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Economic News Release
PRINT:Print
MLS MLS Program Links

Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Wednesday, September 23, 2009        USDL-09-1156

Technical information:  (202) 691-6392  *  mlsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/mls
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


        (NOTE: This release was reissued on Friday, September 25, 2009,
        to correct the number of initial claims for the temporary help
        services industry mentioned in the last paragraph of the "Indus-
        try Distribution" section from 11,533 to 6,721. This correction
        did not affect any tables in the release.)


                      MASS LAYOFFS -- AUGUST 2009


Employers took 2,690 mass layoff actions in August that resulted in the separa-
tion of 259,307 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for
unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a
single employer. The number of mass layoff events in August increased by 533
from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims increased by
52,516. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 803, and
associated initial claims increased by 70,356. Year-to-date mass layoff events
(21,184) and initial claims (2,162,202) both recorded program highs through
August. In August, 900 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing
sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 93,892 initial claims. Over the 
month, the number of manufacturing events increased by 279, and associated
initial claims increased by 21,626. (See table 1.)

During the 21 months from December 2007 through August 2009, the total number
of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 44,669, and the number of
initial claims filed (seasonally adjusted) in those events was 4,556,636.
(December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National
Bureau of Economic Research.)

The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in August 2009, seasonally ad-
justed, up from 9.4 per-cent the prior month and up from 6.2 percent a year
earlier. In August, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 216,000 over
the month and by 5,830,000 from a year earlier.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in August was 1,428 on a not seasonally adjusted
basis; the number of associated initial claims was 125,024. (See table 2.) Aver-
age weekly layoff events rose from 285 in August 2008 to 357 in August 2009, and
average weekly initial claims increased from 28,000 to 31,256. Seven of the 19
major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial
claimants for the month of August: construction; wholesale trade; retail trade;
management of companies and enterprises; educational services; arts, entertain-
ment, and recreation; and accommodation and food services. (Average weekly analy-
sis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.)

The manufacturing sector accounted for 31 percent of all mass layoff events and
33 percent of initial claims filed in August 2009. A year earlier, manufacturing
made up 29 percent of events and 37 percent of initial claims. Within manufac-
turing, transportation equipment comprised the largest number of aver-age weekly
claims (2,269) despite experiencing the largest decrease in average weekly ini-
tial claims over the year (-1,688) among three-digit NAICS industries. (See 
table 3.) The administrative and waste services sector accounted for 14 percent
of mass layoff events and 12 percent of initial claims, down from 15 and 14 per-
cent, respectively, the previous August. Construction accounted for 11 percent of
events and 10 percent of initial claims, an increase from 10 percent of events
and 7 percent of claims in August 2008.

Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial
claims, 3 reached a series high for August: motorcycle, bicycle, and parts manu-
facturing; warehouse clubs and supercenters; and casino hotels. The industry with
the largest number of initial claims was temporary help services (6,721). (See
table A.)


Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in
August 2009


                                                                  August peak
                  Industry
                                                    Initial     Year     Initial
                                                     claims              claims

Temporary help services .......................       6,721     1999     11,533
School and employee bus transportation ........       5,850     2003      6,538
Motion picture and video production ...........       4,275     2003      6,812
Professional employer organizations ...........       3,692     2008      5,252
Motorcycle, bicycle, and parts manufacturing ..       2,518     2009      2,518
Supermarkets and other grocery stores .........       1,734     2001      2,357
Warehouse clubs and supercenters ..............       1,552     2009      1,552
Discount department stores ....................       1,538     2007      2,953
Casino hotels .................................       1,415     2009      1,415
Commercial building construction ..............       1,375     2008      1,579


Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Among the 4 census regions, the West registered the highest number of initial
claims in August due to mass layoffs (36,897), followed by the Midwest (32,197)
and the South (29,486). (See table 5.) Average weekly initial claims associated
with mass layoffs increased over the year in 3 of the 4 regions, with the North-
east experiencing the largest increase (+2,064). In 2009, the Northeast reported
its highest August level of average weekly initial claims (6,611) in program 
history.

Of the 9 geographic divisions, the Pacific (30,781) had the highest number of
initial claims due to mass layoffs in August, followed by the East North Central
(25,962) and the Middle Atlantic (23,491). (See table 5.) Seven of the 9 divi-
sions experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims, led by
the Middle Atlantic (+1,786). This year, the Middle Atlantic, Mountain, and South
Atlantic divisions reached program highs for August in terms of average weekly ini-
tial claims.

California recorded the highest number of average weekly initial claims in August,
with 6,521, even though it had the largest over-the-year decrease in average weekly
claims (-704). The over-the-year decrease was largely due to a drop in claims from
the administrative and support services industry. The states with the next highest
number of average weekly initial claims were New York (2,851), Pennsylvania (2,481),
and Florida (1,949). Thirty states and the District of Columbia experienced over-
the-year increases in average weekly initial claims, led by Pennsylvania, New York,
and Illinois. In 2009, eight states reached program highs in average weekly initial
claims for the month of August: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New York,
Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.

Note

The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers
beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. For private
nonfarm establishments, information on the length of the layoff is obtained later
and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs lasting more than
30 days (referred to as "extended mass layoffs"). The quarterly release provides
more inform-at ion on the industry classification and location of the establishment
and on the demographics of the laid-off workers. Because monthly figures include
short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months in
a quarter will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 
30 days. (See table 4.) See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.

_____________
Mass Layoffs in September 2009 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 22,
2009, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).




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).

   Industry.  Employers are classified according to the 2007 version of the 
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).  For temporary help
and professional employers organization industries, monthly MLS-related 
statistics generally reflect layoffs related to underlying client companies 
in other industries.  An individual layoff action at a client company can
be small, but when initial claimants associated with many such layoffs are
assigned to a temporary help or professional employer organization firm, a
mass layoff event may trigger.

   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 insur-
ance benefits filed against an employer during a 5-week period, regardless 
of duration.

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 1 year and 4 weeks in 
another.  The effects of these differences could seriously distort the sea-
sonal 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 2005
to August 2009, seasonally adjusted

                                      Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial
                                Events    claimants   Events    claimants    Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2005                                                                             

September ..................     2,250     296,913     2,035     252,291       420      55,974
October ....................     1,109     111,202       991     102,111       320      43,387
November ...................     1,162     113,502     1,027     102,058       325      41,493
December ...................     1,263     136,751     1,135     125,700       358      46,940

             2006                                                                             

January ....................     1,112     111,601       986     102,359       293      35,390
February ...................       960     104,045       872      96,317       317      41,810
March ......................     1,078     118,270       976     109,842       320      48,026
April ......................     1,198     123,674     1,062     113,849       366      50,747
May ........................     1,132     116,808     1,013     106,743       312      42,958
June .......................     1,156     124,955     1,044     115,491       356      45,280
July .......................     1,204     123,172     1,077     113,324       381      50,109
August .....................     1,278     136,289     1,117     125,064       376      60,524
September ..................     1,167     124,083     1,054     115,451       390      46,470
October ....................     1,195     121,439     1,081     112,777       401      53,597
November ...................     1,209     131,459     1,096     122,136       402      57,084
December ...................     1,201     133,311     1,100     124,019       369      51,113

             2007                                                                             

January ....................     1,261     129,190     1,116     118,890       406      55,341
February ...................     1,240     134,524     1,130     126,105       404      58,861
March ......................     1,261     129,480     1,151     120,923       407      52,356
April ......................     1,281     130,263     1,145     119,683       381      45,654
May ........................     1,200     119,259     1,097     111,585       368      48,682
June .......................     1,256     132,078     1,138     122,726       356      41,135
July .......................     1,288     131,556     1,182     123,322       405      53,318
August .....................     1,262     125,334     1,162     117,557       331      36,577
September ..................     1,279     125,527     1,183     118,917       440      54,006
October ....................     1,346     133,514     1,224     124,666       436      57,527
November ...................     1,352     143,419     1,233     134,445       408      56,330
December ...................     1,469     145,916     1,354     136,914       447      56,152

             2008                                                                             

January ....................     1,476     149,068     1,350     139,076       435      56,579
February ...................     1,669     183,038     1,532     172,013       526      67,235
March ......................     1,585     161,497     1,471     151,550       483      65,252
April ......................     1,344     135,352     1,215     125,074       487      63,247
May ........................     1,701     180,558     1,563     170,538       538      75,520
June .......................     1,717     174,748     1,561     162,071       555      79,744
July .......................     1,535     152,499     1,390     141,239       455      57,648
August .....................     1,887     188,951     1,735     178,479       626      80,913
September ..................     2,290     240,721     2,114     226,492       643      86,617
October ....................     2,204     230,330     2,042     216,095       687      92,256
November ...................     2,333     225,639     2,185     213,288       868     100,643
December ...................     2,275     226,117     2,100     212,559       871     105,402

             2009                                                                             

January ....................     2,227     237,902     2,070     225,490       738     102,577
February ...................     2,769     295,477     2,628     281,500     1,235     152,618
March ......................     2,933     299,388     2,751     283,989     1,259     155,909
April ......................     2,712     271,226     2,519     256,111     1,111     135,252
May ........................     2,933     312,880     2,736     296,108     1,331     165,802
June .......................     2,763     279,231     2,536     260,747     1,235     159,310
July .......................     2,157     206,791     1,928     185,718       621      72,266
August .....................     2,690     259,307     2,428     237,302       900      93,892




Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, September 2005
to August 2009, not seasonally adjusted

                                       Total           Private nonfarm         Manufacturing    
             Date                                                                             
                                          Initial                Initial                Initial  
                                Events    claimants   Events    claimants    Events   claimants 
                                                                                              
             2005                                                                             

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
September ..................     1,292     129,586     1,202     122,505       361      46,391
October ....................     2,125     221,784     1,917     205,553       689     100,457
November ...................     2,574     241,589     2,389     226,657       997     107,620
December ...................     3,377     351,305     3,232     340,220     1,378     172,529

             2009                                                                             

January ....................     3,806     388,813     3,633     375,293     1,461     172,757
February ...................     2,262     218,438     2,173     210,755       945     103,588
March ......................     2,191     228,387     2,107     221,397       940     114,747
April ......................     2,547     256,930     2,385     243,321       887     100,872
May ........................     2,738     289,628     2,572     274,047     1,005     123,683
June .......................     2,519     256,357     2,051     216,063       674      85,726
July .......................     3,054     336,654     2,659     296,589     1,133     154,208
August .....................     1,428     125,024     1,334     117,193       436      41,151




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 
                                                     2008      2009     2009      2009       2008       2009      2009       2009  
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                

      Total .....................................    1,887     2,763    2,157     2,690     188,951    279,231   206,791    259,307

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,735     2,536    1,928     2,428     178,479    260,747   185,718    237,302
    Manufacturing ...............................      626     1,235      621       900      80,913    159,310    72,266     93,892

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................    1,427     2,519    3,054     1,428     139,999    256,357   336,654    125,024
      
Total, private ..................................    1,373     2,101    2,752     1,356     134,871    219,548   304,108    118,920
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       30        50       93        22       1,725      3,485     7,519      1,727

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,343     2,051    2,659     1,334     133,146    216,063   296,589    117,193
    Mining ......................................        3        15       22         9         207      1,147     1,816        603
    Utilities ...................................     (2)          4        3      (2)         (2)         246       446       (2) 
    Construction ................................      142       136      170       160       9,717      9,343    12,415     11,904
    Manufacturing ...............................      414       674    1,133       436      51,912     85,726   154,208     41,151
        Food ....................................       40        48       67        41       3,510      4,395     8,076      3,632
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        8       (2)        8         5         630        (2)       624        937
        Textile mills ...........................       10        11       21       (2)       1,013      1,563     2,424        (2)
        Textile product mills ...................        4         4        8         5         487        214       875        557
        Apparel .................................       10        16       26        15         981      1,683     2,926      1,317
        Leather and allied products .............     (2)       (2)         4      (2)         (2)        (2)        306       (2) 
        Wood products ...........................       35        29       42        19       2,980      2,435     3,453      1,423
        Paper ...................................        3        13       17         8         516        968     1,439        576
        Printing and related support activities .       10        18       16         9         938      1,552     1,950        714
        Petroleum and coal products .............     (2)       (2)         6       -          (2)        (2)        373        -  

        Chemicals ...............................        5        13       19        10         268      1,013     1,722        843
        Plastics and rubber products ............       30        35       74        17       3,625      3,697     9,776      1,532
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............        8        25       29        18       1,161      1,645     3,044      1,147
        Primary metals ..........................       19        45       89        31       1,709      6,496     9,850      2,742
        Fabricated metal products ...............       25        74      114        43       2,179      6,846    10,798      3,501
        Machinery ...............................       30        74      132        74       4,887     14,644    29,528      6,608
        Computer and electronic products ........       26        63       77        30       2,446      6,145     7,823      2,535
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....       11        30       45        18       1,485      4,344     5,992      1,853
        Transportation equipment ................      112       139      275        68      19,787     24,865    47,322      9,076
        Furniture and related products ..........       20        24       35        13       2,566      2,337     3,311        941
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............        5         9       29         6         520        644     2,596        577

    Wholesale trade .............................       27        50       78        34       1,765      4,858     6,201      2,714
    Retail trade ................................      142       155      161       111      12,674     15,318    17,388     10,173
    Transportation and warehousing ..............      100       184      131       101       9,077     23,792    11,279      9,131
    Information .................................       48        53       90        46       6,640      6,018    13,941      6,067
    Finance and insurance .......................       45        34       84        47       3,192      2,239     6,700      4,434
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........       13        20       12         7         742      1,590       819        404
    Professional and technical services .........       45        53       95        32       4,458      4,503    10,555      2,302
    Management of companies and enterprises .....     (2)          8       14      (2)         (2)      1,164     2,289        (2)
    Administrative and waste services ...........      214       239      351       195      19,682     19,150    35,419     15,604
    Educational services ........................        9        28       31        13       1,462      2,295     2,540      1,796
    Health care and social assistance ...........       35       173      101        31       2,584     13,948     7,010      1,947
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       18        45       38        19       1,320      2,671     2,611      1,403
    Accommodation and food services .............       74       136      124        74       6,221     18,499     9,651      6,034
    Other services, except public administration         9        42       19        13       1,185      3,424     1,212      1,076
    Unclassified ................................      -           2        2       -           -          132        89        -

Government ......................................       54       418      302        72       5,128     36,809    32,546      6,104
    Federal .....................................        8        15       10        14         800      1,124       845      1,381
    State .......................................       13        38       39        19       1,464      2,821     3,297      1,717
    Local .......................................       33       365      253        39       2,864     32,864    28,404      3,006
                                                                                                                                   

   1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. 
   2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.   
   NOTE:  Dash represents zero.




Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, July 2007 to August 2009, 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
             2007                                                                                                                 

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         347,151             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         259,292             35.9       70.5

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         1,756         339,629             44.7       82.2

July .......................    1,891      200,382     1,687     186,018                                                          
August .....................    1,427      139,999     1,343     133,146                                                          
September ..................    1,292      129,586     1,202     122,505                                                          

Third Quarter ..............    4,610      469,967     4,232     441,669         1,582         304,316             37.4       68.9

October ....................    2,125      221,784     1,917     205,553                                                          
November ...................    2,574      241,589     2,389     226,657                                                          
December ...................    3,377      351,305     3,232     340,220                                                          

Fourth Quarter .............    8,076      814,678     7,538     772,430         3,582         765,019             47.5       99.0

             2009                                                                                                                 

January ....................    3,806      388,813     3,633     375,293                                                          
February ...................    2,262      218,438     2,173     210,755                                                          
March ......................    2,191      228,387     2,107     221,397                                                          

First Quarter ..............    8,259      835,638     7,913     807,445         3,979         830,028             50.3      102.8

April ......................    2,547      256,930     2,385     243,321                                                          
May ........................    2,738      289,628     2,572     274,047                                                          
June .......................    2,519      256,357     2,051     216,063                                                          

Second Quarter .............    7,804      802,915     7,008     733,431   (2)(p)2,994   (2)(p)506,533          (p)42.7    (p)69.1

July .......................    3,054      336,654     2,659     296,589                                                          
August .....................    1,428      125,024     1,334     117,193                                                          

   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
                                    2008      2009      2009     2009       2008       2009        2009       2009 
                                                                                                                   
        United States (1) ...      1,427     2,519     3,054    1,428     139,999    256,357     336,654    125,024
        
Northeast ...................        226       428       511      279      22,736     46,593      45,526     26,444
    New England .............         24        63        82       32       2,304      6,516       7,194      2,953
    Middle Atlantic .........        202       365       429      247      20,432     40,077      38,332     23,491

South .......................        362       620       725      342      38,188     61,962      71,648     29,486
    South Atlantic ..........        212       354       389      204      20,313     31,988      34,220     17,732
    East South Central ......         90       128       213       57      11,179     16,589      25,153      4,820
    West South Central ......         60       138       123       81       6,696     13,385      12,275      6,934

Midwest .....................        307       592       805      350      33,238     76,301     117,188     32,197
    East North Central ......        254       469       635      273      26,689     59,347      94,516     25,962
    West North Central ......         53       123       170       77       6,549     16,954      22,672      6,235

West ........................        532       879     1,013      457      45,837     71,501     102,292     36,897
    Mountain ................         50        90       112       63       4,688      7,184      11,241      6,116
    Pacific .................        482       789       901      394      41,149     64,317      91,051     30,781
                                                                                                                   

   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  
                              2008         2009       2009       2009        2008         2009        2009       2009   
                                 
   Total (1) ............    1,427        2,519      3,054      1,428      139,999      256,357     336,654    125,024
                                 
Alabama .................       24           49         75         23        3,288        7,837       8,324      1,997
Alaska ..................      -             6        (2)           4         -             431       (2)          295
Arizona .................        7           27         35         10          488        2,137       3,469        977
Arkansas ................        8            8         11          4          613          583       1,033        260
California ..............      439          714        812        340       36,120       56,138      82,085     26,082
Colorado ................        3           11         15          5          258          832       1,536        374
Connecticut .............        4           15         15          4          368        1,487       1,056        334
Delaware ................        3            8          5       (2)           694          882         347      (2)  
District of Columbia ....     (2)          (2)         -         (2)         (2)          (2)          -         (2)  
Florida .................      126          182        192        104        9,849       15,785      14,929      7,795
Georgia .................       32           43         62         23        2,938        3,809       7,636      2,202
Hawaii ..................        4           10          9          8          408          992         670        872
Idaho ...................       10            5          8          9        1,120          342         759      1,305

Illinois ................       55          116        110         82        6,164       20,576      25,119      7,432
Indiana .................       40           45         87         30        4,359        4,643      10,131      3,182
Iowa ....................       18           33         48         17        3,727        3,765       8,730      1,359
Kansas ..................        4           15         22         14          291        4,071       2,088        945
Kentucky ................       34           49         97         22        5,487        6,240      14,128      2,006
Louisiana ...............       10           26         21         18          851        3,005       1,768      1,698
Maine ...................        3            3          4       (2)           217          280         256      (2)  
Maryland ................        8           13         11         10          762        1,325         987        759
Massachusetts ...........        6           20         31         13          495        1,777       2,972      1,357
Michigan ................       48          121        185         43        3,669       12,218      23,929      3,593
Minnesota ...............        5           26         31         13          334        2,318       3,229        948
Mississippi .............       15           11         14          5          908          895         803        349
Missouri ................       21           39         61         28        1,490        5,446       7,647      2,549

Montana .................     (2)             6          5          3        (2)            476         481        258
Nebraska ................        3            3          4       (2)           271          658         418      (2)  
Nevada ..................       23           18         37         30        1,912        1,686       3,212      2,879
New Hampshire ...........        3            5         17          6          170          630       1,564        454
New Jersey ..............       38           88        101         27        3,151       14,033       8,366      2,162
New Mexico ..............        5           15          5          4          728        1,013         252        191
New York ................       94           83        126        106       10,760        7,681      11,886     11,405
North Carolina ..........       25           28         23         19        3,123        2,505       1,950      2,523
North Dakota ............     (2)            6          4        (2)         (2)            640         560      (2)  
Ohio ....................       62           94        138         58        7,994       10,818      19,704      5,941
Oklahoma ................      (2)           11         16          8        (2)          1,052       2,013        679
Oregon ..................       28           43         49         21        3,741        5,525       5,492      1,691
Pennsylvania ............       70          194        202        114        6,521       18,363      18,080      9,924

Rhode Island ............        5           10         10          5          390        1,377         965        456
South Carolina ..........       12           38         59         20        2,232        4,087       5,359      2,133
South Dakota ............      -           (2)         -         (2)          -           (2)          -         (2)  
Tennessee ...............       17           19         27          7        1,496        1,617       1,898        468
Texas ...................       40           93         75         51        5,124        8,745       7,461      4,297
Utah ....................     (2)            8          7        (2)         (2)            698       1,532       (2) 
Vermont .................        3           10          5       (2)           664          965         381       (2) 
Virginia ................        4           31         35         21          361        2,817       2,873      1,652
Washington ..............       11           16         29         21          880        1,231       2,549      1,841
West Virginia ...........     (2)            8        (2)          4         (2)            583       (2)          272
Wisconsin ...............       49           93        115         60        4,503       11,092      15,633      5,814
Wyoming .................      -            -          -          -           -            -           -          -   

Puerto Rico .............       18           17         22         15        1,958        1,280       1,826      1,326

   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 25, 2009