May 27, 2004 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Mass layoffs in April 2004

In April 2004, employers took 1,458 mass layoff actions, 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 157,314.

[Chart data—TXT]

The manufacturing sector had 24 percent of all mass layoff events and 23 percent of all initial claims filed in April—the lowest shares for any April since 1995, when the monthly series began. Construction accounted for 10 percent of events and 8 percent of initial claims during the month, primarily among specialty trade contractors.

The administrative and waste services sector accounted for 13 percent of events and initial claims filed in April, with layoffs mostly in temporary help services. Ten percent of all layoff events and 13 percent of initial claims filed during the month were in transportation and warehousing, mainly in school and employee bus transportation. An additional 6 percent of events and initial claims were in accommodation and food services, mostly among food service contractors.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. Mass layoffs data for April 2004 are preliminary and subject to revision. See the full release, "Mass Layoffs in April 2004" (PDF) (TXT), USDL 04-964, for more information.