According to the Labor Department, 171,466 workers lost their jobs in 1,527 mass layoff events in March. Manufacturing industries accounted for 43 percent of those events and 51 percent of the workers who lost their jobs. A year earlier, manufacturing industries accounted for 33 percent of layoff events and 35 percent of the workers who lost their jobs.
Among manufacturers, the transportation equipment industry posted the highest number of layoffs, accounting for 8.9 percent of all workers who lost their jobs in March. The majority of layoffs occurred among manufacturers of motor vehicles, car bodies and auto parts.