Chart: Mass layoff initial claimants by industry sector

In March, 15 of the 19 major industry sectors in the private economy reported over-the-year decreases in initial claimants for unemployment insurance due to mass layoff events, led by manufacturing (-85,002, on a not seasonally adjusted basis). This is according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in March 2010 was greatest in transportation equipment and food. Of the 21 manufacturing subsectors, 19 experienced over-the-year reductions in initial claims, led by transportation equipment (-18,884) and machinery (-5,708).

This data is from the Mass Layoffs Statistics program and is not seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see "Mass Layoffs — March 2010" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-10-0492. Each mass layoff event involves at least 50 people from a single employer.