The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday reported that employers reduced their payrolls by 237,902 people in 2,227 mass layoff actions during January.
A mass layoff is defined as at least 50 people separated from a single employer and is measured by new filings for unemployment-insurance benefits.
The number of events decreased by 48 from the prior month, while the number of claims increased by 11,785.
In Colorado, 24 companies had mass layoffs in January, resulting in 1,814 people filing for benefits. In December, the BLS said 2,023 people lost their jobs from 24 companywide layoffs. In comparison, seven companies had layoffs in January 2008, displacing 654 people. The state numbers were not seasonally adjusted.
The national unemployment rate for January was 7.6 percent, up from 7.2 percent in December and 4.9 percent a year earlier.
Colorado’s unemployment rate topped 6.1 percent in December, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reported late last month. January’s rate hasn’t been released. The Denver Post
