Employers took 811 mass layoff actions involving 70,570 workers in September 2012, not seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month. This was down from a year earlier when employers took 1,189 mass layoff actions, involving 117,232 workers.

State distribution: Initial claimants for unemployment insurance, not seasonally adjusted

Mouse over states to change chart data. Click on a state for more about employment and unemployment.

[Chart data]

Among the census regions, the South registered the largest number of initial claims resulting from mass layoffs in September. Three of the four regions experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly initial claims, with the largest decrease occurring in the West.

Among the states, California recorded the highest number of mass layoff initial claims in September, followed by Pennsylvania and New York. Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia experienced over-the-year decreases in average weekly initial claims, led by California and Pennsylvania.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. For more information, see "Mass Layoffs — September 2012" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-12-2120. Each mass layoff involved at least 50 workers from a single employer.