On March 4, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employers in New York State took 1,367 mass layoff actions in 2009, with each event involving at least 50 employees. In total, these events resulted in the separation of 144,247 workers, as measured by new unemployment insurance claims.
The annual totals for mass layoff events and initial claims were the highest on record; 2009 was the first year with more than 1,000 events or 100,000 claims in the state.
