October 26, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Mass layoffs in September

In September 2006, employers took 1,132 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 116,773. The number of layoff events decreased by 61 from the prior month; and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 11,171.

During September 2006, 381 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector resulting in 45,040 claims. The number of events in manufacturing was higher than a month earlier, while the number of initial claims decreased.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. To learn more, see "Mass Layoffs in September 2006" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-1858.