation .... 11,169 2013 11,169
Food service contractors .................. 10,408 2013 10,408
Temporary help services (1) ............... 9,344 2002 14,338
Motion picture and video production ....... 2,895 2005 7,192
Construction machinery manufacturing ...... 2,019 2009 7,933
Tire manufacturing, except retreading ..... 1,981 2013 1,981
Discount department stores ................ 1,791 2007 3,670
Professional employer organizations (1) ... 1,700 2009 4,892
Process and logistics consulting services . (2) 2009 1,846
Warehouse clubs and supercenters .......... 1,459 2012 1,900
1 See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Among the census regions, the South had the largest number of initial
claims due to mass layoffs in March, followed closely by the West.
Only the West experienced an over-the-year decrease in average weekly
initial claims. (See table 4.)
Among the states, California had the highest number of mass layoff
initial claims in March, followed by Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois,
and New York. Twenty-four states experienced over-the-year decreases
in average weekly initial claims, led by California, North Carolina,
and Oregon. (See table 4.)
Note
The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or
more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of
the layoffs. For private nonfarm establishments, information on the
length of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly
release that reports on mass layoffs lasting more than 30 days
(referred to as "extended mass layoffs"). The quarterly release
provides more information on the industry classification and location
of the establishment and on the demographics of the laid-off workers.
The monthly data series in this release are subjected to average
weekly analysis, which mitigates the effect of differing lengths of
months. See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions and for a
description of average weekly analysis.
____________
The Extended Mass Layoffs news release for the First Quarter 2013 is
scheduled to be released on Monday, May 13, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).
The Mass Layoffs news release for April 2013 is scheduled to be
released on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).
____________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Mass Layoffs Data Discontinued |
| |
|On March 1, 2013, President Obama ordered into effect the across-the-board spending |
|cuts (commonly referred to as sequestration) required by the Balanced Budget and |
|Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended. Under the order, the Bureau of Labor |
|Statistics (BLS) must cut its current budget by more than $30 million, 5 percent of |
|the current 2013 appropriation, by September 30, 2013. In order to help achieve |
|these savings and protect core programs, the BLS will eliminate two programs, |
|including Mass Layoff Statistics, and all "measuring green jobs" products. The final|
|release of Mass Layoffs Statistics data will occur on June 21st, with publication of|
|the May 2013 data. |
|____________________________________________________________________________________|
