RV, auto-parts industries see record mass layoffs

SBT24/7 News Report

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Monaco Coach workers laid off

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By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Sep 24, 2008 at 8:19 AM EDT

Story Updated: Sep 24, 2008 at 8:20 AM EDT

When it comes to mass layoffs, the motor home manufacturing industry took the biggest hit for the month of August since the U.S. Department of Labor began keeping the statistics in 1995.

The numbers, released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reflect new unemployment claims when at least 50 of them come from the same employer during the five-week sample period.

Of the 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass layoffs, motor vehicle parts manufacturing also posted peak numbers in August 2008.

So did the seasonally adjusted overall national numbers for the month. Figures in a state-by-state breakdown are not adjusted, the department said.

In Michigan, the number of mass layoffs was up 71 percent over August 2007, with even higher mass-claims counts posted during June and July.

But in Indiana, the figure soared 122 percent, likely reflecting the cutbacks in the RV and auto-related industries. Last August, the state saw just 18 layoffs involving at least 50 people.

This year, that jumped to 40 employers, with equal or greater numbers of mass layoffs counted in June and July.

Among other hardest-hit workers were those in auto and truck production.

The U.S. unemployment rate was a seasonally adjusted 6.1 percent in August, up from 4.7 percent a year earlier.

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