BUSINESS BRIEFING / EMPLOYMENT

The Labor Department reported 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. More than 2.1 million workers were fired in last year’s mass layoffs, which are job reductions of 50 or more by a single employer.

The department said that, on a seasonally adjusted basis, mass layoffs did drop slightly in December, to 2,275 from 2,328 in November.