Important Information

Changes to MLS Time Series Data

With the release of April 2011 mass layoff data on May 20, 2011, data suppression procedures will be updated in the MLS time series database. These changes may affect data as far back as 1996. Similar changes were made to quarterly extended mass layoff data on May 11, 2011.

Change in North Carolina MLS Input Procedures

Beginning with data for November 2010, mass layoff information reported by North Carolina may not be comparable to prior data due to a change in the unemployment insurance (UI) input procedures related to the handling of initial claims filed by employers on behalf of laid-off workers. Previously, employer-filed initial claims were excluded from use in the Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program because they are usually associated with layoffs that are temporary in nature (i.e., less than 31 days in duration), and therefore would not meet the extended mass layoff criteria. However, the temporary nature of these layoffs was not a certainty, and some extended mass layoff events may have been missed. Employer-filed claims are now included as part of the North Carolina’s UI initial claim inputs for determining mass layoffs to ensure that all mass layoff and extended mass layoff events are captured. These changes in North Carolina MLS data may also affect aggregated data series for the South Atlantic division, the South region, and the nation, though to a lesser relative degree.

 

 

Last Modified Date: May 19, 2011