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In the third quarter of this year more than 131,000 workers nationwide were laid off from their jobs in mass layoff actions. These workers stayed off the job for at least 31 days, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both the total number of mass layoff events and the total number of workers laid off were down from the same period in 2003. Administrative and support service jobs, textile mills and food manufacturing were among the hardest hit industries.