November 18, 2004 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Extended mass layoffs down in second quarter of 2004

In the second quarter of 2004, 1,233 mass layoff actions were taken by employers in the private nonfarm sector that resulted in the separation of 233,852 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days.

[Chart data—TXT]

Both the total number of layoff events and the number of separations were sharply lower than in April-June 2003 and were the lowest for a second quarter since 2000.

The decline over the year was most notable in transportation equipment manufacturing, administrative and support services, air transportation, and general merchandise stores. Extended mass layoffs occurred in 348 of the 1,197 detailed industries for which data are available for the second quarter 2004. This is the fewest industries to have at least one extended mass layoff in the second quarter since 2000.

These data are a product of the Mass Layoff Statistics program. "Extended mass layoffs" last more than 30 days and involve 50 or more individuals from a single establishment filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a consecutive 5-week period. Data for the second quarter of 2004 are preliminary and subject to revision. Additional information is available in "Extended Mass Layoffs in the Second Quarter of 2004" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 04-1679.