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Economic News Release
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MLS MLS Program Links

Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release

Technical information:  (202) 691-6392     USDL 08-1013
               http://www.bls.gov/mls/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902     Wednesday, July 23, 2008
                                   
                                   
                       MASS LAYOFFS IN JUNE 2008

   In June, employers took 1,643 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, 
as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the 
month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor re-
ported today.  Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single em-
ployer; the number of workers involved totaled 165,697, on a seasonally 
adjusted basis.  Layoff events were the highest for the month of June 
since 2003, and associated initial claimants reached its highest level 
since 2002.  The number of mass layoff events this June increased by 17 
from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims was 
5,690 lower.  In June, 541 mass layoff events were reported in the manu-
facturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 76,514 initial claims.  
Both measures were at their highest monthly levels since August 2003.  Over
the month, mass layoff events in manufacturing increased by 13 and initial 
claims increased by 4,456.  (See table 1.)

   From January through June 2008, the total number of events (seasonally 
adjusted), at 9,258, and initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 949,639, 
were considerably higher than in January-June 2007 (7,563 and 780,463, re-
spectively).
  
   The national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in June, seasonally ad-
justed, unchanged from the prior month and up from 4.6 percent a year ear-
lier.  Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 62,000 in June from 
the previous month but increased by 15,000 from a year earlier.
   
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   The number of mass layoff events in June was 1,622 on a not seasonally 
adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was 166,742.  (See 
table 2.)  Average weekly layoff events rose from 320 in June 2007 to 406 
in June 2008, while average weekly initial claimants increased from 34,562 
to 41,686.  In 2008, average weekly initial claimants reached its highest 
level for the month of June since 2001.
   
   The largest over-the-year increase in June 2008 average weekly initial 
claims associated with private nonfarm mass layoffs occurred in transporta-
tion equipment manufacturing (+2,512),  followed by administrative and sup-
port services (+974) and general merchandise stores (+830).  The largest 
decreases occurred in food services and drinking places (-457) and in mem-
bership associations and organizations (-326).
   
   The manufacturing sector accounted for 19 percent of all mass layoff 
events and 25 percent of initial claims filed in June; a year earlier, 
manufacturing made up 20 percent of events and 21 percent of initial claims.  
In June 2008, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transpor-
tation equipment manufacturing (17,597) and food manufacturing (6,065).  
(See table 3.)  Government accounted for 16 percent of mass layoff events 
and 13 percent of associated initial claims in June, primarily from educa-
tional services.
   
   The six-digit NAICS industry with the highest number of initial claims 
was school and employee bus transportation with 17,059, followed by ele-
mentary and secondary schools (15,292).  Among the 10 industries with the 
highest levels of initial claims, 2 of the 10--heavy duty truck manufac-
turing and discount department stores--reached program highs in 2008 for 
the month of June (with data available back to 1995).  (See table A.)


                                     - 2 -
   
   
  Table A.  Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims
  in June 2008
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               |        |      June peak        
                      Industry                 |Initial |----------------------
                                               | claims |      |               
                                               |        | Year |Initial claims 
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               |        |      |               
  School and employee bus transportation ......| 17,059 | 2007 |    21,611   
  Elementary and secondary schools ............| 15,292 | 2003 |    17,360   
  Food service contractors ....................|  9,469 | 2007 |    14,527   
  Temporary help services .....................|  8,406 | 2000 |    13,815   
  Child day care services .....................|  7,552 | 2007 |     9,115   
  Heavy duty truck manufacturing ..............|  5,277 | 2008 |     5,277   
  Discount department stores ..................|  3,359 | 2008 |     3,359   
  Professional employer organizations .........|  3,001 | 2001 |     3,358   
  Motion picture and video production .........|  2,686 | 2000 |     9,435   
  Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing|   (1)  | 1998 |     7,608   
                                               |        |      |               
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
     1 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
   
   

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   Of the 4 census regions, the highest number of initial claims in
June due to mass layoffs was in the West (56,177).  The Midwest had the 
second largest number of initial claims among the regions (39,391), fol-
lowed by the South with 38,453 and the Northeast with 32,721.  (See 
table 5.)  All 4 regions experienced over-the-year increases in aver-
age weekly initial claims--the West (+3,675), the South (+1,688), the 
Midwest (+907), and the Northeast (+854).  All 9 of the divisions had 
over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims, led by the 
Pacific (+3,578).
   
   California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to 
mass layoff events in June with 44,754, largely due to layoffs in educa-
tional services and in administrative and support services.  The states 
reporting the next highest number of mass layoff initial claims were 
Pennsylvania (14,835), Florida (10,751), and New Jersey (9,512).  (See 
table 6.)
   
   Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia reported over-the-year 
increases in average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs, 
led by California (+3,022) and Pennsylvania (+1,109).  States with the larg-
est over-the-year decreases in average weekly claims were Illinois (-439) and 
New York (-302).  In 2008, six states reported program highs in terms of aver-
age weekly initial claims for the month of June (with data available back to 
1995)--Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.
   
   
                    ______________________________
   
   
   The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the Second Quarter 2008 is scheduled 
to be released on Friday, August 15.






                              - 3 -


Technical Note

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

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

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

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

Definitions

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

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

                                  - 4 -
   
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 one year and 4 weeks
in another.  The effects of these differences could seriously distort the
seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal adjustment process.
These effects are modeled in the X-12-ARIMA program and are permanently
removed from the final seasonally adjusted series.






Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, July 2004 to June 2008,
seasonally adjusted

                                      Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                          Initial               Initial                Initial
                                Events   claimants    Events   claimants     Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2004                                                                             

July .......................     1,329     137,805     1,178     126,301       376      50,799
August .....................     1,426     128,759     1,233     113,809       343      36,539
September ..................     1,285     127,833     1,154     116,843       336      45,690
October ....................     1,283     132,766     1,169     123,471       363      47,046
November ...................     1,320     130,873     1,174     119,029       380      45,416
December ...................     1,148     111,060       991      99,784       287      31,935

             2005                                                                             

January ....................     1,475     160,725     1,346     151,028       382      61,324
February ...................     1,146     121,455     1,020     110,480       353      43,568
March ......................     1,207     131,271     1,066     120,945       372      53,673
April ......................     1,252     136,752     1,125     126,550       401      60,681
May ........................     1,248     136,420     1,104     123,495       398      54,999
June .......................     1,196     127,084     1,078     118,012       368      58,300
July .......................     1,250     132,445     1,103     119,566       357      46,602
August .....................     1,144     125,686     1,000     113,762       341      47,598
September ..................     2,248     297,544     2,028     251,185       417      55,304
October ....................     1,101     110,035       982     100,934       321      43,230
November ...................     1,176     114,965     1,042     103,535       332      42,071
December ...................     1,261     134,461     1,132     123,418       360      46,863

             2006                                                                             

January ....................     1,107     110,800       988     101,494       283      34,037
February ...................     1,031     109,798       940     101,828       322      43,147
March ......................     1,084     119,049       983     110,668       323      48,119
April ......................     1,171     121,580     1,043     112,175       368      49,568
May ........................     1,124     117,115     1,005     107,181       314      43,087
June .......................     1,146     123,827     1,030     114,080       352      44,869
July .......................     1,179     121,017     1,051     111,336       372      48,534
August .....................     1,270     135,400     1,107     124,427       377      60,906
September ..................     1,173     123,767     1,056     114,677       385      45,767
October ....................     1,191     121,827     1,076     113,123       399      53,601
November ...................     1,232     133,803     1,121     124,559       414      58,385
December ...................     1,194     131,062     1,092     121,796       374      51,408

             2007                                                                             

January ....................     1,254     128,223     1,118     117,824       391      52,858
February ...................     1,352     143,837     1,238     135,066       416      61,749
March ......................     1,277     130,981     1,169     122,488       412      52,606
April ......................     1,243     126,977     1,116     116,926       382      43,930
May ........................     1,199     120,587     1,096     113,069       370      48,910
June .......................     1,238     129,858     1,116     120,165       351      40,670
July .......................     1,247     127,687     1,140     119,614       392      51,333
August .....................     1,228     121,886     1,128     114,628       335      36,518
September ..................     1,307     128,487     1,204     121,294       430      53,432
October ....................     1,347     136,124     1,224     127,163       430      57,695
November ...................     1,329     139,671     1,215     131,390       414      56,965
December ...................     1,433     141,750     1,315     133,024       462      58,108

             2008                                                                             

January ....................     1,438     144,111     1,317     134,347       427      55,488
February ...................     1,672     177,374     1,539     166,782       529      66,913
March ......................     1,571     157,156     1,460     147,537       482      64,088
April ......................     1,308     133,914     1,186     124,053       483      60,552
May ........................     1,626     171,387     1,496     161,912       528      72,058
June .......................     1,643     165,697     1,491     153,568       541      76,514






Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,  July 2004 to June 2008,
not seasonally adjusted

                                       Total           Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial              Initial                Initial
                                Events    claimants   Events   claimants     Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2004                                                                             

July .......................     2,094     253,929     1,860     234,877       885     145,895
August .....................       809      69,033       745      63,876       194      17,698
September ..................       708      68,972       637      63,102       189      25,808
October ....................     1,242     127,918     1,101     117,375       372      48,265
November ...................     1,399     130,423     1,201     115,549       412      44,243
December ...................     1,614     161,271     1,487     152,092       436      50,726

             2005                                                                             

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

             2006                                                                             

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

             2007                                                                             

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

             2008                                                                             

January ....................     1,647     154,503     1,520     144,191       488      54,418
February ...................     1,269     119,508     1,178     113,587       361      42,527
March ......................     1,089     114,541     1,039     110,147       333      43,740
April ......................     1,272     130,810     1,172     121,625       394      48,188
May ........................     1,552     159,471     1,438     150,462       388      51,698
June .......................     1,622     166,742     1,315     140,916       309      42,097






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


                                                                                                    Initial claimants for          
                                                               Mass layoff events                   unemployment insurance         
                     Industry                                                                                                      
                                                     June      April    May       June       June       April     May        June  
                                                     2007      2008     2008      2008       2007       2008      2008       2008  
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                


      Total .....................................    1,238     1,308    1,626     1,643     129,858    133,914   171,387    165,697

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,116     1,186    1,496     1,491     120,165    124,053   161,912    153,568
    Manufacturing ...............................      351       483      528       541      40,670     60,552    72,058     76,514

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................    1,599     1,272    1,552     1,622     172,810    130,810   159,471    166,742

Total, private ..................................    1,372     1,234    1,467     1,363     152,740    127,631   152,510    144,732
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       54        62       29        48       4,071      6,006     2,048      3,816

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,318     1,172    1,438     1,315     148,669    121,625   150,462    140,916
    Mining ......................................        -       (2)        5       (2)           -        (2)       458        (2)
    Utilities ...................................      (2)       (2)        4       (2)         (2)        (2)       475        (2)
    Construction ................................      106       112      167       114       8,157      8,106    12,411      7,713
    Manufacturing ...............................      313       394      388       309      36,571     48,188    51,698     42,097
        Food ....................................       50        66       48        58       5,901      7,085     4,800      6,065
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........      (2)         4        5       (2)         (2)        422       273        (2)
        Textile mills ...........................        7        10        6         5         871      1,065       520        730
        Textile product mills ...................      (2)         5        8       (2)         (2)        700       580        (2)
        Apparel .................................        9        10       14         7         770        872     1,171        534
        Leather and allied products .............        4       (2)      (2)         3         435        (2)       (2)        862
        Wood products ...........................       22        33       24        22       2,063      3,973     2,455      2,314
        Paper ...................................        8         7       11         6         592        419     1,091        411
        Printing and related support activities .       11        11        9        10       1,033      1,136       833      1,116
        Petroleum and coal products .............        -       (2)      (2)         -           -        (2)       (2)          -

        Chemicals ...............................        5         8        9         4         367        621       696        228
        Plastics and rubber products ............       10        28       21         8         971      2,522     1,793        960
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............       12        14       14         9         899      1,251     1,175        516
        Primary metals ..........................       15        14        9        12       1,613      1,386     1,217      1,012
        Fabricated metal products ...............       15        22       29        19       1,377      1,612     2,596      1,716
        Machinery ...............................       24        19       25        22       4,268      2,393     3,758      2,611
        Computer and electronic products ........       20        15       14        13       1,668      1,544     1,250      1,091
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....       13        13       13         8       1,540      1,153     1,845      2,128
        Transportation equipment ................       59        89      101        74       9,438     17,617    21,667     17,597
        Furniture and related products ..........       19        18       20        12       1,840      1,746     3,285      1,076
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............        4         3        5        13         314        395       445        909

    Wholesale trade .............................       21        26       21        15       1,398      2,649     1,513        908
    Retail trade ................................       77        95      109        89       8,548      7,933    10,090     10,567
    Transportation and warehousing ..............      173       108       99       160      24,861     12,228    11,176     20,647
    Information .................................       39        33       56        47       6,323      3,446     9,251      5,078
    Finance and insurance .......................       31        43       38        40       2,323      2,978     2,666      2,968
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........        8         7        6         7         570        864       407        798
    Professional and technical services .........       29        59       66        32       4,960      7,282     6,924      3,903
    Management of companies and enterprises .....      (2)       (2)        4         4         (2)        (2)       383        257
    Administrative and waste services ...........      146       168      192       164      14,846     16,831    16,175     15,635
    Educational services ........................       17         5        6        18       1,144        464       383      1,275
    Health care and social assistance ...........      166        16       85       151      15,124      1,016     7,643     11,867
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       30        28       32        26       1,620      2,078     1,993      1,462
    Accommodation and food services .............      109        68      122       102      17,231      6,743    13,212     12,931
    Other services, except public administration        47         5       38        33       4,441        310     3,604      2,507
    Unclassified ................................        -         -        -         1           -          -         -         57

Government ......................................      227        38       85       259      20,070      3,179     6,961     22,010
    Federal .....................................       12         7       16        11       1,337        490     1,656        928
    State .......................................       20        10       14        12       1,438        748       867        953
    Local .......................................      195        21       55       236      17,295      1,941     4,438     20,129
                                                                                                                                   
 
   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 2006 to June 2008,
not seasonally adjusted

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

April ......................    1,140      121,589     1,038     112,964                                                          
May ........................      872       84,809       794      78,663                                                          
June .......................    1,489      164,761     1,224     140,687                                                          

Second Quarter .............    3,501      371,159     3,056     332,314         1,353         264,927             44.3       79.7

July .......................    1,511      166,857     1,335     154,342                                                          
August .....................      708       72,844       656      69,054                                                          
September ..................      865       87,699       785      81,274                                                          

Third Quarter ..............    3,084      327,400     2,776     304,670           929         161,764             33.5       53.1

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

Fourth Quarter .............    4,528      489,493     4,118     457,925         1,640         330,901             39.8       72.3

             2007                                                                                                                 

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

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

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

Second Quarter .............    3,741      386,070     3,289     347,862         1,421         259,082             43.2       74.5

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

Third Quarter ..............    3,279      336,262     3,025     317,310         1,019         173,518             33.7       54.7

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

Fourth Quarter .............    5,049      530,889     4,593     495,798         1,814         346,030             39.5       69.8

             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   (2)(p)1,111   (2)(p)165,933          (p)29.7    (p)45.1

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 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days.  The 
 initial claimant realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants associated with
 layoffs lasting more than 30 days.
   2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more data on these layoffs become available.
 Experience suggests that the number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards by less than 10 percent and
 the number of initial claimants associated with such events increases by 25-40 percent.
   p = preliminary.






Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                   Initial claimants for           
                                           Mass layoff events                      unemployment insurance          
  
  Census region and division                                                                                       
  
                                   June      April     May      June       June       April       May        June  
                                   2007      2008      2008     2008       2007       2008        2008       2008  
                                                                                                                   
        United States (1) ...      1,599     1,272     1,552    1,622     172,810    130,810     159,471    166,742

Northeast ...................        297       244       266      282      36,633     24,621      25,619     32,721
    New England .............         44        59        32       49       5,098      6,506       3,218      4,929
    Middle Atlantic .........        253       185       234      233      31,535     18,115      22,401     27,792

South .......................        386       256       402      365      39,627     27,299      42,832     38,453
    South Atlantic ..........        216       139       199      207      18,926     11,989      15,761     18,972
    East South Central ......         82        59       116       63      10,813      8,783      16,810     10,974
    West South Central ......         88        58        87       95       9,888      6,527      10,261      8,507

Midwest .....................        386       330       390      345      44,703     37,169      45,462     39,391
    East North Central ......        296       267       312      257      35,106     31,172      36,332     28,549
    West North Central ......         90        63        78       88       9,597      5,997       9,130     10,842

West ........................        530       442       494      630      51,847     41,721      45,558     56,177
    Mountain ................         67        67        62       63       5,642      7,701       5,548      4,903
    Pacific .................        463       375       432      567      46,205     34,020      40,010     51,274
                                                                                                                   
 
   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                                                                                                      
                             June         April      May        June        June         April       May        June  
                             2007         2008       2008       2008        2007         2008        2008       2008  

   Total (1) ............    1,599        1,272      1,552      1,622      172,810      130,810     159,471    166,742

Alabama .................       19           21         35         13        2,148        2,789       4,044      2,091
Alaska ..................        -            4        (2)          -            -          499         (2)          -
Arizona .................       16           30          9         17        1,605        4,424         872      1,520
Arkansas ................        8            3          7          6          776          330         648        414
California ..............      416          321        382        516       40,833       28,172      34,085     44,754
Colorado ................       11            5          8          3          978          455         930        177
Connecticut .............       11            7         11          9        1,452          535         924        758
Delaware ................        3            3          3          3          181          920         203        159
District of Columbia ....      (2)            -        (2)          3          (2)            -         (2)        236
Florida .................      116           65        125        132        9,348        4,130       8,841     10,751
Georgia .................       37           29         32         32        3,641        2,606       3,170      3,304
Hawaii ..................        5            5         11          6          413        1,583       1,118        783
Idaho ...................        9            3         12          9          696          206       1,131        684

Illinois ................       66           47         59         48        8,155        4,646       8,058      4,767
Indiana .................       30           40         44         40        4,348        4,031       4,943      4,916
Iowa ....................       17           13         12         27        2,499        1,474       3,033      3,682
Kansas ..................        9            5         12         12          971          359         893        927
Kentucky ................       31           21         39         26        5,288        4,651       8,666      6,706
Louisiana ...............       22            5         22         23        2,112          396       3,101      1,767
Maine ...................        6            3          -        (2)          447          184           -        (2)
Maryland ................       22            6          4          8        1,999          531         318        754
Massachusetts ...........        6           18          9         17          373        1,936         946      1,467
Michigan ................       73           65         85         61        9,041       11,156       8,139      6,323
Minnesota ...............       22           15         10         16        1,923        1,148       1,075      1,506
Mississippi .............        9            9         18          5          725          773       1,682        300
Missouri ................       36           24         35         28        3,217        2,205       3,298      4,320

Montana .................        6            3          6          4          361          212         437        299
Nebraska ................      (2)            3          5        (2)          (2)          453         413        (2)
Nevada ..................       11           16         14         17          942        1,558       1,057      1,323
New Hampshire ...........        4            5          5          4          581          451         384        657
New Jersey ..............       70           34         38         60       12,720        3,070       3,813      9,512
New Mexico ..............       11            4          9          8          756          316         690        465
New York ................       47           64         95         38        5,818        7,539       9,613      3,445
North Carolina ..........       11            6          9         10        1,011          555       1,163      1,875
North Dakota ............        3          (2)        (2)          3          344          (2)         (2)        248
Ohio ....................       68           67         67         55        7,301        6,951       7,621      6,678
Oklahoma ................        4          (2)          3          6        1,375          (2)         624        502
Oregon ..................       26           20         24         24        3,507        1,563       3,449      3,863
Pennsylvania ............      136           87        101        135       12,997        7,506       8,975     14,835

Rhode Island ............       10           11          3         11        1,541        1,641         243      1,141
South Carolina ..........        7           22         11         12          652        2,563         809      1,139
South Dakota ............      (2)          (2)        (2)          -          (2)          (2)         (2)          -
Tennessee ...............       23            8         24         19        2,652          570       2,418      1,877
Texas ...................       54           48         55         60        5,625        5,594       5,888      5,824
Utah ....................        3            5          4          5          304          464         431        435
Vermont .................        7           15          4          6          704        1,759         721        683
Virginia ................       17            6         11          5        1,834          494         904        628
Washington ..............       16           25         13         21        1,452        2,203       1,211      1,874
West Virginia ...........      (2)          (2)          3        (2)          (2)          (2)         277        (2)
Wisconsin ...............       59           48         57         53        6,261        4,388       7,571      5,865
Wyoming .................        -          (2)          -          -            -          (2)           -          -

Puerto Rico .............       17           17         17         13        2,417        1,437       2,626      1,265

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






Last Modified Date: July 23, 2008