MO employers initiate 28 mass layoffs in May

Employers in Missouri initiated 28 mass layoffs during May, four less than in the same month of the previous year but one more than in April, according to a news release from 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.

During May, initial claims for unemployment insurance in the state totaled 4,491, a 71 percent increase compared to 2,620 in May 2011, the release said.

Missouri had the fourth-highest number of mass layoffs in May among the 12 states in the BLS' Midwest region -  behind Illinois, with 64 events, Ohio, with 37, and Wisconsin, with 35. Employers in the Midwest region activated 249 mass layoffs in May, 39 less than the same month of 2011.

Nationwide, there were 1,201 mass layoffs during the month, compared to 1,367 in May 2011, according to the release.