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Economic News Release
PRINT:Print
MLS MLS Program Links

Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, June 24, 2010              USDL-10-0856

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

(NOTE: Monthly national Mass Layoffs data for April through September 2010 
have been found to contain errors in each of the 6 seasonally adjusted series
appearing in the charts, the text, and tables 1 and 3. Not seasonally adjusted
data and regional office news releases are not affected. The corrected 
seasonally adjusted estimates for April through September are located in the 
Mass Layoffs database at www.bls.gov/mls/#data.)


                               MASS LAYOFFS -- MAY 2010


Employers took 1,412 mass layoff actions in May that resulted in the separa-
tion of 135,789 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 May decreased by 444
from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by
65,081. In May, 266 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sec-
tor, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 22,577 initial claims. Both figures de-
clined over the month to their lowest levels in program history. (Data begin
in 1995. See table 1.)

During the 30 months from December 2007 through May 2010, the total number of
mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 60,205, and the associated number
of initial claims was 6,068,342. (December 2007 was the start of a recession
as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)

The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in May 2010, seasonally adjusted,
down from 9.9 percent the prior month and up from 9.4 percent a year earlier. In
May, total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 431,000 over the month, reflecting
the hiring of 411,000 temporary employees to work on Census 2010, but down by
585,000 from a year earlier.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in May was 1,354 on a not seasonally adjusted
basis; the number of associated initial claims was 123,333. (See table 2.) Over
the year, the number of average weekly mass layoff events decreased by 209, and
associated average weekly initial claims decreased by 27,092. Fifteen of the 19
major industry sectors in the private economy reported over-the-year decreases
in average weekly initial claims, led by manufacturing. (Average weekly anal-
ysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical
Note.) Both average weekly events and initial claimants reached their highest
May levels in program history in 2009.

The manufacturing sector accounted for 16 percent of all mass layoff events and
initial claims filed in May 2010. A year earlier, manufacturing made up 37 per-
cent of events and 43 percent of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number
of claimants in May 2010 was greatest in food and transportation equipment. (See
table 3.) All 21 manufacturing subsectors experienced over-the-year decreases in
average weekly initial claims, led by transportation equipment.

The six-digit industry with the largest number of initial claims in May 2010 was
food service contractors. (See table A.) Of the 10 detailed industries with the
largest number of mass layoff initial claims, teleproduction and postproduction
services, elementary and secondary schools, junior colleges, and colleges and
universities reached program highs for the month of May. This table includes both
publicly- and privately-owned entities.


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

                                                                  May peak
                                                                              
                  Industry                         Initial             Initial
                                                   claims      Year    claims

Food service contractors ......................     10,887     2009     11,216
Temporary help services (1) ...................      9,425     2002     16,992
Child day care services .......................      3,922     2008      4,541
Professional employer organizations (1) .......      3,738     2009      5,898
Elementary and secondary schools ..............      2,713     2010      2,713
Motion picture and video production ...........      2,644     1999      8,985
Teleproduction and postproduction services ....      2,236     2010      2,236
School and employee bus transportation ........      2,115     2008      6,323
Junior colleges ...............................      2,049     2010      2,049
Colleges and universities .....................      1,958     2010      1,958

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


Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

All four regions and all nine divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in
average weekly initial claims due to mass layoffs in May. Among the four census
regions, the Midwest and South registered the largest over-the-year declines in
average weekly initial claims. Of the nine geographic divisions, the East North
Central and the Middle Atlantic had the largest over-the-year declines.

California recorded the highest number of initial claims in May, followed by
Texas, Florida, and Illinois. (See table 6.) Forty-four states experienced over-
the-year decreases in average weekly initial claims, led by Michigan, Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and Illinois.

Note

The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers
beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. For private
nonfarm establishments, information on the length of the layoff is obtained later
and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs lasting more than
30 days (referred to as "extended mass layoffs"). The quarterly release provides
more information on the industry classification and location of the establishment
and on the demographics of the laid-off workers. Because monthly figures include
short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months in
a quarter will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than
30 days. (See table 4.) See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.

____________
The Mass Layoffs in June 2010 news release is scheduled to be released on Friday,
July 23, 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, June 2006 to
May 2010, seasonally adjusted

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

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
April ......................     1,856     200,870     1,686     185,150       448      63,616
May ........................     1,412     135,789     1,200     119,822       266      22,577




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

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

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
April ......................     1,840     199,690     1,697     184,654       424      55,178
May ........................     1,354     123,333     1,170     109,203       216      19,334




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

                                                                                                      Initial claimants for        
                                                              Mass layoff events                     unemployment insurance        
                     Industry                                                                                                      
                                                      May      March    April      May        May       March     April       May  
                                                      2009     2010     2010       2010       2009      2010      2010        2010 
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                

      Total .....................................    2,794     1,628    1,856     1,412     306,788    150,864   200,870    135,789

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    2,589     1,432    1,686     1,200     289,012    136,446   185,150    119,822
    Manufacturing ...............................    1,183       356      448       266     145,166     39,290    63,616     22,577

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................    2,738     1,197    1,840     1,354     289,628    111,727   199,690    123,333

Total, private ..................................    2,599     1,149    1,761     1,197     276,113    107,880   191,664    110,968
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       27        38       64        27       2,066      2,366     7,010      1,765

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    2,572     1,111    1,697     1,170     274,047    105,514   184,654    109,203
    Mining ......................................       32         5        7       (2)       3,057        374       399        (2)
    Utilities ...................................        4       (2)      (2)         5         466        (2)       (2)        449
    Construction ................................      255       117      163       159      19,684      8,206    11,947     12,129
    Manufacturing ...............................    1,005       273      424       216     123,683     29,745    55,178     19,334
        Food ....................................       65        53      100        47       7,211      6,122    10,200      4,015
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        7         4      (2)         5         607        716       (2)        386
        Textile mills ...........................       13         4        7         3       1,059        350     1,296        391
        Textile product mills ...................        8         3        5         3         775        172       414        407
        Apparel .................................       17        10       16         8       1,360        578     1,428        498
        Leather and allied products .............      (2)         -        -         -         (2)          -         -          -
        Wood products ...........................       43        16       17        11       4,219      1,445     1,591        913
        Paper ...................................       30         5       14         3       3,854        313     1,134        277
        Printing and related support activities .       34        14        9        12       3,521      1,224       860      1,065
        Petroleum and coal products .............      (2)         3      (2)         3         (2)        185       (2)        205

        Chemicals ...............................       23        13        7         8       2,146      1,064       400        530
        Plastics and rubber products ............       52         9       10         6       5,187        686       719        329
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............       35        11       22         5       2,388        785     1,882        342
        Primary metals ..........................       77         8       18        12       8,785        773     1,473      1,147
        Fabricated metal products ...............      100        18       21        12       9,483      1,361     1,581        910
        Machinery ...............................      118        22       41        20      12,472      2,373     4,456      1,971
        Computer and electronic products ........       60        16       27        13       5,732      1,278     1,964      1,015
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....       37         6       12        11       3,506      1,195     1,756        865
        Transportation equipment ................      238        43       73        20      46,816      7,128    22,071      2,860
        Furniture and related products ..........       24        10       12         5       2,568      1,625       919        409
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............       17         5       10         9       1,402        372       833        799

    Wholesale trade .............................       64        29       25        18       6,022      2,016     2,224      1,183
    Retail trade ................................      202       124      156       121      18,360     13,337    16,188      9,982
    Transportation and warehousing ..............       89        62      178        47       7,835      6,444    23,013      4,781
    Information .................................       67        52       50        41       9,132      5,715     8,383      6,310
    Finance and insurance .......................       71        43       64        23       6,374      3,636     4,579      1,761
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........       14         8       22         9         985        409     1,388        698
    Professional and technical services .........       83        45       90        61       7,030      4,610    11,110      5,534
    Management of companies and enterprises .....       12       (2)      (2)       (2)       1,329        (2)       (2)        (2)
    Administrative and waste services ...........      310       163      241       175      32,973     13,281    21,073     17,363
    Educational services ........................       10        10        7        10         758        824       958        766
    Health care and social assistance ...........       87        33       58        84       8,402      2,066     4,991      7,337
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       37        20       57        32       2,676      1,558     4,838      2,063
    Accommodation and food services .............      189       112      131       129      21,484     12,269    16,214     16,045
    Other services, except public administration        41        10       16        34       3,797        670     1,434      2,933
    Unclassified ................................       -         -        -         -          -          -         -          -  

Government ......................................      139        48       79       157      13,515      3,847     8,026     12,365
    Federal .....................................       37         8       16        19       4,585        636     1,393      1,864
    State .......................................       25        15       18        39       2,185      1,324     2,188      2,904
    Local .......................................       77        25       45        99       6,745      1,887     4,445      7,597
                                                                                                                                   
 
   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, April 2008 to May 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                                                                                                                    

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         835,551             50.3      103.5   

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

Second Quarter .............    7,804      802,915     7,008     733,431         3,395         731,035             48.4       99.7   

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

Third Quarter ..............    5,853      584,855     5,251     528,923         2,034         406,715             38.7       76.9   

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

Fourth Quarter .............    6,114      573,048     5,523     527,289         2,419         466,539             43.8       88.5   

             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   (2)(p)1,564   (2)(p)214,204          (p)32.0    (p)45.9   

April ......................    1,840      199,690     1,697     184,654                                                             
May ........................    1,354      123,333     1,170     109,203                                                             
                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                     
   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                                                                                        

                                    May      March     April      May        May       March       April       May  
                                    2009     2010      2010       2010       2009      2010        2010        2010 
                                                                                                                    
        United States (1) ...      2,738     1,197     1,840     1,354     289,628    111,727     199,690    123,333

Northeast ...................        451       195       397       203      41,413     19,419      48,396     17,575
    New England .............         67        26        81        29       5,865      2,168       9,523      2,421
    Middle Atlantic .........        384       169       316       174      35,548     17,251      38,873     15,154

South .......................        742       262       412       428      72,375     26,591      43,503     38,299
    South Atlantic ..........        370       136       214       216      34,117     10,762      20,768     19,282
    East South Central ......        171        54        80        94      18,081      5,470      11,005      8,431
    West South Central ......        201        72       118       118      20,177     10,359      11,730     10,586

Midwest .....................        826       252       364       261     105,264     27,591      44,740     26,176
    East North Central ......        649       184       290       175      84,281     21,613      37,448     17,981
    West North Central ......        177        68        74        86      20,983      5,978       7,292      8,195

West ........................        719       488       667       462      70,576     38,126      63,051     41,283
    Mountain ................        135        77       101        73      13,290      6,324      11,433      6,357
    Pacific .................        584       411       566       389      57,286     31,802      51,618     34,926
                                                                                                                    

   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 Wis-
consin; 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                                                                                                      
                              May         March      April       May         May         March       April       May  
                              2009        2010       2010        2010        2009        2010        2010        2010 
 
   Total (1) ............    2,738        1,197      1,840      1,354      289,628      111,727     199,690    123,333
                                                                                                                      
Alabama .................       40           18         17         24        4,037        1,517       2,148      2,171
Alaska ..................       12          (2)         11         11        1,230          (2)       1,252      1,259
Arizona .................       28           17         33         24        2,484        1,417       4,943      2,369
Arkansas ................       18            3          8          6        2,319          214       1,039        553
California ..............      487          373        477        345       47,091       28,180      42,426     31,197
Colorado ................       15            7         20         10        1,762          626       2,269      1,024
Connecticut .............       17            9          9         10        1,389          746         891        823
Delaware ................        3            -          8        (2)          172            -         611        (2)
District of Columbia ....      (2)            -          -          4          (2)            -           -        301
Florida .................      181           68        118        104       12,446        4,311       9,139      7,027
Georgia .................       56           13         31         39        5,187        1,202       3,375      4,227
Hawaii ..................        8            7          7          4          900          534         672        264
Idaho ...................        9            9          8          6          680          661         533        367

Illinois ................      135           60         60         56       19,717        7,479       7,059      6,699
Indiana .................       86           22         32         21       10,416        3,057       4,786      1,931
Iowa ....................       31           13         20         16        4,379        2,135       2,876      1,984
Kansas ..................       31            4          5         15        3,551          313         296      1,464
Kentucky ................       85           25         40         28        9,894        3,276       6,573      2,758
Louisiana ...............       35           16         32         29        3,160        1,615       2,967      2,646
Maine ...................        7            3          8          3          644          233         754        204
Maryland ................       10            6          6         12        1,201          557         496        816
Massachusetts ...........       23            7         20          9        2,281          725       2,202        865
Michigan ................      180           29         44         24       26,344        4,729       7,624      2,924
Minnesota ...............       38           13          8         11        4,224          921         576        965
Mississippi .............        9            5          5         11          726          241         461        922
Missouri ................       54           31         28         30        6,336        2,112       2,393      2,396

Montana .................        7          (2)          7          4          856          (2)         528        267
Nebraska ................       13            6         10          6        1,306          409         948        593
Nevada ..................       52           26         15         13        5,297        2,131       1,432        994
New Hampshire ...........        7            5         14          3          526          297       1,663        264
New Jersey ..............       45           28         69         34        4,394        3,024       9,700      2,685
New Mexico ..............       13            9          8          8        1,089          847         594        673
New York ................      112           60        114         67       10,762        6,046      15,919      6,338
North Carolina ..........       33           16         13         13        5,351        1,610       1,438      2,462
North Dakota ............        8            -        (2)          7          869            -         (2)        681
Ohio ....................      145           34         61         47       16,920        2,927       8,014      3,909
Oklahoma ................       13            4          5          6        1,772        1,287         608        350
Oregon ..................       41           18         42         18        4,775        2,080       4,603      1,324
Pennsylvania ............      227           81        133         73       20,392        8,181      13,254      6,131

Rhode Island ............        7          (2)         16          4          563          (2)       2,525        265
South Carolina ..........       31           14         19         10        3,021        1,513       3,832        839
South Dakota ............      (2)          (2)          -        (2)          (2)          (2)           -        (2)
Tennessee ...............       37            6         18         31        3,424          436       1,823      2,580
Texas ...................      135           49         73         77       12,926        7,243       7,116      7,037
Utah ....................       10            5          8          8        1,020          393         889        663
Vermont .................        6          (2)         14          -          462          (2)       1,488          -
Virginia ................       49           18         15         26        6,168        1,416       1,489      3,151
Washington ..............       36           12         29         11        3,290          949       2,665        882
West Virginia ...........        5          (2)          4          5          429          (2)         388        297
Wisconsin ...............      103           39         93         27       10,884        3,421       9,965      2,518
Wyoming .................      (2)          (2)        (2)          -          (2)          (2)         (2)          -

Puerto Rico .............       23           21         19         19        2,830        1,702       2,252      1,735

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




Last Modified Date: November 16, 2010