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Economic News Release
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MLS MLS Program Links

Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, January 27, 2011                   USDL-11-0085

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


                             MASS LAYOFFS -- DECEMBER 2010
                                ANNUAL TOTALS -- 2010


Employers took 1,483 mass layoff actions in December involving 137,992 workers,
seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance bene-
fits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each
mass layoff involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of
mass layoff events in December decreased by 96 from the prior month, and the
number of associated initial claims decreased by 10,808. The number of events
reached its lowest level since April 2008. In December, 319 mass layoff events
were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in
35,977 initial claims; both figures declined over the month. (See table 1.)

 __________________________________________________________________________
|                                                                          |
|                Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Mass Layoff Data          |
|                                                                          |
|Seasonally adjusted mass layoffs data have been revised using updated sea-|
|sonal adjustment factors that incorporate 2010 data. Seasonally adjusted  |
|estimates back to January 2006 were subject to revision. Revised 	   |
|seasonally adjusted data from January 2007 forward are shown in table 1.  |
|The originally published and revised figures for January 2006-November	   |
|2010 will be available at www.bls.gov/mls/mlssarevision.htm, along with   |
|additional information about the revisions.                               |
|                                                                          |
|__________________________________________________________________________|


The total number of mass layoff events in 2010, at 19,564, not seasonally adjust-
ed, and initial claims, at 1,854,596, were lower than in 2009 when both events and
claims reached their highest annual levels on record. (Data begin in 1996. See
table B.) Among the 19 major industry sectors in the private economy, 17 reported
over-the-year decreases in initial claims.

The national unemployment rate was 9.4 percent in December, down from 9.8 percent
the prior month and 9.9 percent a year earlier. In December, total nonfarm payroll
employment increased by 103,000 over the month and by 1,124,000 from a year earlier.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in December was 1,931 on a not seasonally adjusted
basis; the number of associated initial claims was 184,130. (See table 2.) The num-
ber of mass layoff events was down by 379 from December 2009, and associated initial
claims decreased by 30,518. Twelve of the 19 major industry sectors in the private
economy reported over-the-year decreases in initial claims, with manufacturing having
the largest decrease.


Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in
December 2010, not seasonally adjusted

                                                           December peak
                  Industry
                                              Initial              Initial
                                              claims      Year     claims

Food service contractors ....................  18,725     2010      18,725
Highway, street, and bridge construction ....  12,682     2005      20,088
School and employee bus transportation ......  10,775     2006      14,747
Temporary help services (1)..................   8,309     2005      16,656
Automobile manufacturing ....................   4,547     2005       9,021
Hotels and motels, except casino hotels .....   2,318     2008       3,528
Professional employer organizations (1) .....   2,280     2008       6,101
Supermarkets and other grocery stores .......   2,256     1996       2,297
Landscaping services ........................   2,220     2005       2,691
Ready-mix concrete manufacturing ............   2,158     2005       3,232

   1 See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.


The manufacturing sector accounted for 24 percent of all mass layoff events and
29 percent of initial claims filed in December. A year earlier, manufacturing made
up 27 percent of events and 30 percent of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the
number of claimants in December was greatest in transportation equipment and in
food. (See table 3.) Thirteen of the 21 manufacturing subsectors experienced over-
the-year decreases in initial claims, with the largest declines in machinery, furni-
ture and related products, and fabricated metal products.

The six-digit industry with the largest number of initial claims in December was
food service contractors, which reached a program high number of claims for the
month of December. (See table A.) The table includes both publicly and privately
owned entities.

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Three of the 4 regions and 7 of the 9 divisions experienced over-the-year decreases
in initial claims due to mass layoffs in December. Among the census regions, the
Midwest registered the largest over-the-year declines in initial claims. Of the geo-
graphic divisions, the East North Central had the largest over-the-year decline in
initial claims. (See table 5.)

California recorded the highest number of initial claims in December, followed by
Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia
experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by California, Illinois,
Pennsylvania, and Missouri. (See table 6.)

Review of 2010

For all of 2010, on a not seasonally adjusted basis, the total numbers of mass lay-
off events, at 19,564, and initial claims, at 1,854,596, were lower than in 2009
when totals reached their highest annual levels on record. (Data begin in 1996. See
table B.) Among the 19 major industry sectors in the private economy, 17 reported 
over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by manufacturing, which declined to 
its lowest annual level on record. Of the 17 sectors reporting over-the-year declines
in claims, 9 decreased by record amounts.


Table B. Number of mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
1996-2010, not seasonally adjusted

Year                 Layoff events    Initial claimants for
                                      unemployment insurance

1996 .............       14,111             1,437,628
1997 .............       14,960             1,542,543
1998 .............       15,904             1,771,069
1999 .............       14,909             1,572,399
2000 .............       15,738             1,835,592
2001 .............       21,467             2,514,862
2002 .............       20,277             2,245,051
2003 .............       18,963             1,888,926
2004 .............       15,980             1,607,158
2005 .............       16,466             1,795,341

2006 .............       13,998             1,484,391
2007 .............       15,493             1,598,875
2008 .............       21,137             2,130,220
2009 .............       28,030             2,796,456
2010 .............       19,564             1,854,596


The manufacturing sector accounted for 25 percent of all mass layoff events and 29 per-
cent of initial claims filed in the private economy in 2010; in 2009 manufacturing made
up 36 percent of events and 43 percent of initial claims. The number of manufacturing
claimants in 2010 was highest in transportation equipment and in food. Total initial
claims for all 21 manufacturing subsectors decreased between 2009 and 2010, with 
transportation equipment and machinery experiencing the largest declines.

The six-digit industry with the greatest number of initial claims in 2010 was temporary
help services. Discount department stores and supermarkets and other grocery stores en-
tered the highest 10 industries in terms of initial claims for the entire year, displacing
construction machinery manufacturing and light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing.
Among the highest 10 industries, food service contractors and elementary and secondary schools
reached annual program highs in 2010. (See table C.) The table includes both publicly
and privately owned entities.

All census regions and divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims
from 2009 to 2010. The Midwest recorded the largest over-the-year decline among the
regions. Of the geographic divisions, the East North Central and the Pacific experi-
enced the greatest decreases in initial claims from 2009 to 2010.

Among the states, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Florida recorded
the greatest numbers of initial claims during 2010. Forty-eight states and the District
of Columbia experienced over-the-year decreases in total initial claims for the year,
led by California, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio.


Table C. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in 2010, not
seasonally adjusted

                                                         2009              2010          
                  Industry
                                                   Initial   Rank    Initial   Rank      
                                                   claims            claims             

Temporary help services (1) ...................    151,957     1     117,391     1       
School and employee bus transportation ........     92,324     2      91,066     2       
Food service contractors ......................     68,888     3      75,004     3       
Elementary and secondary schools ..............     62,774     5      64,755     4       
Motion picture and video production ...........     53,275     7      45,856     5       
Highway, street, and bridge construction ......     40,186    10      42,096     6       
Professional employer organizations (1)........     65,280     4      40,396     7       
Automobile manufacturing ......................     46,306     8      35,416     8       
Discount department stores ....................     35,577    11      29,986     9       
Supermarkets and other grocery stores .........     24,883    14      24,534    10       

    1  See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.


Note

The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers begin-
ning 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 information on the in-
dustry 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.

____________
The Extended Mass Layoffs news release for the Fourth Quarter 2010 is scheduled to be
released on Friday, February 11, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. (EST). The Mass Layoffs news re-
lease for January is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 23, 2011, at
10:00 a.m. (EST).




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; Federal Relay
Service:  (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, January 2007 to
December 2010, seasonally adjusted

                                      Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing 
             Date                                                                            
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial
                                Events    claimants   Events    claimants    Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2007                                                                             

January ....................     1,235     128,523     1,082     117,096       403      54,843
February ...................     1,198     129,244     1,072     120,459       371      53,420
March ......................     1,202     124,521     1,092     115,835       384      47,658
April ......................     1,238     126,334     1,102     115,271       358      42,989
May ........................     1,159     113,578     1,064     106,573       347      44,637
June .......................     1,207     127,776     1,097     119,007       342      37,552
July .......................     1,295     136,168     1,193     128,208       401      55,906
August .....................     1,217     122,450     1,126     115,305       312      34,877
September ..................     1,233     121,998     1,140     115,675       430      51,731
October ....................     1,330     133,063     1,210     124,455       439      56,970
November ...................     1,397     145,339     1,269     135,651       408      56,985
December ...................     1,553     154,275     1,435     144,785       463      59,445

             2008                                                                             

January ....................     1,437     146,900     1,302     135,622       431      55,562
February ...................     1,604     175,128     1,441     163,475       471      59,118
March ......................     1,500     150,502     1,388     140,424       435      56,156
April ......................     1,292     128,901     1,162     118,016       449      58,402
May ........................     1,582     161,944     1,444     152,230       468      62,452
June .......................     1,631     164,508     1,488     153,014       491      68,198
July .......................     1,581     164,497     1,443     153,720       463      62,425
August .....................     1,791     181,107     1,653     171,705       583      77,874
September ..................     2,192     233,034     2,024     219,532       635      82,471
October ....................     2,221     229,254     2,062     215,787       697      92,408
November ...................     2,415     228,107     2,256     214,631       900     102,284
December ...................     2,443     245,661     2,264     231,138       927     114,280

             2009                                                                             

January ....................     2,272     238,717     2,103     224,850       756     100,927
February ...................     2,801     315,507     2,636     300,042     1,194     138,583
March ......................     2,950     295,543     2,758     279,027     1,205     144,713
April ......................     2,579     251,032     2,368     234,796       997     121,435
May ........................     2,758     288,319     2,557     271,425     1,187     147,548
June .......................     2,506     250,275     2,293     232,814     1,048     135,389
July .......................     2,192     223,697     1,977     203,365       620      72,932
August .....................     2,419     220,262     2,177     201,951       778      83,837
September ..................     2,305     219,924     2,095     204,596       799      91,665
October ....................     1,975     195,347     1,780     177,977       570      63,646
November ...................     1,754     154,223     1,585     141,439       464      51,891
December ...................     1,725     156,274     1,545     141,649       420      43,584

             2010                                                                             

January ....................     1,716     171,633     1,541     157,597       494      60,059
February ...................     1,492     149,369     1,318     135,490       351      40,564
March ......................     1,635     146,901     1,436     131,953       347      37,273
April ......................     1,675     159,358     1,498     143,814       371      48,646
May ........................     1,665     155,352     1,405     133,913       314      30,967
June .......................     1,729     153,937     1,504     134,837       326      32,646
July .......................     1,528     138,581     1,316     121,378       296      30,752
August .....................     1,658     163,325     1,453     141,489       409      47,668
September ..................     1,541     137,941     1,331     119,654       336      34,641
October ....................     1,649     147,204     1,445     130,264       353      37,394
November ...................     1,579     148,800     1,397     133,845       350      39,072
December ...................     1,483     137,992     1,272     122,688       319      35,977




Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2007 to
December 2010, not seasonally adjusted

                                       Total           Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial
                                Events    claimants   Events    claimants    Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             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
September ..................     1,371     123,177     1,258     115,141       448      51,126
October ....................     1,934     193,904     1,678     172,883       566      69,655
November ...................     1,870     164,496     1,679     150,751       517      55,053
December ...................     2,310     214,648     2,166     203,655       615      64,540

             2010                                                                             

January ....................     2,860     278,679     2,682     265,074       962     104,846
February ...................     1,183     102,818     1,091      96,022       282      30,728
March ......................     1,197     111,727     1,111     105,514       273      29,745
April ......................     1,840     199,690     1,697     184,654       424      55,178
May ........................     1,354     123,333     1,170     109,203       216      19,334
June .......................     1,861     171,190     1,355     125,872       212      21,083
July .......................     2,124     206,254     1,732     172,248       532      64,200
August .....................       976      92,435       897      83,021       230      23,088
September ..................       920      77,654       806      67,987       187      19,403
October ....................     1,642     148,638     1,373     127,865       351      40,861
November ...................     1,676     158,048     1,477     142,591       389      41,383
December ...................     1,931     184,130     1,763     172,881       465      52,816




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

                                                                                                     Initial claimants for         
                                                              Mass layoff events                    unemployment insurance         
                     Industry                                                                                                      
                                                   December  October  November  December   December    October   November  December
                                                     2009      2010     2010      2010       2009       2010       2010      2010  
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                

      Total .....................................    1,725     1,649    1,579     1,483     156,274    147,204   148,800    137,992

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,545     1,445    1,397     1,272     141,649    130,264   133,845    122,688
    Manufacturing ...............................      420       353      350       319      43,584     37,394    39,072     35,977

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................    2,310     1,642    1,676     1,931     214,648    148,638   158,048    184,130
      
Total, private ..................................    2,219     1,493    1,614     1,830     206,930    136,178   152,651    176,405
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       53       120      137        67       3,275      8,313    10,060      3,524

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    2,166     1,373    1,477     1,763     203,655    127,865   142,591    172,881
    Mining ......................................       34         6       13        29       2,807        390       943      2,439
    Utilities ...................................        6       (2)      (2)       (2)         444        (2)       (2)        (2)
    Construction ................................      485       175      325       379      35,718     13,500    26,767     29,458
    Manufacturing ...............................      615       351      389       465      64,540     40,861    41,383     52,816
        Food ....................................       63        80       69        52       6,447      8,639     7,242      6,590
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        5        15        7         8         396      1,166       655        856
        Textile mills ...........................       14         7       15        21       2,242      1,019     1,631      2,239
        Textile product mills ...................        3         4      (2)         8         300        271       (2)        981
        Apparel .................................       19        10        8        18       1,661      1,399       993      1,294
        Leather and allied products .............        5       (2)      (2)         3         324        (2)       (2)        850
        Wood products ...........................       40        26       28        39       3,218      2,570     2,568      3,623
        Paper ...................................       12         4        8        14         850        334       653      1,055
        Printing and related support activities .       14         6       14        13       1,659        435     1,312        934
        Petroleum and coal products .............       10       (2)        8        10         866        (2)       796        892

        Chemicals ...............................       10         8        9         8         768        723       685        561
        Plastics and rubber products ............       35         9       20        25       3,487        656     1,912      2,392
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............       59        15       21        48       4,990      1,460     1,839      4,212
        Primary metals ..........................       34        16       17        21       3,456      1,358     1,352      1,919
        Fabricated metal products ...............       54        20       21        29       4,387      1,667     1,766      2,380
        Machinery ...............................       53        26       24        18       6,827      4,968     2,980      2,724
        Computer and electronic products ........       23        13       12        13       1,429        851       990      1,214
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....       19        15       11        12       2,191      1,935     1,808      2,372
        Transportation equipment ................      106        50       60        78      13,537      8,581     7,754     12,534
        Furniture and related products ..........       28        17       23        20       4,617      1,929     2,945      2,521
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............        9         6        9         7         888        596       775        673

    Wholesale trade .............................       50        30       28        23       3,858      2,079     2,347      1,706
    Retail trade ................................      121       126       99       105      12,300     13,260     8,433      9,985
    Transportation and warehousing ..............      157        45       68       114      17,909      3,948     6,236     13,341
    Information .................................       51        52       48        25       7,042      5,640    10,136      2,818
    Finance and insurance .......................       30        31       22        29       2,357      2,342     1,742      2,151
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........       12         9        5        13         763        455       287      1,408
    Professional and technical services .........       47        43       57        44       3,746      3,447     6,284      3,549
    Management of companies and enterprises .....        5       (2)      (2)       (2)         545        (2)       (2)        (2)
    Administrative and waste services ...........      253       275      225       225      21,653     23,531    20,778     17,203
    Educational services ........................       12        11        3         9         755        657       147        958
    Health care and social assistance ...........       38        54       31        46       2,653      4,056     2,523      3,904
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       19        31       32        24       1,734      2,674     2,703      1,843
    Accommodation and food services .............      214       118      112       208      23,507     10,024    10,219     27,239
    Other services, except public administration        16        10       15        15       1,171        506     1,168      1,153
    Unclassified ................................        1         1        1         1         153         73        79         92

Government ......................................       91       149       62       101       7,718     12,460     5,397      7,725
    Federal .....................................       11        41       10        10         921      4,336       945      1,215
    State .......................................       26        32       17        22       2,560      2,967     1,472      1,724
    Local .......................................       54        76       35        69       4,237      5,157     2,980      4,786
                                                                                                                                   
 
   1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
   2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.   




Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2008 to December 2010, 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
             2008                                                                                                                 

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         766,780             47.5       99.3

             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         835,551             50.3      103.5

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         3,395         731,049             48.4       99.7

July .......................    3,054      336,654     2,659     296,589                                                          
August .....................    1,428      125,024     1,334     117,193                                                          
September ..................    1,371      123,177     1,258     115,141                                                          

Third Quarter ..............    5,853      584,855     5,251     528,923         2,034         406,823             38.7       76.9

October ....................    1,934      193,904     1,678     172,883                                                          
November ...................    1,870      164,496     1,679     150,751                                                          
December ...................    2,310      214,648     2,166     203,655                                                          

Fourth Quarter .............    6,114      573,048     5,523     527,289         2,416         468,560             43.7       88.9

             2010                                                                                                                 

January ....................    2,860      278,679     2,682     265,074                                                          
February ...................    1,183      102,818     1,091      96,022                                                          
March ......................    1,197      111,727     1,111     105,514                                                          

First Quarter ..............    5,240      493,224     4,884     466,610         1,870         367,930             38.3       78.9

April ......................    1,840      199,690     1,697     184,654                                                          
May ........................    1,354      123,333     1,170     109,203                                                          
June .......................    1,861      171,190     1,355     125,872                                                          

Second Quarter .............    5,055      494,213     4,222     419,729         2,011         393,435             47.6       93.7

July .......................    2,124      206,254     1,732     172,248                                                          
August .....................      976       92,435       897      83,021                                                          
September ..................      920       77,654       806      67,987                                                          

Third Quarter ..............    4,020      376,343     3,435     323,256   (2)(p)1,297   (2)(p)177,807          (p)37.8    (p)55.0

October ....................    1,642      148,638     1,373     127,865                                                          
November ...................    1,676      158,048     1,477     142,591                                                          
December ...................    1,931      184,130     1,763     172,881                                                          
Fourth Quarter .............    5,249      490,816     4,613     443,337                                                          


   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                                                                                         
                                                                                                                     
                                 December   October   November  December   December   October    November    December
                                   2009       2010      2010      2010       2009       2010       2010        2010  
                                                                                                                     
        United States (1) ...      2,310     1,642     1,676     1,931     214,648    148,638     158,048    184,130
        
Northeast ...................        461       246       223       356      41,913     20,922      20,305     35,601
    New England .............         71        25        41        50       6,743      1,940       3,878      5,278
    Middle Atlantic .........        390       221       182       306      35,170     18,982      16,427     30,323

South .......................        494       368       426       493      48,248     35,853      38,416     51,554
    South Atlantic ..........        284       213       245       287      25,236     21,191      20,773     27,744
    East South Central ......        115        70        83       110      13,749      7,095       7,182     12,784
    West South Central ......         95        85        98        96       9,263      7,567      10,461     11,026

Midwest .....................        739       316       431       565      76,826     34,290      43,401     58,560
    East North Central ......        508       227       317       394      51,903     25,674      31,834     42,375
    West North Central ......        231        89       114       171      24,923      8,616      11,567     16,185

West ........................        616       712       596       517      47,661     57,573      55,926     38,415
    Mountain ................        126        99       101        90      10,700      9,563       8,789      7,274
    Pacific .................        490       613       495       427      36,961     48,010      47,137     31,141
                                                                                                                    
 
   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                                                                                                      
                            December     October    November   December    December     October    November   December 
                              2009        2010        2010       2010        2009         2010       2010       2010   

   Total (1) ............    2,310        1,642      1,676      1,931      214,648      148,638     158,048    184,130
                                                                                                                      
Alabama .................       36           20         26         34        4,592        2,244       2,499      3,758
Alaska ..................        7            5          4          9          650          430         266        915
Arizona .................        9           24          5          9          817        2,392         365        940
Arkansas ................        7            7         10          6          581          790       1,224        563
California ..............      412          559        424        365       30,229       42,458      40,704     25,602
Colorado ................       24           17         17         14        1,941        1,675       1,379        964
Connecticut .............        8            7          9          7          890          523         837        576
Delaware ................        5            5          3          6          266          403         153        429
District of Columbia ....        4          (2)        (2)        (2)          301          (2)         (2)        (2)
Florida .................       96          105         72         92        7,715        9,277       3,911      7,554
Georgia .................       56           32         28         42        5,244        2,969       3,012      4,306
Hawaii ..................        7            5        (2)          -          637          401         (2)          -
Idaho ...................       16            5         21         15        1,099          362       2,085      1,006

Illinois ................      142           60         59        110       17,639        7,281       5,386     13,672
Indiana .................       57           26         30         49        6,256        4,349       3,799      5,314
Iowa ....................       51           14         24         39        6,087        1,397       3,716      3,897
Kansas ..................       28            6          8         23        4,878          737       1,205      2,923
Kentucky ................       44           20         21         38        5,013        2,828       1,744      5,003
Louisiana ...............       22           19         17         21        1,641        1,554       1,351      1,741
Maine ...................        3            -          6          6          204            -         528        431
Maryland ................       16            9          7          9        1,251          796         529        611
Massachusetts ...........       28           11         17         19        2,990          858       1,449      2,372
Michigan ................      119           34         74         67       10,913        3,010       7,199      8,985
Minnesota ...............       45           26         39         34        3,690        3,056       3,316      2,932
Mississippi .............       12           15         25         19        1,000        1,017       1,964      2,128
Missouri ................       86           37         29         54        8,373        2,866       2,159      4,763

Montana .................       12            9         12          8          896          831       1,074        470
Nebraska ................       12            6          8         14        1,166          560         643      1,157
Nevada ..................       36           26         28         26        3,677        2,396       2,186      2,449
New Hampshire ...........       11            3          3          3          867          302         218        326
New Jersey ..............       67           31         33         49        6,716        2,517       4,247      6,036
New Mexico ..............       12            7          8          8          954          545         636        640
New York ................      126           61         54        115       12,704        5,443       4,471     12,383
North Carolina (3) ......       18           21         78         80        1,455        1,697       8,019      8,876
North Dakota ............        7            -          6          5          595            -         528        375
Ohio ....................       91           45         64         87        8,888        4,734       6,234      7,826
Oklahoma ................       10            7          5          6          893          484         441      1,410
Oregon ..................       29           22         28         25        2,617        2,540       2,676      2,234
Pennsylvania ............      197          129         95        142       15,750       11,022       7,709     11,904

Rhode Island ............        6          (2)        (2)         10          713          (2)         (2)      1,264
South Carolina ..........       45           21         19         26        4,780        3,479       1,501      2,648
South Dakota ............      (2)            -          -        (2)          (2)            -           -        (2)
Tennessee ...............       23           15         11         19        3,144        1,006         975      1,895
Texas ...................       56           52         66         63        6,148        4,739       7,445      7,312
Utah ....................       16            7          9         10        1,256          758         977        805
Vermont .................       15          (2)          5          5        1,079          (2)         736        309
Virginia ................       40           19         32         30        3,903        2,444       3,111      3,177
Washington ..............       35           22         37         28        2,828        2,181       3,294      2,390
West Virginia ...........        4            -          5          -          321            -         457          -
Wisconsin ...............       99           62         90         81        8,207        6,300       9,216      6,578
Wyoming .................      (2)            4        (2)          -          (2)          604         (2)          -

Puerto Rico .............       11           22         11         10        1,093        2,191       1,046        940

   1 See footnote 1, table 3.
   2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
   3 Data starting in November 2010 may not be comparable to prior data due to a change in MLS unemployment insurance
input procedures.
   NOTE: Dash represents zero.




Last Modified Date: January 27, 2011