News release: “Employers took 1,628 mass layoff actions in March that resulted in the separation of 150,864 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in March increased by 58 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims decreased by 4,854. The number of events has decreased in 5 of the last 7 months, and the number of initial claims has decreased in 6 of the last 7 months. In March, 356 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 39,290 initial claims. Both figures
registered their lowest levels since August 2007. During the 28 months from December 2007 through March 2010, the total number
of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 56,937, and the associated number of initial claims was 5,731,683. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.) The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in March 2010, seasonally adjusted, unchanged from the prior month but up from 8.6 percent a year earlier. In March, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 over the month but was down by 2,320,000 from a year earlier.”