Ohio mass layoffs way up in May

Large-scale job cutbacks nearly doubled in Ohio last month, resulting in a big jump in unemployment insurance filings, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

A report for May showed 67 dismissals of 50 workers or more in Ohio, up from 34 a year earlier. Unemployment insurance claims as a result more than doubled to 7,621 from 3,350 a year ago, not seasonally adjusted.

Ohio had one of the 10 highest volumes of unemployment insurance claims last month.

Mass layoffs nationwide increased by more than a third to 1,626, up from 1,199 a year ago, seasonally adjusted. Resulting unemployment insurance claims grew 42 percent to 171,387 from 120,587.

Transportation-equipment manufacturing and passenger transportation sectors saw the largest losses, the bureau said.

All four census regions last month saw an uptick in large-scale cutbacks and unemployment insurance filings as layoffs in the Midwest jumped 80 percent for the month, hitting 390, compared with 217 a year ago. Resulting unemployment insurance claims in the region nearly doubled to 45,462 from 23,747.

The bureau plans to release June statistics on July 23.