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Economic News Release
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MLS MLS Program Links

Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release

Technical information:  (202) 691-6392   USDL 09-0094
               http://www.bls.gov/mls/
                                         For release:  10:00 A.M. (EST)
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902   Wednesday, January 28, 2009


       MASS LAYOFFS IN DECEMBER 2008 AND ANNUAL TOTALS FOR 2008

   In December, employers took 2,275 mass layoff actions, seasonally
adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance
benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today.  Each action involved at least 50
persons from a single employer; the number of workers involved totaled
226,117 on a seasonally adjusted basis.  The number of mass layoff
events in December decreased by 58 from the prior month, while the
number of associated initial claims increased slightly by 478.  Over
the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 806, and the
number of associated initial claims increased by 80,201.  In December,
871 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, sea-
sonally adjusted, resulting in 105,402 initial claims.  Over the month,
mass layoff events in manufacturing increased by 3, and initial claims
increased by 4,759, the fifth consecutive over-the-month increase for
both measures.  (See table 1.)


    _______________________________________________________________
   |                                                               |
   |        Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Mass Layoff Data       |
   |                                                               |
   |   Seasonally adjusted mass layoff data have been revised      |
   |using updated seasonal adjustment factors that incorporate     |
   |2008 data.  Seasonally adjusted estimates back to January      |
   |2004 were subject to revision.  Revised seasonally adjusted    |
   |data from January 2004 forward are shown in table 1.  The      |
   |originally published and revised figures for January 2004-     |
   |November 2008 are available at http://www.bls.gov/mls/home.htm,|
   |along with additional information about the revisions.         |
   |_______________________________________________________________|


   From the start of the recession in December 2007 through December
2008, the total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was
23,485, and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was
2,394,434.

   For all of 2008, on a not seasonally adjusted basis, the total num-
bers of mass layoff events at 21,137, and initial claims at 2,130,220,
reached their highest annual levels since 2001 and 2002, respectively.
Among the twenty-one major industry sectors, six registered series highs
for both mass layoff events and initial claims for all of 2008--construc-
tion; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real estate
and rental and leasing; management of companies and enterprises; and
accommodation and food services. Eleven states recorded series highs in
mass layoff initial claims activity (with data available back to 1996).

   The national unemployment rate was 7.2 percent in December, seasonally
adjusted, up from 6.8 percent the prior month and from 4.9 percent a year
earlier.  In December, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by
524,000 over the month and by 2,589,000 from a year earlier.


                                    - 2 -


Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims
in December 2008


                                                               December peak
                  Industry                                                  
                                                   Initial           Initial
                                                   claims     Year    claims

Temporary help services .......................    15,246     2005    16,656
School and employee bus transportation ........    13,999     2006    14,747
Highway, street, and bridge construction ......    13,035     2005    20,088
Food service contractors ......................    12,673     2006    13,903
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing .    11,835     2008    11,835
Motor vehicle metal stamping ..................     7,523     2008     7,523
All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing ...     6,757     2008     6,757
Automobile manufacturing ......................     6,208     2005     9,021
Professional employer organizations ...........     6,101     2008     6,101
All other plastics product manufacturing ......     5,789     2008     5,789


Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   The number of mass layoff events in December was 3,377 on a not seasonally
adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was 351,305.  (See
table 2.)  Both the number of events and initial claimants reached their high-
est December levels in program history (with data available back to 1995).
Twelve major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of initial claim-
ants for the month of December--mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale
trade; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real estate and
rental and leasing; management of companies and enterprises; administrative and
waste services; educational services; accommodation and food services; and other
services, except public administration.

   The manufacturing sector accounted for 41 percent of all mass layoff events
and 49 percent of initial claims filed in December 2008; a year earlier, manu-
facturing made up 32 percent of events and 41 percent of initial claims.  This
December, the number of manufacturing claimants was greatest in transportation
equipment (64,336), followed by plastics and rubber products (14,215) and fab-
ricated metal products (12,576).  (See table 3.)  The construction industry
accounted for 16 percent of mass layoff events and 12 percent of associated
initial claims during the month.

   The six-digit NAICS industry with the largest number of initial claims was
temporary help services (15,246), followed by school and employee bus trans-
portation (13,999) and highway, street, and bridge construction (13,035).
Among the 10 industries with the highest levels of initial claims, 5 of the
10--all other plastics product manufacturing, light truck and utility vehicle
manufacturing, motor vehicle metal stamping, all other motor vehicle parts man-
ufacturing, and professional employer organizations--reached program highs in
2008 for the month of December (with data available back to 1995).  (See
table A.)

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   Of the 4 census regions, the Midwest had the highest number of initial claims
due to mass layoffs in December (146,155), followed by the South (94,307), the
West (65,942), and the Northeast (44,901).  (See table 5.)  Initial claims asso-
ciated with mass layoffs increased over the year in all 4 regions, with the Mid-
west (+48,809) and the South (+46,802) experiencing the largest increases.  In
2008, the Northeast and the South regions reported their highest December levels
of initial claims in program history (with data available back to 1995).


                                   - 3 -


Table B. Number of mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment
insurance, 1996-2008

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


   Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (108,017) and the
Pacific (53,162) had the highest numbers of initial claims due to mass lay-
offs in December.  (See table 5.)  All 9 divisions experienced over-the-year
increases in initial claims, led by the East North Central (+33,643) and the
East South Central (+23,850).  This year, the Middle Atlantic, West North
Central, East South Central, West South Central, and Mountain divisions 
reached their highest levels of initial claims for December in program his-
tory.

   California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to
mass layoff events in December with 43,265.  The states with the next highest
number of mass layoff initial claims were Ohio (27,836), Illinois (25,885),
and Michigan (24,508).  (See table 6.)  In 2008, 13 states reached program
highs in initial claims for the month of December--Alabama, Colorado, Florida,
Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, North
Dakota, Ohio, and Tennessee.  Forty-two states and the District of Columbia reg-
istered over-the-year increases in initial claims associated with mass layoffs,
led by Ohio (+12,927), California (+12,675), Illinois (+10,873), and Alabama
(+10,483).

Review of 2008

   For all of 2008, the total numbers of mass layoff events at 21,137, and
initial claims, at 2,130,220, reached their highest annual levels since 2001
and 2002, respectively.  (See table B.)

   The 10 detailed industries with the highest number of mass layoff initial
claims in 2008 accounted for 26 percent of the total for the year.  (See
table C.)  Temporary help services, school and employee bus transportation, and
food service contractors ranked first, second, and third among the 10 industries
in both 2008 and 2007.  In 2008, light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing
entered the top 10 industries in terms of initial claims, displacing discount
department stores.

   Manufacturing accounted for 33 percent of all mass layoff events and 41 percent
of initial claims filed during 2008, up slightly from 2007 (30 and 38 percent,
respectively).  The number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation
equipment manufacturing, 323,676, followed by food manufacturing, 72,081, and wood
product manufacturing, 56,374.

   Among the major industry sectors, manufacturing had the largest over-the-year
increase in mass layoff-related initial claims (+260,213) from 2007 to 2008.  With-
in manufacturing, transportation equipment (+95,463), plastics and rubber products
(+24,638), and fabricated metal products (+23,083) experienced the largest increases
from the previous year.  Administrative and waste services had the second largest
increase (+78,183) among the major industry sectors, due to more layoff activity in
administrative and support services (+77,864).

   Among the twenty-one major industry sectors, six registered series highs for
both mass layoff events and initial claims for all of 2008--construction; trans-
portation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real estate and rental and
leasing; management of companies and enterprises; and accommodation and food
services.


                                  - 4 -


Table C. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in 2008


                                                    2008            2007
                  Industry
                                                  Initial  Rank  Initial   Rank
                                                   claims         claims

Temporary help services .......................   134,699    1    96,991     1
School and employee bus transportation ........    79,083    2    76,230     2
Food service contractors ......................    54,677    3    57,131     3
Professional employer organizations ...........    54,016    4    31,062     8
Automobile manufacturing ......................    51,804    5    51,746     4
Motion picture and video production ...........    45,394    6    51,133     5
Highway, street, and bridge construction ......    39,467    7    40,804     6
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing .    38,450    8    16,522    14
Heavy duty truck manufacturing ................    36,788    9    31,076     7
Elementary and secondary schools ..............    28,996   10    20,385    10


   The Midwest reported the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass 
layoffs during 2008 (676,591).  Layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing
accounted for 30 percent of the claims in the Midwest.  Fabricated metal product
manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, and administrative and support services,
together accounted for an additional 17 percent of layoffs in that region in 2008.
The fewest number of mass layoff initial claims during 2008 was reported in the
Northeast (316,191).

   From 2007 to 2008, all 4 regions had over-the-year increases in the number
of initial claims from mass layoffs, led by the South (+176,875) and Midwest
(+167,160).  All 9 geographic divisions also experienced higher claimant activ-
ity in mass layoffs when compared with 2007, with the largest increases occur-
ring in the East North Central (+123,510), the Pacific (+117,939), and the East
South Central (+65,588).

   Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California recorded the
largest number of initial claims (446,480) filed in mass layoff events during
2008, accounting for 21 percent of the national total.  The states with the
next highest numbers of initial claims were Michigan (132,468), Ohio (131,813),
Pennsylvania (128,041), and Illinois (103,685).  Eleven states--Florida, Hawaii,
Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont,
and Wyoming--recorded series highs in mass layoff claimant activity in 2008, while
two states--Maine and Virginia--reported series lows.

   For all of 2008, California reported the largest over-the-year increase in
initial claims (+88,486), followed by Ohio (+48,384) and Florida (+38,960).  The
largest over-the-year decreases were reported in Maryland (-5,056), Virginia
(-4,758), and New Jersey (-1,115).

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 information 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.

                       _________________________


   The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in Fourth Quarter 2008 is scheduled to be
released on Friday, February 13.  The report on Mass Layoffs in January 2009 is
scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 25.






                                   - 5 -


Technical Note

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

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

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

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

Definitions

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

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


                                   - 6 -


   The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjust-
ment method on a concurrent basis.  Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all
available monthly estimates, including those for the current month, in devel-
oping seasonal adjustment factors.  Revisions to the most recent 5 years
of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a year with the issuance of
December data.  Before the data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments
are made to the original data to adjust them for differences in the number
of weeks used to calculate the monthly data.  Because weekly unemployment
insurance claims are aggregated to form monthly data, a particular month's
value could be calculated with 5 weeks of data in one year and 4 weeks
in another.  The effects of these differences could seriously distort the
seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal adjustment process.
These effects are modeled in the X-12-ARIMA program and are permanently
removed from the final seasonally adjusted series.






Table 1.  Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2005 to 
December 2008, seasonally adjusted

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

January ....................     1,474     159,945     1,341     150,403       387      60,842
February ...................     1,087     117,129       964     106,399       350      42,747
March ......................     1,204     129,993     1,056     119,466       368      52,667
April ......................     1,244     134,425     1,111     123,958       396      60,052
May ........................     1,264     137,475     1,121     124,468       397      54,998
June .......................     1,196     126,416     1,082     117,568       367      58,003
July .......................     1,241     130,331     1,094     117,510       354      46,056
August .....................     1,143     125,536     1,000     113,465       342      47,255
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






Table 2.  Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,  January 2005 to 
December 2008, not seasonally adjusted

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

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

             2006                                                                             

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

             2007                                                                             

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

             2008                                                                             

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






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
                                                      2007      2008     2008      2008       2007       2008      2008       2008  
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                


      Total .....................................    1,469     2,204    2,333     2,275     145,916    230,330   225,639    226,117

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,354     2,042    2,185     2,100     136,914    216,095   213,288    212,559
    Manufacturing ...............................      447       687      868       871      56,152     92,256   100,643    105,402

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................    2,167     2,125    2,574     3,377     224,214    221,784   241,589    351,305

Total, private ..................................    2,102     2,034    2,502     3,278     219,227    213,602   235,560    343,963
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       31       117      113        46       2,329      8,049     8,903      3,743

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    2,071     1,917    2,389     3,232     216,898    205,553   226,657    340,220
    Mining ......................................       28         6       22        43       2,136        449     2,004      4,191
    Utilities ...................................        4      (2)         3         6         225      (2)         332        355
    Construction ................................      461       206      382       544      35,564     14,864    29,775     40,579
    Manufacturing ...............................      699       689      997     1,378      91,754    100,457   107,620    172,529
        Food ....................................       68        75       71        77      10,267     11,144     7,123      7,797
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        7      (2)         9        12         640      (2)         620      1,222
        Textile mills ...........................       12        20       19        44       2,281      2,925     2,558      4,725
        Textile product mills (3) ...............        8        10       10         7         848        792       669        672
        Apparel (3) .............................       16         9       16        22       1,311        914     1,783      2,479
        Leather and allied products .............        4      (2)         3         4         435      (2)         270        800
        Wood products ...........................       59        68       93        86       5,698      6,932     9,439      8,465
        Paper ...................................        5        17       28        34         571      1,392     2,645      4,384
        Printing and related support activities .       11        10       14        20         830      1,042     1,527      1,904
        Petroleum and coal products .............       12      (2)        11        12       1,163      (2)         929      1,124

        Chemicals ...............................       12        13       20        23         995      1,394     2,042      2,046
        Plastics and rubber products (3) ........       57        47       74       136       5,069      4,903     7,013     14,215
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............       61        21       55        89       5,979      1,755     4,937      9,104
        Primary metals ..........................       37        48       74        83       4,022      6,038     7,813      8,558
        Fabricated metal products ...............       55        47      104       145       5,252      4,632     8,905     12,576
        Machinery (3) ...........................       37        43       62        75       6,864      7,897     9,019      7,531
        Computer and electronic products ........       21        36       40        53       1,559      3,705     3,592      5,245
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....       16        21       27        51       1,495      3,873     2,891      9,049
        Transportation equipment (3) ............      171       149      190       352      31,910     36,110    25,042     64,336
        Furniture and related products (3) ......       19        32       55        37       2,868      2,902     6,716      4,764
        Miscellaneous manufacturing (3) .........       11        13       22        16       1,697      1,210     2,087      1,533

    Wholesale trade .............................       24        38       65        60       1,762      2,573     4,779      5,374
    Retail trade ................................      103       161      155       142       8,839     15,328    13,429     12,104
    Transportation and warehousing ..............      150        75       99       196      15,573      6,007     7,749     22,751
    Information .................................       51        49       48        71       8,770      7,820     5,390      9,138
    Finance and insurance (3) ...................       36        63       48        40       2,311      5,025     3,591      2,998
    Real estate and rental and leasing (3) ......        6        15       18        16         322      1,014     1,084      1,382
    Professional and technical services (3) .....       50        46       66        76       5,303      3,022     6,695      6,280
    Management of companies and enterprises .....        5      (2)        10        17         448      (2)         656      2,433
    Administrative and waste services (3) .......      218       334      280       348      19,367     30,945    26,341     31,069
    Educational services ........................        8         5        5        11         487        292       365        634
    Health care and social assistance ...........       31        39       33        36       2,484      2,823     2,775      2,626
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       20        42       33        23       1,238      3,106     2,642      1,503
    Accommodation and food services .............      158       125      115       199      18,717     10,278    10,682     22,312
    Other services, except public administration        19        16       10        24       1,598        962       748      1,821
    Unclassified ................................      -           2      -           2        -           136      -           141

Government ......................................       65        91       72        99       4,987      8,182     6,029      7,342
    Federal .....................................       10        19       11        10         841      1,746       860      1,011
    State .......................................       12        30       21        19       1,016      2,985     1,797      1,296
    Local .......................................       43        42       40        70       3,130      3,451     3,372      5,035
                                                                                                                                   
 
    1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
    3 Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years due to a change in NAICS versions.
    NOTE: Dash represents zero.






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

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

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

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

             2007                                                                                                                 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fourth Quarter .............    5,049      530,889     4,593     495,798         1,814         347,149             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         258,767             35.9       70.3

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         335,854             44.7       81.3

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   (2)(p)1,330   (2)(p)181,386          (p)31.4    (p)41.1

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                                                          
 
 
                                                                                                                                  
     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
                                    2007      2008      2008     2008       2007       2008        2008       2008  
                                                                                                                   
        United States (1) ...      2,167     2,125     2,574    3,377     224,214    221,784     241,589    351,305

Northeast ...................        392       270       314      491      36,859     23,945      28,791     44,901
    New England .............         56        25        40       70       5,777      2,522       3,505      7,024
    Middle Atlantic .........        336       245       274      421      31,082     21,423      25,286     37,877

South .......................        388       538       616      815      47,505     53,087      56,608     94,307
    South Atlantic ..........        192       295       304      362      18,797     25,535      25,648     33,456
    East South Central ......        120       111       196      296      18,538     15,162      19,725     42,388
    West South Central ......         76       132       116      157      10,170     12,390      11,235     18,463

Midwest .....................        884       511       824    1,278      97,346     75,210      85,730    146,155
    East North Central ......        667       406       645      961      74,374     60,196      65,287    108,017
    West North Central ......        217       105       179      317      22,972     15,014      20,443     38,138

West ........................        503       806       820      793      42,504     69,542      70,460     65,942
    Mountain ................         67        98       126      139       4,968      9,191      11,050     12,780
    Pacific .................        436       708       694      654      37,536     60,351      59,410     53,162
                                                                                                                   
 
    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
                              2007         2008       2008       2008        2007         2008        2008       2008  

   Total (1) ............    2,167        2,125      2,574      3,377      224,214      221,784     241,589    351,305

Alabama .................       33           26         48         88        3,677        3,865       5,289     14,160
Alaska ..................     (2)            13       (2)        (2)         (2)          1,631       (2)        (2)  
Arizona .................        4           13         20         13          263          979       1,603      1,213
Arkansas ................        8           18         21         25          680        1,877       2,026      2,517
California ..............      370          621        580        546       30,590       51,286      47,690     43,265
Colorado ................       12           11         15         24          767        1,143       1,162      2,023
Connecticut .............       10            4          3         10          854          540         186        799
Delaware ................        4         (2)           6          8          241        (2)           415        817
District of Columbia ....     (2)           -         (2)        (2)         (2)           -          (2)        (2)  
Florida .................       62          176        151        104        5,088       12,946      10,582      6,931
Georgia .................       36           61         51         83        3,111        6,825       4,970      8,508
Hawaii ..................       12            9          9         15        1,161          910         641      1,650
Idaho ...................       12           22         27         25          844        2,682       2,298      2,347

Illinois ................      140           64        126        202       15,012        7,842      11,564     25,885
Indiana .................       64           63        111        156        7,654        7,961      13,420     16,762
Iowa ....................       52           23         49         82        6,337        3,818       8,213     10,005
Kansas ..................       27           18         14         38        3,441        2,543       1,321      7,949
Kentucky ................       62           46         78        131       12,727        8,327       9,210     21,570
Louisiana ...............       15           22         13         17        1,274        1,662       1,093      2,430
Maine ...................        4         (2)           4          7          278        (2)           451        530
Maryland ................       29           11          7         15        2,628          885         828      1,002
Massachusetts ...........       22           11         18         38        2,131          980       1,459      4,289
Michigan ................      213           81        157        248       25,005       16,851      14,657     24,508
Minnesota ...............       46           23         60         67        4,386        1,880       5,442      7,374
Mississippi .............        9           17         34         27          640        1,513       2,736      2,399
Missouri ................       77           35         44        107        7,517        5,877       3,087     10,625

Montana .................        4            5         11          8          264          573       1,226        630
Nebraska ................        9            5          4         12          864          819         450      1,334
Nevada ..................       19           29         33         41        1,370        2,421       2,992      4,303
New Hampshire ...........        6            3          4          4          560          310         311        255
New Jersey ..............       93           45         46         80        8,389        3,670       5,665      6,910
New Mexico ..............        7            5          9         16          702          396         554      1,170
New York ................       72           54         79        111        6,700        4,725       7,366     10,511
North Carolina ..........        7           18         34         33          789        1,838       3,410      3,314
North Dakota ............        5         (2)           5          8          356        (2)         1,631        666
Ohio ....................      149          118        120        224       14,909       17,764      11,680     27,836
Oklahoma ................       13            6         18         20        1,732        1,137       1,708      3,210
Oregon ..................       32           36         60         51        3,763        3,883       7,259      4,413
Pennsylvania ............      171          146        149        230       15,993       13,028      12,255     20,456

Rhode Island ............       10            3        -            7        1,465          325        -           820
South Carolina ..........       29           23         36         84        4,236        2,268       3,916      9,381
South Dakota ............     (2)           -            3          3        (2)           -            299        185
Tennessee ...............       16           22         36         50        1,494        1,457       2,490      4,259
Texas ...................       40           86         64         95        6,484        7,714       6,408     10,306
Utah ....................        8            9         10         12          706          721       1,161      1,094
Vermont .................        4         (2)          11          4          489        (2)         1,098        331
Virginia ................       21            4         16         27        2,390          655       1,316      2,782
Washington ..............       21           29         44         40        1,940        2,641       3,724      3,663
West Virginia ...........     (2)           -         (2)           6        (2)           -          (2)          416
Wisconsin ...............      101           80        131        131       11,794        9,778      13,966     13,026
Wyoming .................     (2)             4       (2)         -          (2)            276       (2)         -   

Puerto Rico .............        3           13         14         16          279        1,117       1,686      1,285

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






Last Modified Date: January 28, 2009