Mass layoffs in Colorado in July declined 50 percent from July 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday.
Mass layoffs — defined as at least 50 employees from a single employer — numbered 16 in July 2010 and eight in July 2011, the agency said.
Seven of the eight were in the private sector, which resulted in 542 initial claims for unemployment. The eighth was a governmental layoff.
Three of the eight mass layoffs in Colorado in July were in retail trade, resulting in 208 initial claims for unemployment insurance.
There were also mass layoffs in public administration, health care and social assistance, administrative and waste services, and manufacturing.
Because of confidentiality regulations, the federal government is not allowed to give out information that would identify employers, agency spokesmen said.
In recent months, the number of mass layoffs in Colorado has been trending lower.
There were 10 in May and nine in June.
According to the report, there were 1,552 initial claimants applying for unemployment insurance in Colorado as a result of the 16 mass layoffs in July 2010, compared with 704 initial claimants last month.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
