U.S. planned mass layoffs rise in Nov -Labor Dept

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The number of layoff announcements involving at least 50 workers rose by 188 in November from the prior month, official data showed on Friday, as a deepening recession forced employers to slash payrolls.

The Labor Department said there were 2,328 mass layoff actions involving 224,079 workers in November, with the manufacturing sector recording its fourth straight monthly increase in redundancies.

That took the total number of mass layoff announcements since the start of the recession last December to 20,712.

With the housing-led economic slump on track to be the longest and deepest since the 1981 recession, more companies are expected to wield the axe as they battle a sharp fall in demand and tight access to credit.

So far this year almost 2 million workers have lost their jobs, driving the unemployment rate to 6.7 percent, the highest since 1993.

The monthly mass layoff numbers are compiled from establishments with at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance filed against them during a five-week period.