April 23, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Initial claims for unemployment insurance due to mass layoffs, March 2007

The manufacturing sector accounted for 40 percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits filed due to mass layoffs in March 2007, the same percentage as a year earlier.

Initial claimants for unemployment insurance due to mass layoffs, by industry, March 2007
[Chart data—TXT]

In March 2007, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (largely automobile manufacturing), followed by food manufacturing, and wood product manufacturing.

Administrative and waste services accounted for 12 percent of mass layoff initial claims in March, mostly from temporary help services.

Retail trade comprised 9 percent of initial claims filed over the month, with the majority of layoffs in general merchandise stores.

Accommodation and food services, primarily food service contractors, also accounted for 9 percent of initial claims in March.

Construction made up 6 percent of associated initial claims, primarily from the heavy and civil engineering industry.

The BLS Mass Layoff Statistics program produced these data, which are not seasonally adjusted. Find out more in "Mass Layoffs in March 2007" (PDF) (TXT), news release 07-0562. Initial claimants are persons who file any notice of unemployment to initiate a request for compensation. Mass layoff events involve at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits filed against a single establishment.