The BLS monthly grim reaper report for February

From yesterday's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report on February's mass layoffs:

In February, employers took 1,280 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment; the number of workers involved totaled 143,977, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events increased by 43 from January, and the number of associated initial claims rose by 17,609. During February, 419 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 64,072 initial claims. Compared with the prior month, mass layoff activity in manufacturing increased by 30 events and by 12,931 initial claims.
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The industry with the highest number of initial claims was temporary help services (with 5,581), followed by automobile manufacturing (5,561), and motorcycle, bicycle, and parts manufacturing (3,043). Together, these three industries accounted for 16 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs during the month.
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Construction accounted for 22 percent of mass layoff events and 15 percent of initial claims in February, largely from specialty trade contractors. Administrative and waste services comprised 12 percent of events and 11 percent of initial claims filed over the month, with the majority of layoffs in temporary help services. Eight percent of all mass layoff events and 7 percent of related initial claims filed were from retail trade, primarily from general merchandise stores. Transportation and warehousing made up 4 percent of events and 5 percent of associated initial claims, primarily from the school and employee bus transportation industry.
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Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in February (19,809), followed by Pennsylvania (10,928), Michigan (6,507), Wisconsin (6,035), and Illinois (4,684). These five states accounted for 58 percent of all mass layoff events and 55 percent of all associated initial claims for unemployment insurance.

In short: another 143,977 jobs waving bye-bye.