Mass Layoffs Up Again

Even though the national unemployment rate dropped from 9.4 percent to 9 percent in January, the number of mass layoffs increased. Employers took 1,534 mass layoff actions last month involving 149,799 workers, according to the most recent numbers released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A "mass layoff" involves an event where at least 50 workers are let go from a single employer.