For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, January 27, 2011 USDL-11-0085
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * mlsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/mls
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
MASS LAYOFFS -- DECEMBER 2010
ANNUAL TOTALS -- 2010
Employers took 1,483 mass layoff actions in December involving 137,992 workers,
seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance bene-
fits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each
mass layoff involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of
mass layoff events in December decreased by 96 from the prior month, and the
number of associated initial claims decreased by 10,808. The number of events
reached its lowest level since April 2008. In December, 319 mass layoff events
were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in
35,977 initial claims; both figures declined over the month. (See table 1.)
__________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Mass Layoff Data |
| |
|Seasonally adjusted mass layoffs data have been revised using updated sea-|
|sonal adjustment factors that incorporate 2010 data. Seasonally adjusted |
|estimates back to January 2006 were subject to revision. Revised |
|seasonally adjusted data from January 2007 forward are shown in table 1. |
|The originally published and revised figures for January 2006-November |
|2010 will be available at www.bls.gov/mls/mlssarevision.htm, along with |
|additional information about the revisions. |
| |
|__________________________________________________________________________|
The total number of mass layoff events in 2010, at 19,564, not seasonally adjust-
ed, and initial claims, at 1,854,596, were lower than in 2009 when both events and
claims reached their highest annual levels on record. (Data begin in 1996. See
table B.) Among the 19 major industry sectors in the private economy, 17 reported
over-the-year decreases in initial claims.
The national unemployment rate was 9.4 percent in December, down from 9.8 percent
the prior month and 9.9 percent a year earlier. In December, total nonfarm payroll
employment increased by 103,000 over the month and by 1,124,000 from a year earlier.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in December was 1,931 on a not seasonally adjusted
basis; the number of associated initial claims was 184,130. (See table 2.) The num-
ber of mass layoff events was down by 379 from December 2009, and associated initial
claims decreased by 30,518. Twelve of the 19 major industry sectors in the private
economy reported over-the-year decreases in initial claims, with manufacturing having
the largest decrease.
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in
December 2010, not seasonally adjusted
December peak
Industry
Initial Initial
claims Year claims
Food service contractors .................... 18,725 2010 18,725
Highway, street, and bridge construction .... 12,682 2005 20,088
School and employee bus transportation ...... 10,775 2006 14,747
Temporary help services (1).................. 8,309 2005 16,656
Automobile manufacturing .................... 4,547 2005 9,021
Hotels and motels, except casino hotels ..... 2,318 2008 3,528
Professional employer organizations (1) ..... 2,280 2008 6,101
Supermarkets and other grocery stores ....... 2,256 1996 2,297
Landscaping services ........................ 2,220 2005 2,691
Ready-mix concrete manufacturing ............ 2,158 2005 3,232
1 See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.
The manufacturing sector accounted for 24 percent of all mass layoff events and
29 percent of initial claims filed in December. A year earlier, manufacturing made
up 27 percent of events and 30 percent of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the
number of claimants in December was greatest in transportation equipment and in
food. (See table 3.) Thirteen of the 21 manufacturing subsectors experienced over-
the-year decreases in initial claims, with the largest declines in machinery, furni-
ture and related products, and fabricated metal products.
The six-digit industry with the largest number of initial claims in December was
food service contractors, which reached a program high number of claims for the
month of December. (See table A.) The table includes both publicly and privately
owned entities.
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Three of the 4 regions and 7 of the 9 divisions experienced over-the-year decreases
in initial claims due to mass layoffs in December. Among the census regions, the
Midwest registered the largest over-the-year declines in initial claims. Of the geo-
graphic divisions, the East North Central had the largest over-the-year decline in
initial claims. (See table 5.)
California recorded the highest number of initial claims in December, followed by
Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia
experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by California, Illinois,
Pennsylvania, and Missouri. (See table 6.)
Review of 2010
For all of 2010, on a not seasonally adjusted basis, the total numbers of mass lay-
off events, at 19,564, and initial claims, at 1,854,596, were lower than in 2009
when totals reached their highest annual levels on record. (Data begin in 1996. See
table B.) Among the 19 major industry sectors in the private economy, 17 reported
over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by manufacturing, which declined to
its lowest annual level on record. Of the 17 sectors reporting over-the-year declines
in claims, 9 decreased by record amounts.
Table B. Number of mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
1996-2010, not seasonally adjusted
Year Layoff events Initial claimants for
unemployment insurance
1996 ............. 14,111 1,437,628
1997 ............. 14,960 1,542,543
1998 ............. 15,904 1,771,069
1999 ............. 14,909 1,572,399
2000 ............. 15,738 1,835,592
2001 ............. 21,467 2,514,862
2002 ............. 20,277 2,245,051
2003 ............. 18,963 1,888,926
2004 ............. 15,980 1,607,158
2005 ............. 16,466 1,795,341
2006 ............. 13,998 1,484,391
2007 ............. 15,493 1,598,875
2008 ............. 21,137 2,130,220
2009 ............. 28,030 2,796,456
2010 ............. 19,564 1,854,596
The manufacturing sector accounted for 25 percent of all mass layoff events and 29 per-
cent of initial claims filed in the private economy in 2010; in 2009 manufacturing made
up 36 percent of events and 43 percent of initial claims. The number of manufacturing
claimants in 2010 was highest in transportation equipment and in food. Total initial
claims for all 21 manufacturing subsectors decreased between 2009 and 2010, with
transportation equipment and machinery experiencing the largest declines.
The six-digit industry with the greatest number of initial claims in 2010 was temporary
help services. Discount department stores and supermarkets and other grocery stores en-
tered the highest 10 industries in terms of initial claims for the entire year, displacing
construction machinery manufacturing and light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing.
Among the highest 10 industries, food service contractors and elementary and secondary schools
reached annual program highs in 2010. (See table C.) The table includes both publicly
and privately owned entities.
All census regions and divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims
from 2009 to 2010. The Midwest recorded the largest over-the-year decline among the
regions. Of the geographic divisions, the East North Central and the Pacific experi-
enced the greatest decreases in initial claims from 2009 to 2010.
Among the states, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Florida recorded
the greatest numbers of initial claims during 2010. Forty-eight states and the District
of Columbia experienced over-the-year decreases in total initial claims for the year,
led by California, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio.
Table C. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in 2010, not
seasonally adjusted
2009 2010
Industry
Initial Rank Initial Rank
claims claims
Temporary help services (1) ................... 151,957 1 117,391 1
School and employee bus transportation ........ 92,324 2 91,066 2
Food service contractors ...................... 68,888 3 75,004 3
Elementary and secondary schools .............. 62,774 5 64,755 4
Motion picture and video production ........... 53,275 7 45,856 5
Highway, street, and bridge construction ...... 40,186 10 42,096 6
Professional employer organizations (1)........ 65,280 4 40,396 7
Automobile manufacturing ...................... 46,306 8 35,416 8
Discount department stores .................... 35,577 11 29,986 9
Supermarkets and other grocery stores ......... 24,883 14 24,534 10
1 See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.
Note
The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers begin-
ning 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 in-
dustry classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of the
laid-off workers. Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less,
the sum of the figures for the 3 months in a quarter will be higher than the quarterly
figure for mass layoffs of more than 30 days. (See table 4.) See the Technical Note for
more detailed definitions.
____________
The Extended Mass Layoffs news release for the Fourth Quarter 2010 is scheduled to be
released on Friday, February 11, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. (EST). The Mass Layoffs news re-
lease for January is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 23, 2011, at
10:00 a.m. (EST).
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, January 2007 to
December 2010, seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2007
January .................... 1,235 128,523 1,082 117,096 403 54,843
February ................... 1,198 129,244 1,072 120,459 371 53,420
March ...................... 1,202 124,521 1,092 115,835 384 47,658
April ...................... 1,238 126,334 1,102 115,271 358 42,989
May ........................ 1,159 113,578 1,064 106,573 347 44,637
June ....................... 1,207 127,776 1,097 119,007 342 37,552
July ....................... 1,295 136,168 1,193 128,208 401 55,906
August ..................... 1,217 122,450 1,126 115,305 312 34,877
September .................. 1,233 121,998 1,140 115,675 430 51,731
October .................... 1,330 133,063 1,210 124,455 439 56,970
November ................... 1,397 145,339 1,269 135,651 408 56,985
December ................... 1,553 154,275 1,435 144,785 463 59,445
2008
January .................... 1,437 146,900 1,302 135,622 431 55,562
February ................... 1,604 175,128 1,441 163,475 471 59,118
March ...................... 1,500 150,502 1,388 140,424 435 56,156
April ...................... 1,292 128,901 1,162 118,016 449 58,402
May ........................ 1,582 161,944 1,444 152,230 468 62,452
June ....................... 1,631 164,508 1,488 153,014 491 68,198
July ....................... 1,581 164,497 1,443 153,720 463 62,425
August ..................... 1,791 181,107 1,653 171,705 583 77,874
September .................. 2,192 233,034 2,024 219,532 635 82,471
October .................... 2,221 229,254 2,062 215,787 697 92,408
November ................... 2,415 228,107 2,256 214,631 900 102,284
December ................... 2,443 245,661 2,264 231,138 927 114,280
2009
January .................... 2,272 238,717 2,103 224,850 756 100,927
February ................... 2,801 315,507 2,636 300,042 1,194 138,583
March ...................... 2,950 295,543 2,758 279,027 1,205 144,713
April ...................... 2,579 251,032 2,368 234,796 997 121,435
May ........................ 2,758 288,319 2,557 271,425 1,187 147,548
June ....................... 2,506 250,275 2,293 232,814 1,048 135,389
July ....................... 2,192 223,697 1,977 203,365 620 72,932
August ..................... 2,419 220,262 2,177 201,951 778 83,837
September .................. 2,305 219,924 2,095 204,596 799 91,665
October .................... 1,975 195,347 1,780 177,977 570 63,646
November ................... 1,754 154,223 1,585 141,439 464 51,891
December ................... 1,725 156,274 1,545 141,649 420 43,584
2010
January .................... 1,716 171,633 1,541 157,597 494 60,059
February ................... 1,492 149,369 1,318 135,490 351 40,564
March ...................... 1,635 146,901 1,436 131,953 347 37,273
April ...................... 1,675 159,358 1,498 143,814 371 48,646
May ........................ 1,665 155,352 1,405 133,913 314 30,967
June ....................... 1,729 153,937 1,504 134,837 326 32,646
July ....................... 1,528 138,581 1,316 121,378 296 30,752
August ..................... 1,658 163,325 1,453 141,489 409 47,668
September .................. 1,541 137,941 1,331 119,654 336 34,641
October .................... 1,649 147,204 1,445 130,264 353 37,394
November ................... 1,579 148,800 1,397 133,845 350 39,072
December ................... 1,483 137,992 1,272 122,688 319 35,977
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2007 to
December 2010, not seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
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
June ....................... 1,861 171,190 1,355 125,872 212 21,083
July ....................... 2,124 206,254 1,732 172,248 532 64,200
August ..................... 976 92,435 897 83,021 230 23,088
September .................. 920 77,654 806 67,987 187 19,403
October .................... 1,642 148,638 1,373 127,865 351 40,861
November ................... 1,676 158,048 1,477 142,591 389 41,383
December ................... 1,931 184,130 1,763 172,881 465 52,816
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
Initial claimants for
Mass layoff events unemployment insurance
Industry
December October November December December October November December
2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010
Seasonally adjusted
Total ..................................... 1,725 1,649 1,579 1,483 156,274 147,204 148,800 137,992
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 1,545 1,445 1,397 1,272 141,649 130,264 133,845 122,688
Manufacturing ............................... 420 353 350 319 43,584 37,394 39,072 35,977
Not seasonally adjusted
Total (1) ................................. 2,310 1,642 1,676 1,931 214,648 148,638 158,048 184,130
Total, private .................................. 2,219 1,493 1,614 1,830 206,930 136,178 152,651 176,405
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting .. 53 120 137 67 3,275 8,313 10,060 3,524
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 2,166 1,373 1,477 1,763 203,655 127,865 142,591 172,881
Mining ...................................... 34 6 13 29 2,807 390 943 2,439
Utilities ................................... 6 (2) (2) (2) 444 (2) (2) (2)
Construction ................................ 485 175 325 379 35,718 13,500 26,767 29,458
Manufacturing ............................... 615 351 389 465 64,540 40,861 41,383 52,816
Food .................................... 63 80 69 52 6,447 8,639 7,242 6,590
Beverage and tobacco products ........... 5 15 7 8 396 1,166 655 856
Textile mills ........................... 14 7 15 21 2,242 1,019 1,631 2,239
Textile product mills ................... 3 4 (2) 8 300 271 (2) 981
Apparel ................................. 19 10 8 18 1,661 1,399 993 1,294
Leather and allied products ............. 5 (2) (2) 3 324 (2) (2) 850
Wood products ........................... 40 26 28 39 3,218 2,570 2,568 3,623
Paper ................................... 12 4 8 14 850 334 653 1,055
Printing and related support activities . 14 6 14 13 1,659 435 1,312 934
Petroleum and coal products ............. 10 (2) 8 10 866 (2) 796 892
Chemicals ............................... 10 8 9 8 768 723 685 561
Plastics and rubber products ............ 35 9 20 25 3,487 656 1,912 2,392
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 59 15 21 48 4,990 1,460 1,839 4,212
Primary metals .......................... 34 16 17 21 3,456 1,358 1,352 1,919
Fabricated metal products ............... 54 20 21 29 4,387 1,667 1,766 2,380
Machinery ............................... 53 26 24 18 6,827 4,968 2,980 2,724
Computer and electronic products ........ 23 13 12 13 1,429 851 990 1,214
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 19 15 11 12 2,191 1,935 1,808 2,372
Transportation equipment ................ 106 50 60 78 13,537 8,581 7,754 12,534
Furniture and related products .......... 28 17 23 20 4,617 1,929 2,945 2,521
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............. 9 6 9 7 888 596 775 673
Wholesale trade ............................. 50 30 28 23 3,858 2,079 2,347 1,706
Retail trade ................................ 121 126 99 105 12,300 13,260 8,433 9,985
Transportation and warehousing .............. 157 45 68 114 17,909 3,948 6,236 13,341
Information ................................. 51 52 48 25 7,042 5,640 10,136 2,818
Finance and insurance ....................... 30 31 22 29 2,357 2,342 1,742 2,151
Real estate and rental and leasing .......... 12 9 5 13 763 455 287 1,408
Professional and technical services ......... 47 43 57 44 3,746 3,447 6,284 3,549
Management of companies and enterprises ..... 5 (2) (2) (2) 545 (2) (2) (2)
Administrative and waste services ........... 253 275 225 225 21,653 23,531 20,778 17,203
Educational services ........................ 12 11 3 9 755 657 147 958
Health care and social assistance ........... 38 54 31 46 2,653 4,056 2,523 3,904
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... 19 31 32 24 1,734 2,674 2,703 1,843
Accommodation and food services ............. 214 118 112 208 23,507 10,024 10,219 27,239
Other services, except public administration 16 10 15 15 1,171 506 1,168 1,153
Unclassified ................................ 1 1 1 1 153 73 79 92
Government ...................................... 91 149 62 101 7,718 12,460 5,397 7,725
Federal ..................................... 11 41 10 10 921 4,336 945 1,215
State ....................................... 26 32 17 22 2,560 2,967 1,472 1,724
Local ....................................... 54 76 35 69 4,237 5,157 2,980 4,786
1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2008 to December 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
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 3,395 731,049 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 2,034 406,823 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 2,416 468,560 43.7 88.9
2010
January .................... 2,860 278,679 2,682 265,074
February ................... 1,183 102,818 1,091 96,022
March ...................... 1,197 111,727 1,111 105,514
First Quarter .............. 5,240 493,224 4,884 466,610 1,870 367,930 38.3 78.9
April ...................... 1,840 199,690 1,697 184,654
May ........................ 1,354 123,333 1,170 109,203
June ....................... 1,861 171,190 1,355 125,872
Second Quarter ............. 5,055 494,213 4,222 419,729 2,011 393,435 47.6 93.7
July ....................... 2,124 206,254 1,732 172,248
August ..................... 976 92,435 897 83,021
September .................. 920 77,654 806 67,987
Third Quarter .............. 4,020 376,343 3,435 323,256 (2)(p)1,297 (2)(p)177,807 (p)37.8 (p)55.0
October .................... 1,642 148,638 1,373 127,865
November ................... 1,676 158,048 1,477 142,591
December ................... 1,931 184,130 1,763 172,881
Fourth Quarter ............. 5,249 490,816 4,613 443,337
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
December October November December December October November December
2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010
United States (1) ... 2,310 1,642 1,676 1,931 214,648 148,638 158,048 184,130
Northeast ................... 461 246 223 356 41,913 20,922 20,305 35,601
New England ............. 71 25 41 50 6,743 1,940 3,878 5,278
Middle Atlantic ......... 390 221 182 306 35,170 18,982 16,427 30,323
South ....................... 494 368 426 493 48,248 35,853 38,416 51,554
South Atlantic .......... 284 213 245 287 25,236 21,191 20,773 27,744
East South Central ...... 115 70 83 110 13,749 7,095 7,182 12,784
West South Central ...... 95 85 98 96 9,263 7,567 10,461 11,026
Midwest ..................... 739 316 431 565 76,826 34,290 43,401 58,560
East North Central ...... 508 227 317 394 51,903 25,674 31,834 42,375
West North Central ...... 231 89 114 171 24,923 8,616 11,567 16,185
West ........................ 616 712 596 517 47,661 57,573 55,926 38,415
Mountain ................ 126 99 101 90 10,700 9,563 8,789 7,274
Pacific ................. 490 613 495 427 36,961 48,010 47,137 31,141
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
December October November December December October November December
2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010
Total (1) ............ 2,310 1,642 1,676 1,931 214,648 148,638 158,048 184,130
Alabama ................. 36 20 26 34 4,592 2,244 2,499 3,758
Alaska .................. 7 5 4 9 650 430 266 915
Arizona ................. 9 24 5 9 817 2,392 365 940
Arkansas ................ 7 7 10 6 581 790 1,224 563
California .............. 412 559 424 365 30,229 42,458 40,704 25,602
Colorado ................ 24 17 17 14 1,941 1,675 1,379 964
Connecticut ............. 8 7 9 7 890 523 837 576
Delaware ................ 5 5 3 6 266 403 153 429
District of Columbia .... 4 (2) (2) (2) 301 (2) (2) (2)
Florida ................. 96 105 72 92 7,715 9,277 3,911 7,554
Georgia ................. 56 32 28 42 5,244 2,969 3,012 4,306
Hawaii .................. 7 5 (2) - 637 401 (2) -
Idaho ................... 16 5 21 15 1,099 362 2,085 1,006
Illinois ................ 142 60 59 110 17,639 7,281 5,386 13,672
Indiana ................. 57 26 30 49 6,256 4,349 3,799 5,314
Iowa .................... 51 14 24 39 6,087 1,397 3,716 3,897
Kansas .................. 28 6 8 23 4,878 737 1,205 2,923
Kentucky ................ 44 20 21 38 5,013 2,828 1,744 5,003
Louisiana ............... 22 19 17 21 1,641 1,554 1,351 1,741
Maine ................... 3 - 6 6 204 - 528 431
Maryland ................ 16 9 7 9 1,251 796 529 611
Massachusetts ........... 28 11 17 19 2,990 858 1,449 2,372
Michigan ................ 119 34 74 67 10,913 3,010 7,199 8,985
Minnesota ............... 45 26 39 34 3,690 3,056 3,316 2,932
Mississippi ............. 12 15 25 19 1,000 1,017 1,964 2,128
Missouri ................ 86 37 29 54 8,373 2,866 2,159 4,763
Montana ................. 12 9 12 8 896 831 1,074 470
Nebraska ................ 12 6 8 14 1,166 560 643 1,157
Nevada .................. 36 26 28 26 3,677 2,396 2,186 2,449
New Hampshire ........... 11 3 3 3 867 302 218 326
New Jersey .............. 67 31 33 49 6,716 2,517 4,247 6,036
New Mexico .............. 12 7 8 8 954 545 636 640
New York ................ 126 61 54 115 12,704 5,443 4,471 12,383
North Carolina (3) ...... 18 21 78 80 1,455 1,697 8,019 8,876
North Dakota ............ 7 - 6 5 595 - 528 375
Ohio .................... 91 45 64 87 8,888 4,734 6,234 7,826
Oklahoma ................ 10 7 5 6 893 484 441 1,410
Oregon .................. 29 22 28 25 2,617 2,540 2,676 2,234
Pennsylvania ............ 197 129 95 142 15,750 11,022 7,709 11,904
Rhode Island ............ 6 (2) (2) 10 713 (2) (2) 1,264
South Carolina .......... 45 21 19 26 4,780 3,479 1,501 2,648
South Dakota ............ (2) - - (2) (2) - - (2)
Tennessee ............... 23 15 11 19 3,144 1,006 975 1,895
Texas ................... 56 52 66 63 6,148 4,739 7,445 7,312
Utah .................... 16 7 9 10 1,256 758 977 805
Vermont ................. 15 (2) 5 5 1,079 (2) 736 309
Virginia ................ 40 19 32 30 3,903 2,444 3,111 3,177
Washington .............. 35 22 37 28 2,828 2,181 3,294 2,390
West Virginia ........... 4 - 5 - 321 - 457 -
Wisconsin ............... 99 62 90 81 8,207 6,300 9,216 6,578
Wyoming ................. (2) 4 (2) - (2) 604 (2) -
Puerto Rico ............. 11 22 11 10 1,093 2,191 1,046 940
1 See footnote 1, table 3.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
3 Data starting in November 2010 may not be comparable to prior data due to a change in MLS unemployment insurance
input procedures.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
United States Department of Labor
