August 23, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Mass layoff events in July 

Employers initiated 2,041 mass layoff actions in July 2002, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 245,457.

[Chart data—TXT]

A year earlier, in July 2001, there were 2,117 mass layoff events involving 273,807 workers. From January through July 2002, the total number of initial claims, at 1,317,394, was lower than January-July 2001 (1,407,980), while the number of events, at 11,843, was somewhat higher (11,658).

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. Mass layoffs data for July 2002 are preliminary and subject to revision. For more information, see news release USDL 02-493, "Mass Layoffs in July 2002" (PDF) (TXT).