MO mass layoffs total 15 in February

Missouri employers conducted 15 mass layoffs last month, more than double the amount of actions in February 2012, when the amount registered at seven, 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.

With 26 mass layoffs in February, Wisconsin employers took the most actions among the 12 states in the BLS Midwest region, according to a news release.

Missouri initial claimants for unemployment insurance registered at 840 last month, up 87 percent from 449 a year before. In the Midwest, initial claimants were 15,411 in February, compared to 13,591 in the same month of 2012.

Nationwide, employers took 1,422 mass layoff actions in February involving 135,468 workers, the release said.