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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 09-0185
               http://www.bls.gov/mls/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. (EST)
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902     Wednesday, February 25, 2009
                                   
                                   
                     MASS LAYOFFS IN JANUARY 2009


   Employers took 2,227 mass layoff actions in January that resulted
in the separation of 237,902 workers, 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 mass layoff events in January decreased by 48 from the 
prior month, while the number of associated initial claims increased by 
11,785.  Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 
751, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 88,834.  
In January, 738 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing 
sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 102,577 initial claims.  Over 
the month, mass layoff events in manufacturing decreased by 133, and 
initial claims decreased by 2,825.  (See table 1.)

   During the 14 months from December 2007 through January 2009, the
total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 25,712,
and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was 2,632,336.
(December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the
National Bureau of Economic Research.)

   The national unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in January 2009, sea-
sonally adjusted, up from 7.2 percent the prior month and from 4.9 per-
cent a year earlier.  In January, total nonfarm payroll employment de-
creased by 598,000 over the month and by 3,500,000 from a year earlier.


Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   The number of mass layoff events in January was 3,806 on a not season-
ally adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was 388,813.  
(See table 2.)  Average weekly layoff events rose from 412 in January 
2008 to 761 in January 2009, and average weekly initial claimants more 
than doubled from 38,626 to 77,763.  This year, both average weekly 
events and initial claimants reached their highest January levels in 
program history (with data available back to 1996). Eleven major industry 
sectors reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claim-
ants for the month of January--mining; manufacturing; wholesale trade; 
retail trade; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; 
real estate and rental and leasing; administrative and waste services; 
educational services; health care and social assistance; and accommoda-
tion and food services.


                                     - 2 -


Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims 
in January 2009

                                                             January peak
                  Industry                         
                                                 Initial    Year   Initial
                                                  claims            claims

Temporary help services ......................    25,467    1998    26,224
School and employee bus transportation .......    12,071    2005    14,526
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing     11,404    2009    11,404
Professional employer organizations ..........    11,345    2009    11,345
Automobile manufacturing .....................     7,770    2001    21,093
Hotels and motels, except casino hotels ......     6,592    2009     6,592
Motion picture and video production ..........     6,020    1998    12,038
Discount department stores ...................     5,561    2004     6,063
All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing ..     5,397    2009     5,397
All other plastics product manufacturing .....     4,478    2009     4,478



   The manufacturing sector accounted for 38 percent of all mass lay-
off events and 44 percent of initial claims filed in January 2009;
a year earlier, manufacturing made up 30 percent of events and 35
percent of initial claims.  This January, the number of manufacturing
claimants was greatest in transportation equipment (57,173) and
machinery (14,120).  (See table 3.)  The administrative and waste ser-
vices industry accounted for 12 percent of mass layoff events and
associated initial claims during the month.

   The six-digit NAICS industry with the largest number of initial
claims was temporary help services (25,467).  Among the 10 industries
with the highest levels of initial claims, 5 reached program highs for
the month of January--all other plastics product manufacturing; light
truck and utility vehicle manufacturing; all other motor vehicle
parts manufacturing; professional employer organizations; and hotels
and motels, except casino hotels.  (See table A.)


Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   Of the 4 census regions, the South registered the highest number of
initial claims in January due to mass layoffs (115,630), followed by
the Midwest (114,195), the West (81,846), and the Northeast (77,142).
(See table 5.)  Average weekly initial claims associated with mass
layoffs increased over the year in all 4 regions, with the South
(+14,934) and the Midwest (+12,282) experiencing the largest increases.  
In 2009, the Northeast, Midwest, and the South regions reported their 
highest January levels of average weekly initial claims in program his-
tory.


                                     - 3 -


   Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (93,852) had
the highest number of initial claims due to mass layoffs in January,
followed by the Pacific (69,189) and the Middle Atlantic (68,728).
(See table 5.)  All divisions experienced over-the-year increases in
average weekly initial claims, led by the East North Central (+10,279)
and the South Atlantic (+7,779).  This year, 6 of the 9 divisions
reached January program highs in terms of average weekly initial
claims--New England, Middle Atlantic, East North Central, South
Atlantic, West South Central, and Mountain.

   California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due
to mass layoff events in January with 54,153.  The states with the
next highest number of mass layoff initial claims were New York
(31,893), Pennsylvania (29,656), and Ohio (27,971).  (See table 6.)
In 2009, 18 states reached program highs in average weekly initial
claims for the month of January--Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho,
Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South
Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and West
Virginia.  Forty-eight states registered over-the-year increases in
average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by
Michigan (+3,540), Pennsylvania (+3,520), and Ohio (+3,256).


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 re-
lease 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 estab-
lishment 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 Mass Layoffs in February 2009 is scheduled to be released 
on Friday, March 20.






                                   - 4 -


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.


                                   - 5 -


   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, February 2005 to 
January 2009, seasonally adjusted

                                      Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial
                                Events    claimants   Events    claimants    Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2005                                                                             

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

             2009                                                                             

January ....................     2,227     237,902     2,070     225,490       738     102,577






Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, February 2005 to 
January 2009, not seasonally adjusted

                                       Total           Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial
                                Events    claimants   Events    claimants    Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2005                                                                             

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

             2009                                                                             

January ....................     3,806     388,813     3,633     375,293     1,461     172,757






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


                                                                                                    Initial claimants for          
                                                               Mass layoff events                   unemployment insurance         
                     Industry                                                                                                      
                                                   January   November December  January    January    November  December   January 
                                                     2008      2008     2008      2009       2008       2008      2008       2009  
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                


      Total .....................................    1,476     2,333    2,275     2,227     149,068    225,639   226,117    237,902

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,350     2,185    2,100     2,070     139,076    213,288   212,559    225,490
    Manufacturing ...............................      435       868      871       738      56,579    100,643   105,402    102,577

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................    1,647     2,574    3,377     3,806     154,503    241,589   351,305    388,813

Total, private ..................................    1,592     2,502    3,278     3,709     148,901    235,560   343,963    380,158
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       72       113       46        76       4,710      8,903     3,743      4,865

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,520     2,389    3,232     3,633     144,191    226,657   340,220    375,293
    Mining ......................................        8        22       43        50         550      2,004     4,191      4,538
    Utilities ...................................      (2)         3        6       (2)         (2)        332       355        (2)
    Construction ................................      198       382      544       388      13,532     29,775    40,579     27,762
    Manufacturing ...............................      488       997    1,378     1,461      54,418    107,620   172,529    172,757
        Food ....................................       57        71       77        84       5,024      7,123     7,797      8,083
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        7         9       12         6         531        620     1,222        511
        Textile mills ...........................       13        19       44        35       1,258      2,558     4,725      4,322
        Textile product mills ...................        8        10        7        19         950        669       672      2,811
        Apparel .................................       17        16       22        33       1,630      1,783     2,479      3,189
        Leather and allied products .............      (2)         3        4         6         (2)        270       800        504
        Wood products ...........................       46        93       86       104       4,780      9,439     8,465      9,870
        Paper ...................................        6        28       34        38         469      2,645     4,384      3,977
        Printing and related support activities .       11        14       20        38         766      1,527     1,904      4,187
        Petroleum and coal products .............      (2)        11       12         8         (2)        929     1,124        515

        Chemicals ...............................       10        20       23        26         898      2,042     2,046      1,883
        Plastics and rubber products ............       37        74      136       110       2,855      7,013    14,215     11,156
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............       38        55       89        56       2,602      4,937     9,104      4,441
        Primary metals ..........................       16        74       83        98       1,491      7,813     8,558      9,660
        Fabricated metal products ...............       40       104      145       151       3,144      8,905    12,576     13,746
        Machinery ...............................       23        62       75       121       2,901      9,019     7,531     14,120
        Computer and electronic products ........       18        40       53        76       1,222      3,592     5,245      6,747
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....        7        27       51        53         784      2,891     9,049      5,807
        Transportation equipment ................       86       190      352       316      17,920     25,042    64,336     57,173
        Furniture and related products ..........       34        55       37        48       4,127      6,716     4,764      6,928
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............        9        22       16        35         721      2,087     1,533      3,127

    Wholesale trade .............................       30        65       60        86       2,848      4,779     5,374      7,612
    Retail trade ................................      119       155      142       329      12,839     13,429    12,104     33,622
    Transportation and warehousing ..............      124        99      196       236      13,031      7,749    22,751     25,081
    Information .................................       43        48       71        69       4,668      5,390     9,138      9,405
    Finance and insurance .......................       50        48       40        88       4,285      3,591     2,998      7,683
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........        8        18       16        26         462      1,084     1,382      1,870
    Professional and technical services .........       41        66       76        87       3,829      6,695     6,280      7,032
    Management of companies and enterprises .....      (2)        10       17       (2)         (2)        656     2,433        (2)
    Administrative and waste services ...........      232       280      348       473      20,639     26,341    31,069     46,646
    Educational services ........................        7         5       11        14         851        365       634      1,952
    Health care and social assistance ...........       27        33       36        41       1,767      2,775     2,626      4,279
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       38        33       23        49       2,445      2,642     1,503      4,421
    Accommodation and food services .............       88       115      199       197       6,064     10,682    22,312     17,360
    Other services, except public administration        13        10       24        25       1,381        748     1,821      2,155
    Unclassified ................................        -         -        2         1           -          -       141         49

Government ......................................       55        72       99        97       5,602      6,029     7,342      8,655
    Federal .....................................       13        11       10        13       1,106        860     1,011      1,302
    State .......................................        9        21       19        25         804      1,797     1,296      2,155
    Local .......................................       33        40       70        59       3,692      3,372     5,035      5,198
                                                                                                                                   
 
    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, January 2007 to January 2009, 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
             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      (r)347,151             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      (r)259,084             35.9    (r)70.4

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      (r)339,184             44.7    (r)82.1

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      (r)1,582      (r)300,337          (r)37.4    (r)68.0

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   (2)(p)3,140   (2)(p)463,715          (p)41.7    (p)60.0

             2009                                                                                                                 

January ....................    3,806      388,813     3,633     375,293                                                          
 
 
                                                                                                                                  
     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.
    r = revised.
    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                                                                                       
  
                                  January   November  December January    January    November    December   January
                                    2008      2008      2008     2009       2008       2008        2008       2009 
                                                                                                                   
        United States (1) ...      1,647     2,574     3,377    3,806     154,503    241,589     351,305    388,813

Northeast ...................        349       314       491      787      32,949     28,791      44,901     77,142
    New England .............         30        40        70       97       2,056      3,505       7,024      8,414
    Middle Atlantic .........        319       274       421      690      30,893     25,286      37,877     68,728

South .......................        324       616       815    1,052      32,769     56,608      94,307    115,630
    South Atlantic ..........        157       304       362      574      15,997     25,648      33,456     58,892
    East South Central ......        129       196       296      279      13,585     19,725      42,388     32,215
    West South Central ......         38       116       157      199       3,187     11,235      18,463     24,523

Midwest .....................        416       824     1,278    1,024      42,229     85,730     146,155    114,195
    East North Central ......        324       645       961      821      33,964     65,287     108,017     93,852
    West North Central ......         92       179       317      203       8,265     20,443      38,138     20,343

West ........................        558       820       793      943      46,556     70,460      65,942     81,846
    Mountain ................         44       126       139      149       3,757     11,050      12,780     12,657
    Pacific .................        514       694       654      794      42,799     59,410      53,162     69,189
                                                                                                                   
 
    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                                                                                                      
                             January     November   December   January     January     November     December   January
                              2008        2008        2008      2009         2008        2008         2008       2009 

   Total (1) ............    1,647        2,574      3,377      3,806      154,503      241,589     351,305    388,813

Alabama .................       82           48         88        100       10,160        5,289      14,160     10,588
Alaska ..................      (2)          (2)        (2)         10          (2)          (2)         (2)        788
Arizona .................        4           20         13         24          290        1,603       1,213      1,941
Arkansas ................        4           21         25         13          293        2,026       2,517      1,462
California ..............      468          580        546        651       38,715       47,690      43,265     54,153
Colorado ................        7           15         24         24          654        1,162       2,023      1,814
Connecticut .............      (2)            3         10         14          (2)          186         799      1,349
Delaware ................      (2)            6          8          5          (2)          415         817      1,052
District of Columbia ....      (2)          (2)        (2)        (2)          (2)          (2)         (2)        (2)
Florida .................       70          151        104        235        5,366       10,582       6,931     19,301
Georgia .................       51           51         83        137        4,718        4,970       8,508     16,654
Hawaii ..................        3            9         15         14          217          641       1,650        998
Idaho ...................        7           27         25         21          496        2,298       2,347      1,746

Illinois ................       68          126        202        130        9,106       11,564      25,885     13,443
Indiana .................       34          111        156        117        2,955       13,420      16,762     10,734
Iowa ....................       26           49         82         64        3,163        8,213      10,005      7,353
Kansas ..................        8           14         38         21          490        1,321       7,949      2,447
Kentucky ................       28           78        131         80        2,304        9,210      21,570     12,492
Louisiana ...............        7           13         17         29          739        1,093       2,430      3,396
Maine ...................      (2)            4          7         18          (2)          451         530      1,618
Maryland ................        9            7         15         31          708          828       1,002      2,535
Massachusetts ...........       11           18         38         33          791        1,459       4,289      2,782
Michigan ................       86          157        248        229        7,004       14,657      24,508     26,453
Minnesota ...............       19           60         67         41        1,751        5,442       7,374      3,289
Mississippi .............        6           34         27         25          324        2,736       2,399      2,353
Missouri ................       37           44        107         62        2,664        3,087      10,625      5,239

Montana .................        6           11          8         14          579        1,226         630      1,491
Nebraska ................      (2)            4         12          5          (2)          450       1,334      1,070
Nevada ..................       15           33         41         33        1,151        2,992       4,303      2,805
New Hampshire ...........      (2)            4          4          7          (2)          311         255        465
New Jersey ..............       35           46         80         90        2,613        5,665       6,910      7,179
New Mexico ..............        4            9         16         13          473          554       1,170        822
New York ................      152           79        111        279       18,636        7,366      10,511     31,893
North Carolina ..........        3           34         33         41          350        3,410       3,314      4,149
North Dakota ............      (2)            5          8        (2)          (2)        1,631         666        (2)
Ohio ....................       71          120        224        199        9,352       11,680      27,836     27,971
Oklahoma ................        4           18         20         21          317        1,708       3,210      2,772
Oregon ..................       28           60         51         76        2,769        7,259       4,413      9,005
Pennsylvania ............      132          149        230        321        9,644       12,255      20,456     29,656

Rhode Island ............        9            -          7         17          562            -         820      1,526
South Carolina ..........       12           36         84        102        1,991        3,916       9,381     10,703
South Dakota ............        -            3          3          6            -          299         185        530
Tennessee ...............       13           36         50         74          797        2,490       4,259      6,782
Texas ...................       23           64         95        136        1,838        6,408      10,306     16,893
Utah ....................      (2)           10         12         19          (2)        1,161       1,094      1,978
Vermont .................        4           11          4          8          248        1,098         331        674
Virginia ................        8           16         27         15        1,027        1,316       2,782      3,313
Washington ..............       14           44         40         43        1,047        3,724       3,663      4,245
West Virginia ...........      (2)          (2)          6          7          (2)          (2)         416      1,127
Wisconsin ...............       65          131        131        146        5,547       13,966      13,026     15,251
Wyoming .................        -          (2)          -        (2)            -          (2)           -        (2)

Puerto Rico .............       10           14         16         29        1,120        1,686       1,285      2,992

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






Last Modified Date: February 25, 2009