business
Hospital mass layoffs hold steady in February
Posted April 2, 2012
The number of mass layoffs in the hospital setting in February was the same as in January, according to a monthly report released March 23 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (link).
Mass layoffs are defined as affecting at least 50 people at a single company. Smaller incidents are not counted.
Hospitals had nine mass layoffs in February, following nine in January. At least 532 people lost their jobs from hospitals in a mass layoff in February, an increase from the 456 who did so in January.
Mass layoffs have been slowly tapering off from the highs hit during the 2007-09 recession. For instance, 21 mass layoffs occurred in July 2009, the most for a single month during the past decade, with 1,716 people claiming unemployment benefits.
Physicians and clinical staff are unlikely to lose their jobs in layoffs. Nonclinical staff are more likely to be affected.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/04/02/bibf0402.htm.
