California employers took 4,378 "mass layoff actions" last year…meaning layoffs involving at least 50 workers.
"In terms of the last couple of years it's actually down which is a good sign."
Todd Johnson is an economist with the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics which released the data. California posted the lowest
number of mass layoff actions since 2007.
Those actions resulted in 377,413 people losing their
jobs.
Johnson says of all the job sectors, "administrative services"
had the most mass layoffs in 2011.
"The second highest group of employees was in local
government. It's fairly well-documented in the last couple of years
how, in California, local government has received a pretty hard
time."
Sectors recording a drop in mass layoffs last year include:
manufacturing and construction.