America's Pink-Slip Capitals

Forbes reports:

To see who's been hit hardest, we ranked metropolitan statistical areas by the number of jobs lost through layoffs involving more than 50 employees during the first quarter of 2009. Separation had to be for more than 31 days, so as to exclude temporary furloughs.

Where's it worst? Detroit, where 57 mass layoffs snuffed out 14,781 jobs in the first quarter of 2009. Much of the pain came from the Big Three carmakers: General Motors, Chrysler and Ford Motor. The area has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 14%.

Chicago runs a close second with 13,647 jobs erased in mass firings. Construction-heavy Los Angeles, also hurt by the Golden State’s financial crisis, wiped out 10,594. Finance-focused New York lost 8,688 during the first quarter of 2009.

An interesting article.