Mass layoffs in 2012

In 2012, the annual totals of mass layoff events, at 17,080, and of initial claims, at 1,666,931, declined to their lowest levels since 2007.

 

Eleven of the 19 major industry sectors in the private economy reported decreases in initial claims in 2012, led by administrative and waste services, manufacturing, and information. Total initial claims in the manufacturing sector declined to a series low of 448,687 in 2012.

The manufacturing sector accounted for 24 percent of all mass layoff events and 29 percent of initial claims filed in the private economy in 2012, down slightly from 2011 percentages. The number of manufacturing claimants in 2012 was highest in transportation equipment and in food. Total initial claims in 17 of the 21 manufacturing subsectors decreased in 2012 from 2011, with transportation equipment and wood products experiencing the largest declines.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. To learn more, see "Mass Layoffs — December 2012; Annual Totals — 2012" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-13-0106. Each mass layoff action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer.