Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0094
http://www.bls.gov/mls/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, January 28, 2009
MASS LAYOFFS IN DECEMBER 2008 AND ANNUAL TOTALS FOR 2008
In December, employers took 2,275 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 reported today. Each action involved at least 50
persons from a single employer; the number of workers involved totaled
226,117 on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff
events in December decreased by 58 from the prior month, while the
number of associated initial claims increased slightly by 478. Over
the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 806, and the
number of associated initial claims increased by 80,201. In December,
871 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, sea-
sonally adjusted, resulting in 105,402 initial claims. Over the month,
mass layoff events in manufacturing increased by 3, and initial claims
increased by 4,759, the fifth consecutive over-the-month increase for
both measures. (See table 1.)
_______________________________________________________________
| |
| Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Mass Layoff Data |
| |
| Seasonally adjusted mass layoff data have been revised |
|using updated seasonal adjustment factors that incorporate |
|2008 data. Seasonally adjusted estimates back to January |
|2004 were subject to revision. Revised seasonally adjusted |
|data from January 2004 forward are shown in table 1. The |
|originally published and revised figures for January 2004- |
|November 2008 are available at http://www.bls.gov/mls/home.htm,|
|along with additional information about the revisions. |
|_______________________________________________________________|
From the start of the recession in December 2007 through December
2008, the total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was
23,485, and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was
2,394,434.
For all of 2008, on a not seasonally adjusted basis, the total num-
bers of mass layoff events at 21,137, and initial claims at 2,130,220,
reached their highest annual levels since 2001 and 2002, respectively.
Among the twenty-one major industry sectors, six registered series highs
for both mass layoff events and initial claims for all of 2008--construc-
tion; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real estate
and rental and leasing; management of companies and enterprises; and
accommodation and food services. Eleven states recorded series highs in
mass layoff initial claims activity (with data available back to 1996).
The national unemployment rate was 7.2 percent in December, seasonally
adjusted, up from 6.8 percent the prior month and from 4.9 percent a year
earlier. In December, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by
524,000 over the month and by 2,589,000 from a year earlier.
- 2 -
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims
in December 2008
December peak
Industry
Initial Initial
claims Year claims
Temporary help services ....................... 15,246 2005 16,656
School and employee bus transportation ........ 13,999 2006 14,747
Highway, street, and bridge construction ...... 13,035 2005 20,088
Food service contractors ...................... 12,673 2006 13,903
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing . 11,835 2008 11,835
Motor vehicle metal stamping .................. 7,523 2008 7,523
All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing ... 6,757 2008 6,757
Automobile manufacturing ...................... 6,208 2005 9,021
Professional employer organizations ........... 6,101 2008 6,101
All other plastics product manufacturing ...... 5,789 2008 5,789
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in December was 3,377 on a not seasonally
adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was 351,305. (See
table 2.) Both the number of events and initial claimants reached their high-
est December levels in program history (with data available back to 1995).
Twelve major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of initial claim-
ants for the month of December--mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale
trade; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real estate and
rental and leasing; management of companies and enterprises; administrative and
waste services; educational services; accommodation and food services; and other
services, except public administration.
The manufacturing sector accounted for 41 percent of all mass layoff events
and 49 percent of initial claims filed in December 2008; a year earlier, manu-
facturing made up 32 percent of events and 41 percent of initial claims. This
December, the number of manufacturing claimants was greatest in transportation
equipment (64,336), followed by plastics and rubber products (14,215) and fab-
ricated metal products (12,576). (See table 3.) The construction industry
accounted for 16 percent of mass layoff events and 12 percent of associated
initial claims during the month.
The six-digit NAICS industry with the largest number of initial claims was
temporary help services (15,246), followed by school and employee bus trans-
portation (13,999) and highway, street, and bridge construction (13,035).
Among the 10 industries with the highest levels of initial claims, 5 of the
10--all other plastics product manufacturing, light truck and utility vehicle
manufacturing, motor vehicle metal stamping, all other motor vehicle parts man-
ufacturing, and professional employer organizations--reached program highs in
2008 for the month of December (with data available back to 1995). (See
table A.)
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Of the 4 census regions, the Midwest had the highest number of initial claims
due to mass layoffs in December (146,155), followed by the South (94,307), the
West (65,942), and the Northeast (44,901). (See table 5.) Initial claims asso-
ciated with mass layoffs increased over the year in all 4 regions, with the Mid-
west (+48,809) and the South (+46,802) experiencing the largest increases. In
2008, the Northeast and the South regions reported their highest December levels
of initial claims in program history (with data available back to 1995).
- 3 -
Table B. Number of mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment
insurance, 1996-2008
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
Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (108,017) and the
Pacific (53,162) had the highest numbers of initial claims due to mass lay-
offs in December. (See table 5.) All 9 divisions experienced over-the-year
increases in initial claims, led by the East North Central (+33,643) and the
East South Central (+23,850). This year, the Middle Atlantic, West North
Central, East South Central, West South Central, and Mountain divisions
reached their highest levels of initial claims for December in program his-
tory.
California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to
mass layoff events in December with 43,265. The states with the next highest
number of mass layoff initial claims were Ohio (27,836), Illinois (25,885),
and Michigan (24,508). (See table 6.) In 2008, 13 states reached program
highs in initial claims for the month of December--Alabama, Colorado, Florida,
Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, North
Dakota, Ohio, and Tennessee. Forty-two states and the District of Columbia reg-
istered over-the-year increases in initial claims associated with mass layoffs,
led by Ohio (+12,927), California (+12,675), Illinois (+10,873), and Alabama
(+10,483).
Review of 2008
For all of 2008, the total numbers of mass layoff events at 21,137, and
initial claims, at 2,130,220, reached their highest annual levels since 2001
and 2002, respectively. (See table B.)
The 10 detailed industries with the highest number of mass layoff initial
claims in 2008 accounted for 26 percent of the total for the year. (See
table C.) Temporary help services, school and employee bus transportation, and
food service contractors ranked first, second, and third among the 10 industries
in both 2008 and 2007. In 2008, light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing
entered the top 10 industries in terms of initial claims, displacing discount
department stores.
Manufacturing accounted for 33 percent of all mass layoff events and 41 percent
of initial claims filed during 2008, up slightly from 2007 (30 and 38 percent,
respectively). The number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation
equipment manufacturing, 323,676, followed by food manufacturing, 72,081, and wood
product manufacturing, 56,374.
Among the major industry sectors, manufacturing had the largest over-the-year
increase in mass layoff-related initial claims (+260,213) from 2007 to 2008. With-
in manufacturing, transportation equipment (+95,463), plastics and rubber products
(+24,638), and fabricated metal products (+23,083) experienced the largest increases
from the previous year. Administrative and waste services had the second largest
increase (+78,183) among the major industry sectors, due to more layoff activity in
administrative and support services (+77,864).
Among the twenty-one major industry sectors, six registered series highs for
both mass layoff events and initial claims for all of 2008--construction; trans-
portation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real estate and rental and
leasing; management of companies and enterprises; and accommodation and food
services.
- 4 -
Table C. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in 2008
2008 2007
Industry
Initial Rank Initial Rank
claims claims
Temporary help services ....................... 134,699 1 96,991 1
School and employee bus transportation ........ 79,083 2 76,230 2
Food service contractors ...................... 54,677 3 57,131 3
Professional employer organizations ........... 54,016 4 31,062 8
Automobile manufacturing ...................... 51,804 5 51,746 4
Motion picture and video production ........... 45,394 6 51,133 5
Highway, street, and bridge construction ...... 39,467 7 40,804 6
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing . 38,450 8 16,522 14
Heavy duty truck manufacturing ................ 36,788 9 31,076 7
Elementary and secondary schools .............. 28,996 10 20,385 10
The Midwest reported the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass
layoffs during 2008 (676,591). Layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing
accounted for 30 percent of the claims in the Midwest. Fabricated metal product
manufacturing, machinery manufacturing, and administrative and support services,
together accounted for an additional 17 percent of layoffs in that region in 2008.
The fewest number of mass layoff initial claims during 2008 was reported in the
Northeast (316,191).
From 2007 to 2008, all 4 regions had over-the-year increases in the number
of initial claims from mass layoffs, led by the South (+176,875) and Midwest
(+167,160). All 9 geographic divisions also experienced higher claimant activ-
ity in mass layoffs when compared with 2007, with the largest increases occur-
ring in the East North Central (+123,510), the Pacific (+117,939), and the East
South Central (+65,588).
Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California recorded the
largest number of initial claims (446,480) filed in mass layoff events during
2008, accounting for 21 percent of the national total. The states with the
next highest numbers of initial claims were Michigan (132,468), Ohio (131,813),
Pennsylvania (128,041), and Illinois (103,685). Eleven states--Florida, Hawaii,
Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont,
and Wyoming--recorded series highs in mass layoff claimant activity in 2008, while
two states--Maine and Virginia--reported series lows.
For all of 2008, California reported the largest over-the-year increase in
initial claims (+88,486), followed by Ohio (+48,384) and Florida (+38,960). The
largest over-the-year decreases were reported in Maryland (-5,056), Virginia
(-4,758), and New Jersey (-1,115).
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 report on Extended Mass Layoffs in Fourth Quarter 2008 is scheduled to be
released on Friday, February 13. The report on Mass Layoffs in January 2009 is
scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 25.
- 5 -
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.
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.
- 6 -
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, January 2005 to
December 2008, seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2005
January .................... 1,474 159,945 1,341 150,403 387 60,842
February ................... 1,087 117,129 964 106,399 350 42,747
March ...................... 1,204 129,993 1,056 119,466 368 52,667
April ...................... 1,244 134,425 1,111 123,958 396 60,052
May ........................ 1,264 137,475 1,121 124,468 397 54,998
June ....................... 1,196 126,416 1,082 117,568 367 58,003
July ....................... 1,241 130,331 1,094 117,510 354 46,056
August ..................... 1,143 125,536 1,000 113,465 342 47,255
September .................. 2,250 296,913 2,035 252,291 420 55,974
October .................... 1,109 111,202 991 102,111 320 43,387
November ................... 1,162 113,502 1,027 102,058 325 41,493
December ................... 1,263 136,751 1,135 125,700 358 46,940
2006
January .................... 1,112 111,601 986 102,359 293 35,390
February ................... 960 104,045 872 96,317 317 41,810
March ...................... 1,078 118,270 976 109,842 320 48,026
April ...................... 1,198 123,674 1,062 113,849 366 50,747
May ........................ 1,132 116,808 1,013 106,743 312 42,958
June ....................... 1,156 124,955 1,044 115,491 356 45,280
July ....................... 1,204 123,172 1,077 113,324 381 50,109
August ..................... 1,278 136,289 1,117 125,064 376 60,524
September .................. 1,167 124,083 1,054 115,451 390 46,470
October .................... 1,195 121,439 1,081 112,777 401 53,597
November ................... 1,209 131,459 1,096 122,136 402 57,084
December ................... 1,201 133,311 1,100 124,019 369 51,113
2007
January .................... 1,261 129,190 1,116 118,890 406 55,341
February ................... 1,240 134,524 1,130 126,105 404 58,861
March ...................... 1,261 129,480 1,151 120,923 407 52,356
April ...................... 1,281 130,263 1,145 119,683 381 45,654
May ........................ 1,200 119,259 1,097 111,585 368 48,682
June ....................... 1,256 132,078 1,138 122,726 356 41,135
July ....................... 1,288 131,556 1,182 123,322 405 53,318
August ..................... 1,262 125,334 1,162 117,557 331 36,577
September .................. 1,279 125,527 1,183 118,917 440 54,006
October .................... 1,346 133,514 1,224 124,666 436 57,527
November ................... 1,352 143,419 1,233 134,445 408 56,330
December ................... 1,469 145,916 1,354 136,914 447 56,152
2008
January .................... 1,476 149,068 1,350 139,076 435 56,579
February ................... 1,669 183,038 1,532 172,013 526 67,235
March ...................... 1,585 161,497 1,471 151,550 483 65,252
April ...................... 1,344 135,352 1,215 125,074 487 63,247
May ........................ 1,701 180,558 1,563 170,538 538 75,520
June ....................... 1,717 174,748 1,561 162,071 555 79,744
July ....................... 1,535 152,499 1,390 141,239 455 57,648
August ..................... 1,887 188,951 1,735 178,479 626 80,913
September .................. 2,290 240,721 2,114 226,492 643 86,617
October .................... 2,204 230,330 2,042 216,095 687 92,256
November ................... 2,333 225,639 2,185 213,288 868 100,643
December ................... 2,275 226,117 2,100 212,559 871 105,402
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2005 to
December 2008, not seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
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
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
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
2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008
Seasonally adjusted
Total ..................................... 1,469 2,204 2,333 2,275 145,916 230,330 225,639 226,117
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 1,354 2,042 2,185 2,100 136,914 216,095 213,288 212,559
Manufacturing ............................... 447 687 868 871 56,152 92,256 100,643 105,402
Not seasonally adjusted
Total (1) ................................. 2,167 2,125 2,574 3,377 224,214 221,784 241,589 351,305
Total, private .................................. 2,102 2,034 2,502 3,278 219,227 213,602 235,560 343,963
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting .. 31 117 113 46 2,329 8,049 8,903 3,743
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 2,071 1,917 2,389 3,232 216,898 205,553 226,657 340,220
Mining ...................................... 28 6 22 43 2,136 449 2,004 4,191
Utilities ................................... 4 (2) 3 6 225 (2) 332 355
Construction ................................ 461 206 382 544 35,564 14,864 29,775 40,579
Manufacturing ............................... 699 689 997 1,378 91,754 100,457 107,620 172,529
Food .................................... 68 75 71 77 10,267 11,144 7,123 7,797
Beverage and tobacco products ........... 7 (2) 9 12 640 (2) 620 1,222
Textile mills ........................... 12 20 19 44 2,281 2,925 2,558 4,725
Textile product mills (3) ............... 8 10 10 7 848 792 669 672
Apparel (3) ............................. 16 9 16 22 1,311 914 1,783 2,479
Leather and allied products ............. 4 (2) 3 4 435 (2) 270 800
Wood products ........................... 59 68 93 86 5,698 6,932 9,439 8,465
Paper ................................... 5 17 28 34 571 1,392 2,645 4,384
Printing and related support activities . 11 10 14 20 830 1,042 1,527 1,904
Petroleum and coal products ............. 12 (2) 11 12 1,163 (2) 929 1,124
Chemicals ............................... 12 13 20 23 995 1,394 2,042 2,046
Plastics and rubber products (3) ........ 57 47 74 136 5,069 4,903 7,013 14,215
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 61 21 55 89 5,979 1,755 4,937 9,104
Primary metals .......................... 37 48 74 83 4,022 6,038 7,813 8,558
Fabricated metal products ............... 55 47 104 145 5,252 4,632 8,905 12,576
Machinery (3) ........................... 37 43 62 75 6,864 7,897 9,019 7,531
Computer and electronic products ........ 21 36 40 53 1,559 3,705 3,592 5,245
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 16 21 27 51 1,495 3,873 2,891 9,049
Transportation equipment (3) ............ 171 149 190 352 31,910 36,110 25,042 64,336
Furniture and related products (3) ...... 19 32 55 37 2,868 2,902 6,716 4,764
Miscellaneous manufacturing (3) ......... 11 13 22 16 1,697 1,210 2,087 1,533
Wholesale trade ............................. 24 38 65 60 1,762 2,573 4,779 5,374
Retail trade ................................ 103 161 155 142 8,839 15,328 13,429 12,104
Transportation and warehousing .............. 150 75 99 196 15,573 6,007 7,749 22,751
Information ................................. 51 49 48 71 8,770 7,820 5,390 9,138
Finance and insurance (3) ................... 36 63 48 40 2,311 5,025 3,591 2,998
Real estate and rental and leasing (3) ...... 6 15 18 16 322 1,014 1,084 1,382
Professional and technical services (3) ..... 50 46 66 76 5,303 3,022 6,695 6,280
Management of companies and enterprises ..... 5 (2) 10 17 448 (2) 656 2,433
Administrative and waste services (3) ....... 218 334 280 348 19,367 30,945 26,341 31,069
Educational services ........................ 8 5 5 11 487 292 365 634
Health care and social assistance ........... 31 39 33 36 2,484 2,823 2,775 2,626
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... 20 42 33 23 1,238 3,106 2,642 1,503
Accommodation and food services ............. 158 125 115 199 18,717 10,278 10,682 22,312
Other services, except public administration 19 16 10 24 1,598 962 748 1,821
Unclassified ................................ - 2 - 2 - 136 - 141
Government ...................................... 65 91 72 99 4,987 8,182 6,029 7,342
Federal ..................................... 10 19 11 10 841 1,746 860 1,011
State ....................................... 12 30 21 19 1,016 2,985 1,797 1,296
Local ....................................... 43 42 40 70 3,130 3,451 3,372 5,035
1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
3 Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years due to a change in NAICS versions.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2006 to December 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
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 1,640 330,954 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 1,421 259,234 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 1,018 173,077 33.7 54.5
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 1,814 347,149 39.5 70.0
2008
January .................... 1,647 154,503 1,520 144,191
February ................... 1,269 119,508 1,178 113,587
March ...................... 1,089 114,541 1,039 110,147
First Quarter .............. 4,005 388,552 3,737 367,925 1,340 258,767 35.9 70.3
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 1,756 335,854 44.7 81.3
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 (2)(p)1,330 (2)(p)181,386 (p)31.4 (p)41.1
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
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
2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008
United States (1) ... 2,167 2,125 2,574 3,377 224,214 221,784 241,589 351,305
Northeast ................... 392 270 314 491 36,859 23,945 28,791 44,901
New England ............. 56 25 40 70 5,777 2,522 3,505 7,024
Middle Atlantic ......... 336 245 274 421 31,082 21,423 25,286 37,877
South ....................... 388 538 616 815 47,505 53,087 56,608 94,307
South Atlantic .......... 192 295 304 362 18,797 25,535 25,648 33,456
East South Central ...... 120 111 196 296 18,538 15,162 19,725 42,388
West South Central ...... 76 132 116 157 10,170 12,390 11,235 18,463
Midwest ..................... 884 511 824 1,278 97,346 75,210 85,730 146,155
East North Central ...... 667 406 645 961 74,374 60,196 65,287 108,017
West North Central ...... 217 105 179 317 22,972 15,014 20,443 38,138
West ........................ 503 806 820 793 42,504 69,542 70,460 65,942
Mountain ................ 67 98 126 139 4,968 9,191 11,050 12,780
Pacific ................. 436 708 694 654 37,536 60,351 59,410 53,162
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
2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008
Total (1) ............ 2,167 2,125 2,574 3,377 224,214 221,784 241,589 351,305
Alabama ................. 33 26 48 88 3,677 3,865 5,289 14,160
Alaska .................. (2) 13 (2) (2) (2) 1,631 (2) (2)
Arizona ................. 4 13 20 13 263 979 1,603 1,213
Arkansas ................ 8 18 21 25 680 1,877 2,026 2,517
California .............. 370 621 580 546 30,590 51,286 47,690 43,265
Colorado ................ 12 11 15 24 767 1,143 1,162 2,023
Connecticut ............. 10 4 3 10 854 540 186 799
Delaware ................ 4 (2) 6 8 241 (2) 415 817
District of Columbia .... (2) - (2) (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Florida ................. 62 176 151 104 5,088 12,946 10,582 6,931
Georgia ................. 36 61 51 83 3,111 6,825 4,970 8,508
Hawaii .................. 12 9 9 15 1,161 910 641 1,650
Idaho ................... 12 22 27 25 844 2,682 2,298 2,347
Illinois ................ 140 64 126 202 15,012 7,842 11,564 25,885
Indiana ................. 64 63 111 156 7,654 7,961 13,420 16,762
Iowa .................... 52 23 49 82 6,337 3,818 8,213 10,005
Kansas .................. 27 18 14 38 3,441 2,543 1,321 7,949
Kentucky ................ 62 46 78 131 12,727 8,327 9,210 21,570
Louisiana ............... 15 22 13 17 1,274 1,662 1,093 2,430
Maine ................... 4 (2) 4 7 278 (2) 451 530
Maryland ................ 29 11 7 15 2,628 885 828 1,002
Massachusetts ........... 22 11 18 38 2,131 980 1,459 4,289
Michigan ................ 213 81 157 248 25,005 16,851 14,657 24,508
Minnesota ............... 46 23 60 67 4,386 1,880 5,442 7,374
Mississippi ............. 9 17 34 27 640 1,513 2,736 2,399
Missouri ................ 77 35 44 107 7,517 5,877 3,087 10,625
Montana ................. 4 5 11 8 264 573 1,226 630
Nebraska ................ 9 5 4 12 864 819 450 1,334
Nevada .................. 19 29 33 41 1,370 2,421 2,992 4,303
New Hampshire ........... 6 3 4 4 560 310 311 255
New Jersey .............. 93 45 46 80 8,389 3,670 5,665 6,910
New Mexico .............. 7 5 9 16 702 396 554 1,170
New York ................ 72 54 79 111 6,700 4,725 7,366 10,511
North Carolina .......... 7 18 34 33 789 1,838 3,410 3,314
North Dakota ............ 5 (2) 5 8 356 (2) 1,631 666
Ohio .................... 149 118 120 224 14,909 17,764 11,680 27,836
Oklahoma ................ 13 6 18 20 1,732 1,137 1,708 3,210
Oregon .................. 32 36 60 51 3,763 3,883 7,259 4,413
Pennsylvania ............ 171 146 149 230 15,993 13,028 12,255 20,456
Rhode Island ............ 10 3 - 7 1,465 325 - 820
South Carolina .......... 29 23 36 84 4,236 2,268 3,916 9,381
South Dakota ............ (2) - 3 3 (2) - 299 185
Tennessee ............... 16 22 36 50 1,494 1,457 2,490 4,259
Texas ................... 40 86 64 95 6,484 7,714 6,408 10,306
Utah .................... 8 9 10 12 706 721 1,161 1,094
Vermont ................. 4 (2) 11 4 489 (2) 1,098 331
Virginia ................ 21 4 16 27 2,390 655 1,316 2,782
Washington .............. 21 29 44 40 1,940 2,641 3,724 3,663
West Virginia ........... (2) - (2) 6 (2) - (2) 416
Wisconsin ............... 101 80 131 131 11,794 9,778 13,966 13,026
Wyoming ................. (2) 4 (2) - (2) 276 (2) -
Puerto Rico ............. 3 13 14 16 279 1,117 1,686 1,285
1 See footnote 1, table 3.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
United States Department of Labor
