June 23, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Mass layoffs in May

In May 2006, employers took 1,074 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month.

[Chart data—TXT]

Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 109,858. The number of layoff events declined by 74, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 8,646 from April 2006.

In the manufacturing sector, 293 mass layoff events were reported during May 2006, resulting in 42,006 initial claims. Both figures were lower than a month earlier.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. To learn more, see "Mass Layoffs in May 2006" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-1061.