MO employers conduct 27 mass layoffs in July

Missouri employers conducted 27 mass layoffs in July, the fifth-highest number among the 12 states in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Midwest region.

The BLS defines a mass layoff as an event involving more than 50 workers from a single employer.

In the Midwest, Michigan employers initiated the highest number of July mass layoffs, at 123, followed by Ohio, at 65, Wisconsin, 44, and Illinois, 39, according to a BLS news release.

The Missouri figure was down nine mass layoffs compared to the same period in 2011. During July, initial claims for unemployment insurance in the state totaled 2,433, a 40.2 percent drop compared to 4,068 initial claims in July 2011.

Total mass layoffs in the Midwest were 373 in July, with initial claims coming in at 46,431. Throughout the nation, employers enacted 1,340 mass layoffs affecting 137,420 workers. In July 2011, U.S. employers initiated 1,562 mass layoffs, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]