Mass layoffs of 50 or more workers surge in 2008 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER The number of layoffs involving 50 or more workers jumped by one-third last year, and the pace of large job cuts appears to have quickened in the first month of 2009. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that 21,137 mass layoffs took place last year, up from 15,493 in 2007. That’s the highest annual total since 2001, the last time the economy was in recession, and …