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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 09-0416
               http://www.bls.gov/mls/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902     Thursday, April 23, 2009
                                   
                                   
                      MASS LAYOFFS IN MARCH 2009
   
   Employers took 2,933 mass layoff actions in March that resulted in
the separation of 299,388 workers, 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 to-
day.  Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer.  
The number of mass layoff events in March increased by 164 from the 
prior month, while the number of associated initial claims increased by 
3,911.  Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 
1,348, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 137,891.  
In March, the manufacturing sector experienced 1,259 mass layoff events, 
seasonally adjusted, resulting in 155,909 initial claims.  Over the month, 
mass layoff events in manufacturing increased by 24, and initial claims 
increased by 3,291.  (See table 1.)  Layoff events and initial claims 
rose to their highest levels on record, with data available back to 1995; 
events in the manufacturing sector also reached its highest level.

   During the 16 months from December 2007 through March 2009, the
total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 31,414,
and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was 3,227,201.
(December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the
National Bureau of Economic Research.)
   
   The national unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in March 2009, sea-
sonally adjusted, up from 8.1 percent the prior month and from 5.1 per-
cent a year earlier.  In March, total nonfarm payroll employment de-
creased by 663,000 over the month and by 4,795,000 from a year earlier.
   
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   The number of mass layoff events in March was 2,191 on a not sea-
sonally adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was
228,387.  (See table 2.)  Over the year, increases were recorded in
both the number of mass layoff events (+1,102) and initial claims
(+113,846).  This year, both average weekly events and initial claim-
ants reached their highest March levels in program history; data are 
available back to 1996.  (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect 
of differing lengths of months.  See the Technical Note.)  Thirteen 
of the 19 major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of 
average weekly initial claimants for the month of March--mining; con-
struction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; information; 
finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; professional 
and technical services; management of companies and enterprises; admini-
strative and waste services; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and 
accommodation and food services.
   
   The manufacturing sector accounted for 43 percent of all mass layoff 
events and 50 percent of initial claims filed in March 2009; a year 
earlier, manufacturing made up 31 percent of events and 38 percent of 
initial claims.  This March, the number of manufacturing claimants was 
greatest in transportation equipment (26,012) and machinery (18,081).  
(See table 3.)  The retail trade industry accounted for 8 percent of mass 
layoff events and 9 percent of associated initial claims during the month.
   
   Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff 
initial claims, 6 reached their March peak.  The six-digit NAICS industry 
with the largest number of initial claims was temporary help services 
(9,964).  (See table A.)

                               - 2 -
   
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in March 2009


                                                                          March peak
                  Industry                         
                                                   Initial claims    Year   Initial claims

Temporary help services (1) ...................         9,964        2002      14,338
Construction machinery manufacturing ..........         7,933        2009       7,933
Food service contractors ......................         6,475        2007       7,636
Radio, TV, and other electronics stores .......         5,867        2009       5,867
Motion picture and video production ...........         4,919        2005       7,192
Professional employer organizations (1) .......         4,892        2009       4,892
Motor vehicle power train components mfg. .....         4,843        2009       4,843
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing .         4,446        2009       4,446
School and employee bus transportation ........         4,070        2008       8,073
Semiconductors and related device mfg. ........         3,476        2009       3,476
                                                                                        
   1 See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.



Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   Of the 4 census regions, the Midwest registered the highest number
of initial claims in March due to mass layoffs (81,957), followed by 
the South (61,432) and the West (55,505).  (See table 5.)  Initial 
claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the year in all 4 
regions, with the Midwest (+47,072) and the South (+33,335) experiencing 
the largest increases.  In 2009, all four regions reported their highest 
March levels of average weekly initial claims in program history.
   
   Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (64,595) had
the highest number of initial claims due to mass layoffs in March, fol-
lowed by the Pacific (44,514) and the South Atlantic (27,819).  (See 
table 5.)  All divisions experienced over-the-year increases in initial 
claims, led by the East North Central (+36,748) and the Pacific (+18,158).  
This year, all divisions except the Pacific reached March program highs 
in terms of initial claims.
   
   California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due
to mass layoff events in March with 38,130.  The states with the next
highest number of mass layoff initial claims were Illinois (18,096),
Texas (14,284), and Ohio (13,067).  (See table 6.)  Forty-three states
registered over-the-year increases in initial claims associated with
mass layoffs, led by California (+16,318), Illinois (+11,402), and
Texas (+9,179).  In 2009, 26 states reached program highs in average
weekly initial claims for the month of March--Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, 
Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, 
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, 
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South 
Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin.

                               - 3 -
   
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 re-
lease 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 establish-
ment 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 the First Quarter of 2009 
is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 12.  The report on Mass
Layoffs in April 2009 is scheduled to be released on Friday, May 22.
   
   
   

                                - 4 - 


Technical Note

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

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

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

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

Definitions

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

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

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


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, April 2005 to 
March 2009, seasonally adjusted

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

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

             2009                                                                             

January ....................     2,227     237,902     2,070     225,490       738     102,577
February ...................     2,769     295,477     2,628     281,500     1,235     152,618
March ......................     2,933     299,388     2,751     283,989     1,259     155,909






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

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

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

             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






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


                                                                                                    Initial claimants for          
                                                               Mass layoff events                   unemployment insurance         
                     Industry                                                                                                      
                                                    March    January  February   March      March     January   February    March  
                                                     2008      2009     2009      2009       2008       2009      2009       2009  
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                


      Total .....................................    1,585     2,227    2,769     2,933     161,497    237,902   295,477    299,388

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,471     2,070    2,628     2,751     151,550    225,490   281,500    283,989
    Manufacturing ...............................      483       738    1,235     1,259      65,252    102,577   152,618    155,909

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................    1,089     3,806    2,262     2,191     114,541    388,813   218,438    228,387

Total, private ..................................    1,063     3,709    2,215     2,140     111,984    380,158   213,548    223,981
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       24        76       42        33       1,837      4,865     2,793      2,584

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,039     3,633    2,173     2,107     110,147    375,293   210,755    221,397
    Mining ......................................     (2)         50       35        31       (2)        4,538     3,379      3,751
    Utilities ...................................     (2)       (2)      (2)          3       (2)        (2)       (2)          234
    Construction ................................      119       388      199       166       7,891     27,762    14,040     11,612
    Manufacturing ...............................      333     1,461      945       940      43,740    172,757   103,588    114,747
        Food ....................................       58        84       57        63       7,705      8,083     5,379      6,077
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        6         6        8         9         540        511       606      1,305
        Textile mills ...........................       14        35       19        29       2,745      4,322     1,833      3,108
        Textile product mills ...................     (2)         19        8         6       (2)        2,811       769        554
        Apparel .................................        8        33       16         9         544      3,189     1,545        883
        Leather and allied products .............      -           6     (2)       (2)         -           504     (2)        (2)  
        Wood products ...........................       30       104       57        62       2,419      9,870     5,348      5,799
        Paper ...................................        9        38       34        27         827      3,977     3,129      2,749
        Printing and related support activities .        9        38       21        23         736      4,187     1,758      2,124
        Petroleum and coal products .............     (2)          8     (2)       (2)        (2)          515     (2)        (2)  

        Chemicals ...............................        3        26       20        21         140      1,883     1,806      1,746
        Plastics and rubber products ............       27       110       48        60       2,201     11,156     4,878      6,151
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............       15        56       40        46       1,224      4,441     2,788      4,095
        Primary metals ..........................       10        98       59        71         873      9,660     6,523      8,681
        Fabricated metal products ...............       20       151       99        88       1,878     13,746     8,735      8,186
        Machinery ...............................       15       121      106       110       2,447     14,120    14,921     18,081
        Computer and electronic products ........       10        76       78        68         917      6,747     7,439      8,130
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....        9        53       35        47       2,692      5,807     5,399      6,476
        Transportation equipment ................       72       316      171       155      14,318     57,173    22,440     26,012
        Furniture and related products ..........       11        48       44        24         842      6,928     6,333      3,020
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............        4        35       20        19         301      3,127     1,607      1,354

    Wholesale trade .............................       22        86       62        59       1,624      7,612     4,243      4,696
    Retail trade ................................       94       329      193       178       9,788     33,622    17,538     19,491
    Transportation and warehousing ..............       92       236       80        91      10,629     25,081     7,864      8,809
    Information .................................       35        69       72        75       4,316      9,405     8,476      8,559
    Finance and insurance .......................       46        88       74        57       3,692      7,683     5,685      4,469
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........        5        26       17        16         552      1,870     1,083        980
    Professional and technical services .........       24        87       82        81       3,225      7,032     7,895      7,191
    Management of companies and enterprises .....     (2)       (2)        14        10       (2)        (2)         990        923
    Administrative and waste services ...........      130       473      235       227      10,076     46,646    23,566     18,762
    Educational services ........................        6        14     (2)          8       1,191      1,952     (2)          467
    Health care and social assistance ...........       20        41       33        24       1,347      4,279     2,032      1,820
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........        8        49       10        17         492      4,421       655      1,259
    Accommodation and food services .............       90       197       95       115      10,328     17,360     8,080     13,090
    Other services, except public administration        10        25       18         9         906      2,155     1,083        537
    Unclassified ................................      -           1      -         -          -            49      -          -   

Government ......................................       26        97       47        51       2,557      8,655     4,890      4,406
    Federal .....................................        7        13        7         5         569      1,302       533        470
    State .......................................        7        25       17        11         618      2,155     1,804      1,066
    Local .......................................       12        59       23        35       1,370      5,198     2,553      2,870
                                                                                                                                   
 
    1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
    NOTE:  Dash represents zero.






Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2007 to March 2009, not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                   Private nonfarm                                   
                                                                                   
                                Total mass layoffs                              Extended mass layoffs                                
             Date                                        Mass layoffs          lasting more than 30 days        Realization rates (1)
             
                                           Initial               Initial                       Initial                      Initial 
                               Events     claimants   Events    claimants       Events        claimants           Events   claimants
             2007                                                                                                                 

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         347,151             39.5       70.0

             2008                                                                                                                 

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

First Quarter ..............    4,005      388,552     3,737     367,925         1,340         259,084             35.9       70.4

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

Second Quarter .............    4,446      457,023     3,925     413,003         1,756         339,184             44.7       82.1

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

Third Quarter ..............    4,610      469,967     4,232     441,669         1,582         300,337             37.4       68.0

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   (2)(p)3,140   (2)(p)463,715          (p)41.7    (p)60.0

             2009                                                                                                                 

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

First Quarter ..............    8,259      835,638     7,913     807,445                                                          
 
 
                                                                                                                                  
   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                                                                                
  
                                   March    January   February  March      March     January     February    March 
                                    2008      2009      2009     2009       2008       2009        2009       2009 
                                                                                                                   
        United States (1) ...      1,089     3,806     2,262    2,191     114,541    388,813     218,438    228,387

Northeast ...................        180       787       348      317      21,202     77,142      32,131     29,493
    New England .............         14        97        78       68       1,014      8,414       7,744      7,021
    Middle Atlantic .........        166       690       270      249      20,188     68,728      24,387     22,472

South .......................        245     1,052       624      589      28,097    115,630      55,542     61,432
    South Atlantic ..........        139       574       295      276      14,166     58,892      23,842     27,819
    East South Central ......         53       279       172      158       6,680     32,215      17,840     15,629
    West South Central ......         53       199       157      155       7,251     24,523      13,860     17,984

Midwest .....................        287     1,024       561      607      34,885    114,195      64,973     81,957
    East North Central ......        224       821       434      466      27,847     93,852      52,690     64,595
    West North Central ......         63       203       127      141       7,038     20,343      12,283     17,362

West ........................        377       943       729      678      30,357     81,846      65,792     55,505
    Mountain ................         43       149       128      109       4,001     12,657      11,381     10,991
    Pacific .................        334       794       601      569      26,356     69,189      54,411     44,514
                                                                                                                   
 
   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                                                                                                      
                             March       January   February     March       March       January     February    March  
                              2008         2009      2009        2009        2008         2009        2009       2009  

   Total (1) ............    1,089        3,806      2,262      2,191      114,541      388,813     218,438    228,387
                                                                                                                      
Alabama .................       11          100         33         45          927       10,588       4,690      4,985
Alaska ..................     (2)            10          7       (2)         (2)            788         557      (2)  
Arizona .................        9           24         23         22          808        1,941       2,185      2,483
Arkansas ................        5           13          6         10          867        1,462       1,156        806
California ..............      296          651        515        498       21,812       54,153      45,557     38,130
Colorado ................        6           24         15         13          533        1,814       1,237      1,578
Connecticut .............     (2)            14         12         11        (2)          1,349         824        928
Delaware ................        4            5          4          4          298        1,052         484        509
District of Columbia ....      -           (2)        (2)        (2)          -           (2)         (2)        (2)  
Florida .................       63          235        155        107        5,145       19,301       9,779      8,594
Georgia .................       20          137         45         46        3,302       16,654       3,830      4,152
Hawaii ..................        4           14         15          5          304          998       1,211        376
Idaho ...................       12           21         10         16        1,187        1,746         591      1,664

Illinois ................       51          130        115        109        6,694       13,443      19,469     18,096
Indiana .................       27          117         59         68        3,870       10,734       6,776     10,781
Iowa ....................       11           64         33         38        1,051        7,353       4,374      6,140
Kansas ..................        8           21         18         19        1,069        2,447       1,582      2,259
Kentucky ................       26           80         78         72        4,555       12,492       8,794      7,861
Louisiana ...............        6           29         19         16          411        3,396       1,498      1,411
Maine ...................      -             18          4          9         -           1,618         348        835
Maryland ................     (2)            31         11          8        (2)          2,535         800        531
Massachusetts ...........        5           33         32         25          433        2,782       2,873      2,422
Michigan ................       41          229         79         87        3,980       26,453       7,392     11,121
Minnesota ...............        9           41         24         30          617        3,289       1,777      3,665
Mississippi .............        7           25          8         12          493        2,353         458        745
Missouri ................       28           62         38         42        3,799        5,239       3,538      3,430

Montana .................     (2)            14         11          7        (2)          1,491         753        667
Nebraska ................        6            5          7       (2)           412        1,070         500      (2)  
Nevada ..................        7           33         43         27          522        2,805       3,881      2,351
New Hampshire ...........        3            7          9          9          167          465       1,020      1,213
New Jersey ..............       34           90         47         39        4,007        7,179       3,777      3,217
New Mexico ..............        5           13         13          9          685          822       1,868        858
New York ................       29          279         82         70        3,436       31,893       8,927      6,974
North Carolina ..........       16           41         34         44        1,367        4,149       3,833      6,277
North Dakota ............      -           (2)           3          4         -           (2)           207      1,259
Ohio ....................       52          199         91         93        6,236       27,971       9,065     13,067
Oklahoma ................        6           21         19         17          868        2,772       1,437      1,483
Oregon ..................       21           76         43         42        3,275        9,005       5,321      4,118
Pennsylvania ............      103          321        141        140       12,745       29,656      11,683     12,281

Rhode Island ............        4           17          9          9          303        1,526       1,291        889
South Carolina ..........       17          102         33         48        1,659       10,703       3,471      6,157
South Dakota ............     (2)             6          4          5        (2)            530         305        323
Tennessee ...............        9           74         53         29          705        6,782       3,898      2,038
Texas ...................       36          136        113        112        5,105       16,893       9,769     14,284
Utah ....................     (2)            19         11         14        (2)          1,978         753      1,313
Vermont .................     (2)             8         12          5        (2)            674       1,388        734
Virginia ................       14           15          8         14        1,808        3,313         786      1,229
Washington ..............       12           43         21         23          913        4,245       1,765      1,833
West Virginia ...........        3            7          3          4          428        1,127         681        301
Wisconsin ...............       53          146         90        109        7,067       15,251       9,988     11,530
Wyoming .................      -           (2)        (2)        (2)          -           (2)         (2)        (2)  

Puerto Rico .............        4           29         28         22          344        2,992       2,282      2,035


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






Last Modified Date: April 23, 2009