MO employers initiate 16 mass layoffs in October

Missouri employers initiated 16 mass layoffs in October, down from 22 in the same month of the prior year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

There were 212 mass layoffs reported last month in the Midwest region, down three from October 2011, according to a news release.

Michigan employers instituted the least amount of layoffs in the Midwest during October, at four, while 47 mass layoffs in Illinois set the high mark.

In Missouri, initial claims for unemployment insurance totaled 1,214 last month, a 51.5 percent decrease compared to 2,503 in October 2011, the release said.

Employers countrywide made 1,360 mass layoff actions during October that involved 131,173 workers, according to the BLS.