Florida fourth in the nation in mass layoffs in September

Florida had 69 mass layoff actions during the month of September, the fourth highest number in the nation, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics summary released today.

California, Pennsylvania and New York had a higher number of mass layoff actions than Florida. The Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that “each mass layoff involved at least 50 workers from a single employer.” The bureau indicates that “employers took 1,495 mass layoff actions in September involving 153,229 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month.”

The agency indicates the “number of mass layoff events in September decreased by 92 from August, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 12,318. Florida had 78 mass layoff actions in August, well below June and July levels.

The bureau also reports that Florida had the sixth highest number of initial claimants for unemployment insurance in September behind Illinois and North Carolina, even though the Sunshine State had more mass layoff actions than those two states.

The bureau defines an initial claimant as “a person who files any notice of unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or period of eligibility.”

According to the mass layoff summary, with 376 seasonally adjusted events, the manufacturing sector was the most affected by mass layoff actions through September.

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that Florida had the largest over-the-month increase in employment adding 23,300 jobs, followed by Texas and Louisiana.

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