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Economic News Release
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MLS MLS Program Links

Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release


Technical information:(202) 691-6392     USDL 08-1342
             http://www.bls.gov/mls/
                                         For release:  10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact:        (202) 691-5902     Tuesday, September 23, 2008
                                   
                                   
                      MASS LAYOFFS IN AUGUST 2008

   In August, employers took 1,772 mass layoff actions, seasonally ad-
justed, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits 
during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.  Department 
of Labor reported today.  Each action involved at least 50 persons from 
a single employer; the number of workers involved totaled 173,955, on a 
seasonally adjusted basis.  Layoff events reached a program high for the 
month of August (with data available back to 1995), and associated initial 
claimants reached its highest level for the month since 2001.  The number 
of mass layoff events this August increased by 260 from the prior month, 
while the number of associated initial claims rose by 22,784.  In August, 
599 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, season-
ally adjusted, resulting in 72,244 initial claims.  Over the month, mass 
layoff events in manufacturing increased by 156, and initial claims in-
creased by 14,774.  (See table 1.)

   From January through August 2008, the total number of mass layoff
events (seasonally adjusted), at 12,542, and initial claims (seasonally 
adjusted), at 1,274,765, were the highest for the January-August period 
since 2003.

   The national unemployment rate was 6.1 percent in August, seasonally 
adjusted, up from 5.7 percent in the prior month and from 4.7 percent a 
year earlier.  In August, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 
84,000 over the month and by 283,000 from a year earlier.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   The number of mass layoff events in August was 1,427 on a not season-
ally adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was 139,999.  
(See table 2.)  Over the year, increases were recorded in both the number 
of layoff events (+464) and initial claims (+46,541).  The largest over-
the-year increases in initial claims occurred in transportation equipment 
manufacturing (+14,191) and in administrative and waste services (+4,524).  
The largest decrease in initial claims occurred in credit intermediation 
and related activities (-6,363).

   The manufacturing sector accounted for 29 percent of all mass layoff 
events and 37 percent of initial claims filed in August; a year earlier, 
manufacturing made up 23 percent of events and 25 percent of initial 
claims.  In August 2008, the number of manufacturing claimants was great-
est in transportation equipment manufacturing (19,787), followed by machin-
ery manufacturing (4,887).  (See table 3.)  Administrative and waste ser-
vices accounted for 15 percent of mass layoff events and 14 percent of as-
sociated initial claims, primarily from temporary help services.

   The six-digit NAICS industry with the largest number of initial claims 
was temporary help services (10,585), followed by school and employee bus 
transportation (6,455).  Among the 10 industries with the highest levels 
of initial claims, 4 of the 10--professional employer organizations, motor 
home manufacturing, full-service restaurants, and all other motor vehicle 
parts manufacturing--reached program highs in 2008 for the month of August 
(with data available back to 1995).  (See table A.)


                             - 2 -


  Table A.  Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims
  in August 2008
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               |        |      August peak     
                      Industry                 |Initial |----------------------
                                               | claims |      |               
                                               |        | Year |Initial claims 
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               |        |      |               
  Temporary help services .....................| 10,585 | 1999 |     11,533    
  School and employee bus transportation ......|  6,455 | 2003 |      6,538    
  Professional employer organizations .........|  5,252 | 2008 |      5,252    
  Motion picture and video production .........|  4,516 | 2003 |      6,812    
  Automobile manufacturing ....................|  3,856 | 2001 |      8,166    
  Heavy duty truck manufacturing ..............|  3,214 | 2006 |      4,896    
  Motor home manufacturing ....................|  2,579 | 2008 |      2,579    
  Full-service restaurants ....................|  2,275 | 2008 |      2,275    
  All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing .|  2,135 | 2008 |      2,135    
  Discount department stores ..................|  2,045 | 2007 |      2,953    
                                               |        |      |               
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   Of the 4 census regions, the West had the highest number of initial 
claims in August due to mass layoffs (45,837).  The South had the second
largest count of initial claims among the regions (38,188), followed by 
the Midwest with 33,238 and the Northeast with 22,736.  (See table 5.)

   Initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year in all 4 re-
gions--the South (+16,736), the Midwest (+14,919), the West (+8,546), and 
the Northeast (+6,340).  All 9 divisions experienced over-the-year in-
creases in initial claims, led by the East North Central (+11,105) and 
the South Atlantic (+9,681).
   
   California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to 
mass layoff events in August with 36,120, largely due to layoffs in ad-
ministrative and support services and in motion picture and sound record-
ing industries.  The states with the next highest numbers of mass layoff
initial claims were New York (10,760), Florida (9,849), and Ohio (7,994).  
(See table 6.)

   Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia registered over-the- 
year increases in initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by
California (+5,054), Ohio (+4,930), and Florida (+4,674).  States with
the largest over-the-year decreases in claims were Arizona (-704) and
Washington (-461).

                     _____________________________


   The report on Mass Layoffs in September 2008 is scheduled to be re-
leased on Wednesday, October 22.






                              - 3 -


Technical Note

   The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program
that uses a standardized automated approach to identifying, describing,
and tracking the effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each
state's unemployment insurance database.  Each month, states report on
employers which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during
a consecutive 5-week period.  These employers then are contacted by the
state agency to determine whether these separations lasted 31 days or
longer, and, if so, other information concerning the layoff is collected.
States report on layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quarterly basis.

   A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly unemployment
insurance claims filings for the Sunday through Saturday weeks in that
month.  All weeks are included for the particular month, except if the
first day of the month falls on Saturday.  In this case, the week is
included in the prior month's tabulations.  This means that some months
will contain 4 weeks and others, 5 weeks, the number of weeks in a given 
month may be different from year to year, and the number of weeks in a
year may vary.  Therefore, analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year
change in not seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect
into consideration.

   The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after it had been
terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding.  Prior to April 1995,
monthly layoff statistics were not available.

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone:  202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone number:  1-800-877-8339.

Definitions

   Employer.  Employers in the MLS program include those covered by state
unemployment insurance laws.  Information on employers is obtained from the
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which is adminis-
tered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

   Initial claimant.  A person who files any notice of unemployment to
initiate a request either for a determination of entitlement to and
eligibility for compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment
within a benefit year or period of eligibility.
   
   Mass layoff event.  Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment 
insurance benefits filed against an employer during a 5-week period,
regardless of duration.

                                  - 4 -
   
Seasonal adjustment

   Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS began publish-
ing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS series.  The six series are the
numbers of mass layoff events and mass layoff initial claims for the total,
private nonfarm, and manufacturing sectors.
   
   Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and removing the effect
on time series data of regularly recurring seasonal events such as changes
in the weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year.
The use of seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes
in time series, particularly those associated with general economic expan-
sions and contractions.
   
   The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjust-
ment method on a concurrent basis.  Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all
available monthly estimates, including those for the current month, in devel-
oping seasonal adjustment factors.  Revisions to the most recent 5 years
of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a year with the issuance of
December data.  Before the data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments
are made to the original data to adjust them for differences in the number
of weeks used to calculate the monthly data.  Because weekly unemployment
insurance claims are aggregated to form monthly data, a particular month's
value could be calculated with 5 weeks of data in one year and 4 weeks
in another.  The effects of these differences could seriously distort the
seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal adjustment process.
These effects are modeled in the X-12-ARIMA program and are permanently
removed from the final seasonally adjusted series.






Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, September 2004 to 
August 2008, seasonally adjusted

                                      Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                          Initial               Initial                Initial
                                Events   claimants    Events   claimants     Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2004                                                                             

September ..................     1,285     127,833     1,154     116,843       336      45,690
October ....................     1,283     132,766     1,169     123,471       363      47,046
November ...................     1,320     130,873     1,174     119,029       380      45,416
December ...................     1,148     111,060       991      99,784       287      31,935

             2005                                                                             

January ....................     1,475     160,725     1,346     151,028       382      61,324
February ...................     1,146     121,455     1,020     110,480       353      43,568
March ......................     1,207     131,271     1,066     120,945       372      53,673
April ......................     1,252     136,752     1,125     126,550       401      60,681
May ........................     1,248     136,420     1,104     123,495       398      54,999
June .......................     1,196     127,084     1,078     118,012       368      58,300
July .......................     1,250     132,445     1,103     119,566       357      46,602
August .....................     1,144     125,686     1,000     113,762       341      47,598
September ..................     2,248     297,544     2,028     251,185       417      55,304
October ....................     1,101     110,035       982     100,934       321      43,230
November ...................     1,176     114,965     1,042     103,535       332      42,071
December ...................     1,261     134,461     1,132     123,418       360      46,863

             2006                                                                             

January ....................     1,107     110,800       988     101,494       283      34,037
February ...................     1,031     109,798       940     101,828       322      43,147
March ......................     1,084     119,049       983     110,668       323      48,119
April ......................     1,171     121,580     1,043     112,175       368      49,568
May ........................     1,124     117,115     1,005     107,181       314      43,087
June .......................     1,146     123,827     1,030     114,080       352      44,869
July .......................     1,179     121,017     1,051     111,336       372      48,534
August .....................     1,270     135,400     1,107     124,427       377      60,906
September ..................     1,173     123,767     1,056     114,677       385      45,767
October ....................     1,191     121,827     1,076     113,123       399      53,601
November ...................     1,232     133,803     1,121     124,559       414      58,385
December ...................     1,194     131,062     1,092     121,796       374      51,408

             2007                                                                             

January ....................     1,254     128,223     1,118     117,824       391      52,858
February ...................     1,352     143,837     1,238     135,066       416      61,749
March ......................     1,277     130,981     1,169     122,488       412      52,606
April ......................     1,243     126,977     1,116     116,926       382      43,930
May ........................     1,199     120,587     1,096     113,069       370      48,910
June .......................     1,238     129,858     1,116     120,165       351      40,670
July .......................     1,247     127,687     1,140     119,614       392      51,333
August .....................     1,228     121,886     1,128     114,628       335      36,518
September ..................     1,307     128,487     1,204     121,294       430      53,432
October ....................     1,347     136,124     1,224     127,163       430      57,695
November ...................     1,329     139,671     1,215     131,390       414      56,965
December ...................     1,433     141,750     1,315     133,024       462      58,108

             2008                                                                             

January ....................     1,438     144,111     1,317     134,347       427      55,488
February ...................     1,672     177,374     1,539     166,782       529      66,913
March ......................     1,571     157,156     1,460     147,537       482      64,088
April ......................     1,308     133,914     1,186     124,053       483      60,552
May ........................     1,626     171,387     1,496     161,912       528      72,058
June .......................     1,643     165,697     1,491     153,568       541      76,514
July .......................     1,512     151,171     1,368     140,116       443      57,470
August .....................     1,772     173,955     1,622     163,800       599      72,244






Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,  September 2004 to 
August 2008, not seasonally adjusted

                                       Total           Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial              Initial                Initial
                                Events    claimants   Events   claimants     Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2004                                                                             

September ..................       708      68,972       637      63,102       189      25,808
October ....................     1,242     127,918     1,101     117,375       372      48,265
November ...................     1,399     130,423     1,201     115,549       412      44,243
December ...................     1,614     161,271     1,487     152,092       436      50,726

             2005                                                                             

January ....................     2,564     263,952     2,421     253,409       823     108,985
February ...................       810      74,644       722      68,372       230      24,931
March ......................       806      88,937       733      83,793       246      33,030
April ......................     1,373     158,582     1,263     148,133       395      59,129
May ........................       986     101,358       891      93,332       249      30,424
June .......................     1,157     120,463       941     103,307       216      32,783
July .......................     1,981     244,216     1,745     222,377       856     136,210
August .....................       645      67,582       598      63,484       188      22,531
September ..................     1,662     213,281     1,505     179,042       318      47,497
October ....................       905      91,941       757      80,694       249      37,276
November ...................     1,254     116,127     1,079     102,182       363      41,442
December ...................     2,323     254,258     2,168     242,753       706      96,382

             2006                                                                             

January ....................     1,245     117,946     1,123     108,701       331      35,097
February ...................       719      66,555       658      62,208       210      24,892
March ......................       921     111,838       856     106,177       285      44,688
April ......................     1,140     121,589     1,038     112,964       296      39,538
May ........................       872      84,809       794      78,663       192      23,570
June .......................     1,489     164,761     1,224     140,687       319      41,095
July .......................     1,511     166,857     1,335     154,342       648      96,152
August .....................       708      72,844       656      69,054       203      28,494
September ..................       865      87,699       785      81,274       296      39,076
October ....................       964      98,804       820      88,133       311      46,737
November ...................     1,315     136,186     1,172     125,009       455      58,473
December ...................     2,249     254,503     2,126     244,783       735     105,462

             2007                                                                             

January ....................     1,407     134,984     1,263     124,475       456      53,615
February ...................       935      86,696       861      82,097       273      36,170
March ......................     1,082     123,974     1,015     118,431       367      49,886
April ......................     1,219     127,444     1,115     118,040       309      35,229
May ........................       923      85,816       856      81,153       224      26,527
June .......................     1,599     172,810     1,318     148,669       313      36,571
July .......................     1,599     175,419     1,450     164,939       684     101,390
August .....................       963      93,458       908      88,345       220      23,361
September ..................       717      67,385       667      64,026       246      29,381
October ....................     1,083     108,455       929      97,716       338      50,918
November ...................     1,799     198,220     1,593     181,184       514      75,413
December ...................     2,167     224,214     2,071     216,898       699      91,754

             2008                                                                             

January ....................     1,647     154,503     1,520     144,191       488      54,418
February ...................     1,269     119,508     1,178     113,587       361      42,527
March ......................     1,089     114,541     1,039     110,147       333      43,740
April ......................     1,272     130,810     1,172     121,625       394      48,188
May ........................     1,552     159,471     1,438     150,462       388      51,698
June .......................     1,622     166,742     1,315     140,916       309      42,097
July .......................     1,891     200,382     1,687     186,018       760     108,733
August .....................     1,427     139,999     1,343     133,146       414      51,912






Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance


                                                                                                    Initial claimants for          
                                                               Mass layoff events                   unemployment insurance         
                     Industry                                                                                                      
                                                    August     June     July     August     August      June      July      August 
                                                     2007      2008     2008      2008       2007       2008      2008       2008  
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                


      Total .....................................    1,228     1,643    1,512     1,772     121,886    165,697   151,171    173,955

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,128     1,491    1,368     1,622     114,628    153,568   140,116    163,800
    Manufacturing ...............................      335       541      443       599      36,518     76,514    57,470     72,244

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................      963     1,622    1,891     1,427      93,458    166,742   200,382    139,999

Total, private ..................................      927     1,363    1,765     1,373      89,793    144,732   191,309    134,871
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       19        48       78        30       1,448      3,816     5,291      1,725

  Total, private nonfarm ........................      908     1,315    1,687     1,343      88,345    140,916   186,018    133,146
    Mining ......................................     (2)       (2)      (2)          3        (2)       (2)       (2)          207
    Utilities ...................................     (2)       (2)      (2)       (2)         (2)       (2)       (2)        (2)  
    Construction ................................      106       114       72       142       7,282      7,713     4,941      9,717
    Manufacturing ...............................      220       309      760       414      23,361     42,097   108,733     51,912
        Food ....................................       27        58       49        40       2,912      6,065     4,844      3,510
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        3      (2)      (2)          8         243       (2)      (2)          630
        Textile mills ...........................        7         5       15        10         805        730     1,286      1,013
        Textile product mills (3) ...............        5      (2)         5         4         376       (2)        560        487
        Apparel (3) .............................       10         7       24        10       1,362        534     2,048        981
        Leather and allied products .............     (2)          3        3      (2)         (2)         862       184      (2)  
        Wood products ...........................       19        22       38        35       1,562      2,314     4,044      2,980
        Paper ...................................     (2)          6       10         3        (2)         411     1,239        516
        Printing and related support activities .        6        10       12        10         389      1,116       947        938
        Petroleum and coal products .............      -         -       (2)       (2)          -          -       (2)        (2)  

        Chemicals ...............................        4         4       13         5         228        228       999        268
        Plastics and rubber products (3) ........       11         8       62        30         898        960     6,804      3,625
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............        5         9       16         8         309        516     1,412      1,161
        Primary metals ..........................       11        12       41        19       1,399      1,012     4,606      1,709
        Fabricated metal products ...............       10        19       71        25         689      1,716     7,007      2,179
        Machinery (3) ...........................       16        22       45        30       1,846      2,611     5,042      4,887
        Computer and electronic products ........       16        13       30        26       1,252      1,091     2,498      2,446
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....       10         8       21        11       1,238      2,128     3,052      1,485
        Transportation equipment (3) ............       39        74      269       112       5,596     17,597    57,761     19,787
        Furniture and related products (3) ......       12        12       18        20         855      1,076     2,397      2,566
        Miscellaneous manufacturing (3) .........        6        13       15         5         745        909     1,751        520

    Wholesale trade .............................       16        15       22        27       1,247        908     1,926      1,765
    Retail trade ................................      101        89      116       142      10,680     10,567     9,450     12,674
    Transportation and warehousing ..............       63       160      107       100       5,968     20,647    11,182      9,077
    Information .................................       19        47       42        48       3,432      5,078     4,069      6,640
    Finance and insurance (3) ...................       93        40       55        45       9,631      2,968     4,256      3,192
    Real estate and rental and leasing (3) ......        6         7       11        13         625        798       792        742
    Professional and technical services (3) .....       25        32       40        45       3,037      3,903     3,147      4,458
    Management of companies and enterprises .....        5         4        4      (2)          390        257       313      (2)  
    Administrative and waste services (3) .......      153       164      259       214      15,114     15,635    22,921     19,682
    Educational services ........................        7        18       18         9         579      1,275     1,388      1,462
    Health care and social assistance ...........       15       151       65        35         914     11,867     4,263      2,584
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       16        26       27        18       1,218      1,462     2,136      1,320
    Accommodation and food services .............       46       102       78        74       3,346     12,931     5,803      6,221
    Other services, except public administration        12        33        7         9       1,064      2,507       419      1,185
    Unclassified ................................        1         1      -         -            78         57      -          -

Government ......................................       36       259      126        54       3,665     22,010     9,073      5,128
    Federal .....................................       15        11        4         8       1,642        928       306        800
    State .......................................        3        12       26        13         248        953     2,179      1,464
    Local .......................................       18       236       96        33       1,775     20,129     6,588      2,864
                                                                                                                                   
 
    1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
    3 Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years due to a change in NAICS versions.
    NOTE: Dash represents zero.






Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, July 2006 to August 2008, not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                   Private nonfarm                                   
                                                                                   
                                Total mass layoffs                              Extended mass layoffs                                
             Date                                        Mass layoffs          lasting more than 30 days        Realization rates (1)
             
                                           Initial               Initial                       Initial                      Initial 
                               Events     claimants   Events    claimants       Events        claimants           Events   claimants
             2006                                                                                                                 

July .......................    1,511      166,857     1,335     154,342                                                          
August .....................      708       72,844       656      69,054                                                          
September ..................      865       87,699       785      81,274                                                          

Third Quarter ..............    3,084      327,400     2,776     304,670           929         161,764             33.5       53.1

October ....................      964       98,804       820      88,133                                                          
November ...................    1,315      136,186     1,172     125,009                                                          
December ...................    2,249      254,503     2,126     244,783                                                          

Fourth Quarter .............    4,528      489,493     4,118     457,925         1,640         330,954             39.8       72.3

             2007                                                                                                                 

January ....................    1,407      134,984     1,263     124,475                                                          
February ...................      935       86,696       861      82,097                                                          
March ......................    1,082      123,974     1,015     118,431                                                          

First Quarter ..............    3,424      345,654     3,139     325,003         1,110         199,250             35.4       61.3

April ......................    1,219      127,444     1,115     118,040                                                          
May ........................      923       85,816       856      81,153                                                          
June .......................    1,599      172,810     1,318     148,669                                                          

Second Quarter .............    3,741      386,070     3,289     347,862         1,421         259,234             43.2       74.5

July .......................    1,599      175,419     1,450     164,939                                                          
August .....................      963       93,458       908      88,345                                                          
September ..................      717       67,385       667      64,026                                                          

Third Quarter ..............    3,279      336,262     3,025     317,310         1,018         173,077             33.7       54.5

October ....................    1,083      108,455       929      97,716                                                          
November ...................    1,799      198,220     1,593     181,184                                                          
December ...................    2,167      224,214     2,071     216,898                                                          

Fourth Quarter .............    5,049      530,889     4,593     495,798         1,814         347,146             39.5       70.0

             2008                                                                                                                 

January ....................    1,647      154,503     1,520     144,191                                                          
February ...................    1,269      119,508     1,178     113,587                                                          
March ......................    1,089      114,541     1,039     110,147                                                          

First Quarter ..............    4,005      388,552     3,737     367,925         1,340         256,697             35.9       69.8

April ......................    1,272      130,810     1,172     121,625                                                          
May ........................    1,552      159,471     1,438     150,462                                                          
June .......................    1,622      166,742     1,315     140,916                                                          

Second Quarter .............    4,446      457,023     3,925     413,003  (2) (p)1,534  (2) (p)215,808          (p)39.1    (p)52.3

July .......................    1,891      200,382     1,687     186,018                                                          
August .....................    1,427      139,999     1,343     133,146                                                          
 
 
                                                                                                                                  
     1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The 
 initial claimant realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants associated with
 layoffs lasting more than 30 days.
     2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more data on these layoffs become available.
 Experience suggests that the number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards by less than 10 percent and
 the number of initial claimants associated with such events increases by 25-40 percent.
    p = preliminary.






Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                   Initial claimants for           
                                           Mass layoff events                      unemployment insurance          
  
  Census region and division                                                                                       
  
                                   August     June      July    August     August     June        July       August
                                    2007      2008      2008     2008       2007      2008        2008        2008 
                                                                                                                   
        United States (1) ...        963     1,622     1,891    1,427      93,458    166,742     200,382    139,999

Northeast ...................        173       282       281      226      16,396     32,721      25,506     22,736
    New England .............         15        49        34       24       1,128      4,929       2,658      2,304
    Middle Atlantic .........        158       233       247      202      15,268     27,792      22,848     20,432

South .......................        227       365       450      362      21,452     38,453      48,440     38,188
    South Atlantic ..........        128       207       218      212      10,632     18,972      17,556     20,313
    East South Central ......         54        63       161       90       6,426     10,974      21,721     11,179
    West South Central ......         45        95        71       60       4,394      8,507       9,163      6,696

Midwest .....................        181       345       606      307      18,319     39,391      84,535     33,238
    East North Central ......        149       257       528      254      15,584     28,549      75,373     26,689
    West North Central ......         32        88        78       53       2,735     10,842       9,162      6,549

West ........................        382       630       554      532      37,291     56,177      41,901     45,837
    Mountain ................         29        63        49       50       3,162      4,903       4,519      4,688
    Pacific .................        353       567       505      482      34,129     51,274      37,382     41,149
                                                                                                                   
 
    1 See footnote 1, table 3.
    NOTE:  The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the census divisions are: New England:
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, 
and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South 
Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South 
Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and 
Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain:
Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii,  
Oregon, and Washington.






Table 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                      Initial claimants for           
                                         Mass layoff events                           unemployment insurance          
           State                                                                                                      
                             August       June       July      August       August       June        July      August 
                              2007        2008       2008       2008         2007        2008        2008       2008  

   Total (1) ............      963        1,622      1,891      1,427       93,458      166,742     200,382    139,999

Alabama .................       16           13         67         24        2,433        2,091       7,072      3,288
Alaska ..................      (2)          -          -          -          (2)           -           -          -   
Arizona .................        8           17         15          7        1,192        1,520       1,422        488
Arkansas ................      (2)            6         13          8        (2)            414       1,606        613
California ..............      320          516        460        439       31,066       44,754      33,250     36,120
Colorado ................        3            3          4          3          220          177         343        258
Connecticut .............      (2)            9          6          4        (2)            758         579        368
Delaware ................       -             3       (2)           3         -             159       (2)          694
District of Columbia ....       -             3        -         (2)          -             236        -         (2)  
Florida .................       70          132        123        126        5,175       10,751       7,555      9,849
Georgia .................       25           32         39         32        2,493        3,304       3,949      2,938
Hawaii ..................        3            6          4          4          169          783         271        408
Idaho ...................        5            9          7         10          393          684         619      1,120

Illinois ................       35           48         56         55        3,702        4,767       7,674      6,164
Indiana .................       18           40         67         40        1,911        4,916       8,787      4,359
Iowa ....................        5           27         16         18          526        3,682       2,068      3,727
Kansas ..................        3           12          8          4          538          927         731        291
Kentucky ................       23           26         63         34        3,048        6,706      11,907      5,487
Louisiana ...............        5           23         10         10          902        1,767       1,645        851
Maine ...................       -          (2)           5          3         -           (2)           359        217
Maryland ................       10            8          5          8          828          754         443        762
Massachusetts ...........        8           17         16          6          569        1,467       1,107        495
Michigan ................       28           61        212         48        2,693        6,323      27,672      3,669
Minnesota ...............        8           16         12          5          553        1,506       1,452        334
Mississippi .............        6            5         13         15          371          300       1,330        908
Missouri ................       13           28         39         21          941        4,320       3,763      1,490

Montana .................      (2)            4          4       (2)         (2)            299         234      (2)  
Nebraska ................      (2)         (2)        (2)           3        (2)          (2)         (2)          271
Nevada ..................        7           17         15         23          819        1,323       1,637      1,912
New Hampshire ...........      (2)            4          4          3        (2)            657         426        170
New Jersey ..............       32           60         56         38        2,398        9,512       4,110      3,151
New Mexico ..............      (2)            8       (2)           5        (2)            465       (2)          728
New York ................       74           38        103         94        8,776        3,445      10,764     10,760
North Carolina ..........        6           10         12         25          636        1,875       1,128      3,123
North Dakota ............      (2)            3       (2)        (2)         (2)            248       (2)        (2)  
Ohio ....................       29           55        117         62        3,064        6,678      19,402      7,994
Oklahoma ................        3            6          5        (2)          300          502         575      (2)  
Oregon ..................       13           24         25         28        1,502        3,863       2,498      3,741
Pennsylvania ............       52          135         88         70        4,094       14,835       7,974      6,521

Rhode Island ............        3           11       (2)           5          337        1,141       (2)          390
South Carolina ..........       10           12         29         12          940        1,139       2,958      2,232
South Dakota ............      (2)          -          -          -          (2)           -           -          -   
Tennessee ...............        9           19         18         17          574        1,877       1,412      1,496
Texas ...................       36           60         43         40        3,085        5,824       5,337      5,124
Utah ....................        3            5       (2)        (2)           327          435       (2)        (2)  
Vermont .................      (2)            6       (2)           3        (2)            683       (2)          664
Virginia ................        7            5          9          4          560          628       1,475        361
Washington ..............       16           21         16         11        1,341        1,874       1,363        880
West Virginia ...........       -          (2)         -         (2)          -           (2)          -         (2)  
Wisconsin ...............       39           53         76         49        4,214        5,865      11,838      4,503
Wyoming .................       -           -          -          -           -            -           -          -   

Puerto Rico ............        15           13         12         18        1,751        1,265       1,227      1,958

    1  See footnote 1, table 3.
    2  Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
    NOTE: Dash represents zero.






Last Modified Date: September 23, 2008