Manufacturing Layoffs Rise In July

ByJohn S. McClenahen Led by auto producers, plastics and rubber manufacturers, and primary metals producers, the number of mass layoffs in U.S. manufacturing, those affecting at least 50 workers, increased sharply in July, the U.S. Labor Department reported on Aug. 31. In July, there were 885 layoffs affecting 145,895 workers, compared with 222 layoffs affecting 27,307 workers in June. For the private, nonfarm sector of the U.S. economy, of which manufacturing is a part, there were 1,860 mass layoffs affecting 234,877 workers in July, compared with 1,077 layoffs affecting 110,804 workers in June.