Hospitals seeing record layoffs in 2008

The employment picture for hospital workers during 2008 is the worst its been in many years, even without taking December numbers into account, according to new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

More hospitals have seen mass layoffs--defined by the BLS as ones affecting at least 50 people--than any year in the past decade. BLS figures show that 117 hospitals had mass layoffs during the period from January through November, passing the previous record in 2003 when 100 hospitals reported such events.

On the other hand, the actual number of employees losing jobs won't beat the 10-year record if things don't change. Right now, more than 9,700 hospital employees will have filed initial claims for unemployment compensation this year due to mass layoffs. That's nowhere near the record in 2005, which saw 13,300 workers lose their jobs to mass layoffs.

To learn more about the layoffs:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece

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