Mass Layoff Statistics

Third Quarter 2004 Summary

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program records and tracks layoff events occurring in Colorado through the use of the unemployment insurance program. A mass layoff event occurs when at least fifty people from a firm file a first-time or initial claim for unemployment insurance during any consecutive five-week period with the workers being separated for more than 30 days.

Colorado recorded the lowest number of layoff events since the date series began in 2000, with only two layoff events recorded in the third quarter of 2004. The events lead to 290 initial claims filed from July through September. One year ago, 12 MLS events resulted in 1,650 initial claim filings.

The two events were split between retail trade and information, with no events resulting from seasonal factors this quarter. One layoff event occurred due to a slacking in work while the other event did not provide the reason for the layoff.

The United States followed Colorado’s decline in the third quarter with 780 mass layoff events leaving 131,452 workers away from their jobs for at least 31 days. This was a significant decrease from the third quarter of 2003 when 1,190 layoff events occurred. This quarter’s national layoff events were the lowest for a third quarter since the program began in 1995. Layoffs involving movement of work changed slightly in the third quarter, dropping to 77 layoff events from 86 events in the previous quarter.