The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that private nonfarm employers initiated 1,675 mass layoff events in the fourth quarter of 2012, resulting in 319,639 worker separations for at least 31 days. These figures were down from the same period one year earlier (October to December 2011), when 1,903 mass layoff events were initiated and 334,383 worker separations took place. According to the release, preliminary data show that 31 extended mass layoff events related to Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and New York led to 6,759 worker separations.

Link: News Release