Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Economic News Release
PRINT:Print
MLS MLS Program Links

Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, April 23, 2010               USDL-10-0492

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


                        MASS LAYOFFS -- MARCH 2010
                                   
                                   
Employers took 1,628 mass layoff actions in March that resulted in the sepa-
ration of 150,864 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings 
for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of 
Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons 
from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in March increased 
by 58 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims 
decreased by 4,854. The number of events has decreased in 5 of the last 7 
months, and the number of initial claims has decreased in 6 of the last 7 
months. In March, 356 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing 
sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 39,290 initial claims. Both figures 
registered their lowest levels since August 2007. (See table 1.)

During the 28 months from December 2007 through March 2010, the total number 
of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 56,937, and the associated 
number of initial claims was 5,731,683. (December 2007 was the start of a re-
cession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)
   
The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in March 2010, seasonally ad-
justed, unchanged from the prior month but up from 8.6 percent a year earlier. 
In March, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 over the month but 
was down by 2,320,000 from a year earlier.
   
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in March was 1,197 on a not seasonally ad-
justed basis; the number of associated initial claims was 111,727. Over the 
year, the number of mass layoff events decreased by 994, and associated ini-
tial claims decreased by 116,660. (See table 2.) Fifteen of the 19 major in-
dustry sectors in the private economy reported over-the-year decreases in 
initial claimants, led by manufacturing (-85,002). (See table 3.) Manufac-
turing also reported a program low in terms of average weekly initial claim-
ants for the month of March. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect 
of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.)

The manufacturing sector accounted for 23 percent of all mass layoff events 
and 27 percent of initial claims filed in March 2010. A year earlier, manu-
facturing made up 43 percent of events and 50 percent of initial claims. 
Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in March 2010 was greatest in
transportation equipment and food. Nineteen of the 21 manufacturing subsec-
tors experienced over-the-year reductions in initial claims, led by trans-
portation equipment (-18,884) and machinery (-15,708). (See table 3.)

The six-digit industry with the largest number of initial claims in March 
2010 was food service contractors. (See table A.) Of the 10 detailed in-
dustries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims, warehouse 
clubs and supercenters reached a program high for the month of March. 
(Data begin in April 1995.)



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


                                                               March peak
                Industry
                                              Initial       Year      Initial 
                                              claims                  claims

Food service contractors .................    6,677         2007       7,636
Temporary help services (1) ..............    6,647         2002      14,338
Department stores, except discount .......    3,339         1999       3,799
School and employee bus transportation ...    3,180         2008       8,073
Automobile manufacturing .................     (2)          1996      15,411
Motion picture and video production ......    2,933         2005       7,192
Professional employer organizations (1) ..    2,561         2009       4,892
Supermarkets and other grocery stores ....    2,012         2009       2,220
Warehouse clubs and supercenters .........    1,897         2010       1,897
Discount department stores ...............    1,821         2007       3,670

   1  See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.            
   2  Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.



Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

All regions and all divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in ini-
tial claims due to mass layoffs in March. Among the 4 census regions, the 
Midwest (-54,366) and South (-34,841) registered the largest over-the-year 
declines in initial claims. Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North 
Central (-42,982) and the South Atlantic (-17,057) had the largest over-
the-year declines in initial claims. (See table 5.)

California recorded the highest number of initial claims in March, fol-
lowed by Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, and New York. Forty-four states 
and the District of Columbia experienced over-the-year decreases in ini-
tial claims, led by Illinois (-10,617), Ohio (-10,140), and California 
(-9,950). (See table 6.) In 2010, three states and the District of Colum-
bia reached or matched March program lows for average weekly initial claims: 
Delaware, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. (Average weekly analysis mitigates 
the effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.)

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 lay-
offs. 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 Extended Mass Layoffs in the First Quarter 2010 news release is
scheduled to be released on Wednesday, May 12, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
(EDT). The Mass Layoffs in April 2010 news release is scheduled to be
released on Friday, May 21, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).




Technical Note


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

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

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

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone:  (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay
Service:  (800) 877-8339.

Definitions

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

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

   Initial claimant.  A person who files any notice of unemployment to
initiate a request either for a determination of entitlement to and
eligibility for compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment
within a benefit year or period of eligibility.

   Mass layoff event.  Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insur-
ance benefits filed against an employer during a 5-week period, regardless 
of duration.

Seasonal adjustment

   Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS began publish-
ing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS series.  The six series are the
numbers of mass layoff events and mass layoff initial claims for the total,
private nonfarm, and manufacturing sectors.
   
   Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and removing the effect
on time series data of regularly recurring seasonal events such as changes
in the weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year.
The use of seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes
in time series, particularly those associated with general economic expan-
sions and contractions.

   The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjust-
ment method on a concurrent basis.  Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all
available monthly estimates, including those for the current month, in devel-
oping seasonal adjustment factors.  Revisions to the most recent 5 years
of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a year with the issuance of
December data.  Before the data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments
are made to the original data to adjust them for differences in the number
of weeks used to calculate the monthly data.  Because weekly unemployment
insurance claims are aggregated to form monthly data, a particular month's
value could be calculated with 5 weeks of data in 1 year and 4 weeks in 
another.  The effects of these differences could seriously distort the sea-
sonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal adjustment process.  These 
effects are modeled in the X-12-ARIMA program and are permanently removed from 
the final seasonally adjusted series.




Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2006 to 
March 2010, seasonally adjusted 

                                      Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing    
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial  
                                Events    claimants   Events    claimants    Events   claimants 
                                                                                              
             2006                                                                             

April ......................     1,189     123,056     1,055     112,922       352      48,731
May ........................     1,121     117,834     1,003     107,929       302      40,703
June .......................     1,150     125,318     1,039     115,883       349      43,476
July .......................     1,182     121,056     1,056     111,432       373      51,691
August .....................     1,238     135,707     1,104     125,704       372      58,962
September ..................     1,154     124,200     1,043     115,261       393      45,972
October ....................     1,208     123,691     1,094     115,102       409      53,957
November ...................     1,244     135,465     1,128     125,976       413      58,509
December ...................     1,227     134,176     1,123     124,570       376      51,403

             2007                                                                             

January ....................     1,264     130,834     1,113     119,874       404      55,217
February ...................     1,191     121,289     1,075     112,607       374      54,581
March ......................     1,225     126,391     1,113     117,760       386      48,298
April ......................     1,268     129,098     1,135     118,175       362      43,205
May ........................     1,172     118,648     1,070     111,103       345      44,391
June .......................     1,241     131,394     1,125     122,123       338      37,931
July .......................     1,274     130,331     1,169     122,381       403      55,973
August .....................     1,247     126,108     1,158     118,575       323      34,902
September ..................     1,255     123,632     1,160     116,744       436      51,814
October ....................     1,370     137,108     1,248     128,387       449      58,360
November ...................     1,415     148,952     1,289     139,665       424      58,543
December ...................     1,569     155,095     1,448     145,666       483      60,368

             2008                                                                             

January ....................     1,481     151,269     1,348     140,570       436      57,147
February ...................     1,578     162,152     1,432     150,712       470      60,276
March ......................     1,487     151,539     1,372     141,574       436      56,919
April ......................     1,327     133,318     1,201     122,651       460      59,377
May ........................     1,604     170,619     1,465     160,529       468      62,345
June .......................     1,674     170,329     1,523     158,084       501      68,403
July .......................     1,531     152,447     1,389     141,707       461      61,417
August .....................     1,845     189,798     1,711     179,737       607      78,172
September ..................     2,222     235,755     2,049     220,832       634      81,989
October ....................     2,287     239,768     2,125     226,098       721      95,301
November ...................     2,489     240,181     2,334     227,368       929     107,072
December ...................     2,461     243,505     2,277     229,171       962     115,961

             2009                                                                             

January ....................     2,279     251,807     2,115     238,990       764     109,124
February ...................     2,737     289,162     2,592     274,040     1,186     141,264
March ......................     2,913     295,970     2,715     279,671     1,202     146,381
April ......................     2,663     263,162     2,461     247,329     1,033     125,093
May ........................     2,794     306,788     2,589     289,012     1,183     145,166
June .......................     2,598     260,596     2,371     241,864     1,072     135,844
July .......................     2,039     196,578     1,818     176,542       565      66,918
August .....................     2,480     238,911     2,244     218,425       798      87,201
September ..................     2,326     221,639     2,109     204,462       783      90,440
October ....................     2,055     205,502     1,856     187,880       594      65,801
November ...................     1,813     163,823     1,650     151,810       485      54,858
December ...................     1,726     153,127     1,542     138,747       433      44,072

             2010                                                                             

January ....................     1,761     182,261     1,585     168,466       486      62,556
February ...................     1,570     155,718     1,406     142,240       376      43,100
March ......................     1,628     150,864     1,432     136,446       356      39,290




Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2006 to 
March 2010, not seasonally adjusted 

                                       Total           Private nonfarm         Manufacturing    
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial  
                                Events    claimants   Events    claimants    Events   claimants 
                                                                                              
             2006                                                                             

April ......................     1,140     121,589     1,038     112,964       296      39,538
May ........................       872      84,809       794      78,663       192      23,570
June .......................     1,489     164,761     1,224     140,687       319      41,095
July .......................     1,511     166,857     1,335     154,342       648      96,152
August .....................       708      72,844       656      69,054       203      28,494
September ..................       865      87,699       785      81,274       296      39,076
October ....................       964      98,804       820      88,133       311      46,737
November ...................     1,315     136,186     1,172     125,009       455      58,473
December ...................     2,249     254,503     2,126     244,783       735     105,462

             2007                                                                             

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

             2008                                                                             

January ....................     1,647     154,503     1,520     144,191       488      54,418
February ...................     1,269     119,508     1,178     113,587       361      42,527
March ......................     1,089     114,541     1,039     110,147       333      43,740
April ......................     1,272     130,810     1,172     121,625       394      48,188
May ........................     1,552     159,471     1,438     150,462       388      51,698
June .......................     1,622     166,742     1,315     140,916       309      42,097
July .......................     1,891     200,382     1,687     186,018       760     108,733
August .....................     1,427     139,999     1,343     133,146       414      51,912
September ..................     1,292     129,586     1,202     122,505       361      46,391
October ....................     2,125     221,784     1,917     205,553       689     100,457
November ...................     2,574     241,589     2,389     226,657       997     107,620
December ...................     3,377     351,305     3,232     340,220     1,378     172,529

             2009                                                                             

January ....................     3,806     388,813     3,633     375,293     1,461     172,757
February ...................     2,262     218,438     2,173     210,755       945     103,588
March ......................     2,191     228,387     2,107     221,397       940     114,747
April ......................     2,547     256,930     2,385     243,321       887     100,872
May ........................     2,738     289,628     2,572     274,047     1,005     123,683
June .......................     2,519     256,357     2,051     216,063       674      85,726
July .......................     3,054     336,654     2,659     296,589     1,133     154,208
August .....................     1,428     125,024     1,334     117,193       436      41,151
September ..................     1,371     123,177     1,258     115,141       448      51,126
October ....................     1,934     193,904     1,678     172,883       566      69,655
November ...................     1,870     164,496     1,679     150,751       517      55,053
December ...................     2,310     214,648     2,166     203,655       615      64,540

             2010                                                                             

January ....................     2,860     278,679     2,682     265,074       962     104,846
February ...................     1,183     102,818     1,091      96,022       282      30,728
March ......................     1,197     111,727     1,111     105,514       273      29,745




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  
                                                      2009      2010     2010      2010       2009       2010      2010       2010   
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                


      Total .....................................    2,913     1,761    1,570     1,628     295,970    182,261   155,718    150,864

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    2,715     1,585    1,406     1,432     279,671    168,466   142,240    136,446
    Manufacturing ...............................    1,202       486      376       356     146,381     62,556    43,100     39,290

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................    2,191     2,860    1,183     1,197     228,387    278,679   102,818    111,727

Total, private ..................................    2,140     2,739    1,128     1,149     223,981    268,595    98,241    107,880
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       33        57       37        38       2,584      3,521     2,219      2,366

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    2,107     2,682    1,091     1,111     221,397    265,074    96,022    105,514
    Mining ......................................       31        20        5         5       3,751      1,561       761        374
    Utilities ...................................        3      (2)        -       (2)          234       (2)         -        (2)
    Construction ................................      166       328      166       117      11,612     24,148    12,200      8,206
    Manufacturing ...............................      940       962      282       273     114,747    104,846    30,728     29,745
        Food ....................................       63        93       45        53       6,077      9,134     4,031      6,122
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        9        13        6         4       1,305        839       407        716
        Textile mills ...........................       29        28        5         4       3,108      3,807       431        350
        Textile product mills ...................        6        18        5         3         554      2,503       557        172
        Apparel .................................        9        23        4        10         883      2,128       265        578
        Leather and allied products .............     (2)          3     (2)         -         (2)         499      (2)          -
        Wood products ...........................       62        62       27        16       5,799      6,657     1,850      1,445
        Paper ...................................       27        16       10         5       2,749      1,421       721        313
        Printing and related support activities .       23        23       12        14       2,124      2,415       960      1,224
        Petroleum and coal products .............     (2)          7     (2)          3        (2)         469      (2)         185

        Chemicals ...............................       21        23        9        13       1,746      2,058       872      1,064
        Plastics and rubber products ............       60        62       10         9       6,151      5,466     1,014        686
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............       46        44       12        11       4,095      3,131       794        785
        Primary metals ..........................       71        56        9         8       8,681      5,734       981        773
        Fabricated metal products ...............       88        99       12        18       8,186      9,256       681      1,361
        Machinery ...............................      110        89       20        22      18,081     12,322     2,466      2,373
        Computer and electronic products ........       68        37       18        16       8,130      4,239     1,538      1,278
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....       47        33       12         6       6,476      3,360     1,386      1,195
        Transportation equipment ................      155       175       45        43      26,012     23,150    10,104      7,128
        Furniture and related products ..........       24        48       16        10       3,020      5,088     1,346      1,625
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............       19        10     (2)          5       1,354      1,170      (2)         372

    Wholesale trade .............................       59        67       27        29       4,696      5,310     1,754      2,016
    Retail trade ................................      178       259      128       124      19,491     28,109    10,802     13,337
    Transportation and warehousing ..............       91       212       51        62       8,809     23,788     5,372      6,444
    Information .................................       75        84       40        52       8,559     12,581     3,753      5,715
    Finance and insurance .......................       57        47       32        43       4,469      3,681     2,671      3,636
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........       16      (2)         9         8         980       (2)        622        409
    Professional and technical services .........       81        71       33        45       7,191      6,390     2,292      4,610
    Management of companies and enterprises .....       10        15        6      (2)          923      1,462     1,990       (2)
    Administrative and waste services ...........      227       326      191       163      18,762     30,020    13,594     13,281
    Educational services ........................        8        18        4        10         467      2,460       242        824
    Health care and social assistance ...........       24        46       31        33       1,820      3,019     2,118      2,066
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       17        35       16        20       1,259      2,860     1,419      1,558
    Accommodation and food services .............      115       163       61       112      13,090     12,838     5,044     12,269
    Other services, except public administration         9        20        8        10         537      1,458       552        670
    Unclassified ................................       -         -         1        -           -          -        108         -

Government ......................................       51       121       55        48       4,406     10,084     4,577      3,847
    Federal .....................................        5         8        8         8         470        698       631        636
    State .......................................       11        37       12        15       1,066      3,278       947      1,324
    Local .......................................       35        76       35        25       2,870      6,108     2,999      1,887
                                                                                                                                   
 
   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 2008 to March 2010, not seasonally adjusted 

                                                                                   Private nonfarm                                
                                                                                   
                                Total mass layoffs                              Extended mass layoffs                              
             Date                                        Mass layoffs          lasting more than 30 days   Realization rates (1)   
             
                                           Initial               Initial                       Initial                 Initial 
                               Events     claimants   Events    claimants       Events        claimants      Events   claimants
             2008                                                                                                            

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

First Quarter ..............    4,005      388,552     3,737     367,925         1,340         259,292        35.9       70.5

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

Second Quarter .............    4,446      457,023     3,925     413,003         1,756         339,630        44.7       82.2

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

Third Quarter ..............    4,610      469,967     4,232     441,669         1,581         304,340        37.4       68.9

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

Fourth Quarter .............    8,076      814,678     7,538     772,430         3,582         766,780        47.5       99.3

             2009                                                                                                            

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

First Quarter ..............    8,259      835,638     7,913     807,445         3,979         835,420        50.3      103.5

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

Second Quarter .............    7,804      802,915     7,008     733,431         3,395         730,946        48.4       99.7

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

Third Quarter ..............    5,853      584,855     5,251     528,923         2,035         402,927        38.8       76.2

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

Fourth Quarter .............    6,114      573,048     5,523     527,289   (2)(p)2,043   (2)(p)292,696     (p)37.0    (p)55.5

             2010                                                                                                            

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

First Quarter ..............    5,240      493,224     4,884     466,610                                                     
                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                             
   1 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 claim-
ants 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   
                                    2009      2010      2010      2010       2009       2010        2010       2010   
                                                                                                                        
        United States (1) ...      2,191     2,860     1,183     1,197     228,387    278,679     102,818    111,727

Northeast ...................        317       593       215       195      29,493     58,748      21,705     19,419
    New England .............         68        70        39        26       7,021      6,503       4,682      2,168
    Middle Atlantic .........        249       523       176       169      22,472     52,245      17,023     17,251

South .......................        589       753       319       262      61,432     74,105      29,681     26,591
    South Atlantic ..........        276       404       178       136      27,819     37,846      13,052     10,762
    East South Central ......        158       220        69        54      15,629     23,085       9,917      5,470
    West South Central ......        155       129        72        72      17,984     13,174       6,712     10,359

Midwest .....................        607       807       221       252      81,957     83,185      21,128     27,591
    East North Central ......        466       604       169       184      64,595     63,706      16,776     21,613
    West North Central ......        141       203        52        68      17,362     19,479       4,352      5,978

West ........................        678       707       428       488      55,505     62,641      30,304     38,126
    Mountain ................        109        94        58        77      10,991      8,992       4,276      6,324
    Pacific .................        569       613       370       411      44,514     53,649      26,028     31,802
                                                                                                                        
 
   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  
                              2009         2010       2010       2010        2009         2010        2010       2010   

   Total (1) ............    2,191        2,860      1,183      1,197      228,387      278,679     102,818    111,727
                                                                                                                      
Alabama .................       45           93         17         18        4,985       11,204       1,758      1,517
Alaska ..................      (2)            9          3        (2)         (2)           713         267       (2)
Arizona .................       22           17          8         17        2,483        1,502         700      1,417
Arkansas ................       10            9        (2)          3          806        1,433        (2)         214
California ..............      498          533        335        373       38,130       46,474      23,191     28,180
Colorado ................       13           13         10          7        1,578        1,301         706        626
Connecticut .............       11            6         10          9          928          406         847        746
Delaware ................        4            4          5         -           509          287         378        -
District of Columbia ....      (2)          (2)        (2)         -          (2)          (2)         (2)         -
Florida .................      107          141         87         68        8,594        9,909       5,523      4,311
Georgia .................       46           83         34         13        4,152        8,861       2,708      1,202
Hawaii ..................        5            9        (2)          7          376          735        (2)         534
Idaho ...................       16           11         11          9        1,664        1,068         709        661

Illinois ................      109          112         40         60       18,096       11,615       4,311      7,479
Indiana .................       68           59         22         22       10,781        6,470       1,907      3,057
Iowa ....................       38           54         13         13        6,140        6,647       1,122      2,135
Kansas ..................       19           27         -           4        2,259        2,432         -          313
Kentucky ................       72           76         32         25        7,861        8,044       6,844      3,276
Louisiana ...............       16           18         12         16        1,411        1,566       1,442      1,615
Maine ...................        9            8        (2)          3          835          789        (2)         233
Maryland ................        8           29          7          6          531        2,586         724        557
Massachusetts ...........       25           27          8          7        2,422        2,341         646        725
Michigan ................       87          144         32         29       11,121       16,035       3,694      4,729
Minnesota ...............       30           36         13         13        3,665        3,614       1,456        921
Mississippi .............       12           11          5          5          745          735         282        241
Missouri ................       42           74         24         31        3,430        5,567       1,667      2,112

Montana .................        7            9          4        (2)          667        1,012         258       (2)
Nebraska ................      (2)            7        (2)          6         (2)           548        (2)         409
Nevada ..................       27           26         16         26        2,351        2,463       1,331      2,131
New Hampshire ...........        9           12          7          5        1,213          962       1,095        297
New Jersey ..............       39           87         16         28        3,217        7,506       1,408      3,024
New Mexico ..............        9            8          6          9          858          560         391        847
New York ................       70          236         52         60        6,974       28,309       6,833      6,046
North Carolina ..........       44           27          5         16        6,277        2,072         451      1,610
North Dakota ............        4            4        (2)         -         1,259          595        (2)         -
Ohio ....................       93          145         35         34       13,067       14,121       3,790      2,927
Oklahoma ................       17           17          3          4        1,483        1,666         306      1,287
Oregon ..................       42           35         19         18        4,118        3,730       1,571      2,080
Pennsylvania ............      140          200        108         81       12,281       16,430       8,782      8,181

Rhode Island ............        9           13          7        (2)          889        1,696       1,545       (2)
South Carolina ..........       48           67         11         14        6,157        7,274         886      1,513
South Dakota ............        5          (2)         -         (2)          323         (2)          -         (2)
Tennessee ...............       29           40         15          6        2,038        3,102       1,033        436
Texas ...................      112           85         56         49       14,284        8,509       4,894      7,243
Utah ....................       14           10        (2)          5        1,313        1,086         (2)        393
Vermont .................        5            4          6        (2)          734          309         483        (2)
Virginia ................       14           49         22         18        1,229        6,570       1,704      1,416
Washington ..............       23           27         11         12        1,833        1,997         769        949
West Virginia ...........        4          (2)          5        (2)          301         (2)          509       (2)
Wisconsin ...............      109          144         40         39       11,530       15,465       3,074      3,421
Wyoming .................      (2)           -         (2)        (2)         (2)           -          (2)        (2)

Puerto Rico .............       22           19         21         21        2,035        1,892       2,459      1,702
 
   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, 2010