Layoffs hit hotels, airlines

In September 2001, there were 29 mass layoff events and 6,152 initial claimants in the scheduled air transportation industry. In January-August 2001, in comparison, 18 layoff events and 1,523 initial claimants had been reported in the industry.

[Chart data—TXT]

In hotels and motels, 189 events and 15,653 initial claimants were registered over the January-August period. In September, another 123 events and 20,648 claimants were attributed to this industry.

There were a total of 1,316 mass layoff actions in September 2001, 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 158,859.

These data are products of the Mass Layoff Statistics program. The mass layoff data for September includes 3 weeks of initial claims filings that took place in the weeks that include and follow the terrorist attacks of September 11--the weeks ending September 15, 22, and 29. For more information, see news release USDL 01-370, Mass Layoffs in September 2001.