For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, March 23, 2010 USDL-10-0362
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * mlsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/mls
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
Mass Layoffs--February 2010
Employers took 1,570 mass layoff actions in February that resulted in the sep-
aration of 155,718 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings
for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a sin-
gle employer. The number of mass layoff events in February fell by 191 from the
prior month, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 26,543.
Both events and initial claims have decreased in 5 out of the last 6 months. In
February, 376 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector,
seasonally adjusted, resulting in 43,100 initial claims. Both figures declined
over the month to their lowest levels since August 2007. (See table 1.)
During the 27 months from December 2007 through February 2010, the total number
of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 55,309, and the associated num-
ber of initial claims was 5,580,819. (December 2007 was the start of a reces-
sion as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)
The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in February 2010, seasonally ad-
justed, unchanged from the prior month but up from 8.2 percent a year earlier.
In February, nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 36,000 over the month and
by 3,297,000 from a year earlier.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in February was 1,183 on a not seasonally ad-
justed basis; the number of associated initial claims was 102,818. Over the
year, the number of mass layoff events decreased by 1,079, and associated ini-
tial claims decreased by 115,620. (See table 2.) Fifteen of the 19 major indus-
try sectors in the private economy reported over-the-year decreases in initial
claimants, led by manufacturing (-72,860). (See table 3.)
The manufacturing sector accounted for 24 percent of all mass layoff events and
30 percent of initial claims filed in February 2010. A year earlier, manufac-
turing made up 42 percent of events and 47 percent of initial claims. Within
manufacturing, the number of claimants in February was greatest in transporta-
tion equipment, followed by food, machinery, and wood products. All 21 manufac-
turing subsectors experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by
machinery (-12,455) and transportation equipment (-12,336). (See table 3.)
The six-digit industry with the largest number of initial claims in February
2010 was temporary help services. (See table A.) Of the 10 detailed industries
with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims, light truck and utility
vehicle manufacturing; supermarkets and other grocery stores; and managing of-
fices reached program highs for the month of February. (Data begin in April
1995.)
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in
February 2010, not seasonally adjusted
February peak
Industry Initial Initial
claims Year claims
Temporary help services (1) ................... 6,152 2001 18,893
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing . (2) 2010 (2)
Professional employer organizations (1) ....... 3,081 2009 6,452
School and employee bus transportation ........ 2,629 2008 4,254
Supermarkets and other grocery stores ......... 2,470 2010 2,470
Managing offices .............................. 1,990 2010 1,990
Food service contractors ...................... 1,873 2009 2,580
Motion picture and video production ........... 1,864 2002 5,844
Automobile manufacturing ...................... 1,857 2001 13,977
Highway, street, and bridge construction ...... 1,699 2003 3,316
1 See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
All regions and all divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in initial
claims due to mass layoffs in February. Among the 4 census regions, the Midwest
(-43,845) and West (-35,488) registered the largest over-the-year reductions in
initial claims. Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (-5,914)
and the Pacific (-28,383) had the largest over-the-year declines in initial
claims. (See table 5.)
California recorded the highest number of initial claims in February, followed
by Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and New York. Forty-five states and the District of
Columbia experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by Califor-
nia (-22,366), Illinois (-15,158), and Wisconsin (-6,914). (See table 6.) In
2010, five states reached or matched February program lows for average weekly
initial claims: Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Dakota.
(Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months.
See the Technical Note.)
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 pri-
vate 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 pro-
vides more information on the industry classification and location of the esta-
blishment 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 defini-
tions.
____________
The Mass Layoffs in March 2010 news release is scheduled to be released on Friday,
April 23, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).
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, March 2006 to
February 2010, seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2006
March ...................... 1,069 117,725 965 109,241 312 45,687
April ...................... 1,189 123,056 1,055 112,922 352 48,731
May ........................ 1,121 117,834 1,003 107,929 302 40,703
June ....................... 1,150 125,318 1,039 115,883 349 43,476
July ....................... 1,182 121,056 1,056 111,432 373 51,691
August ..................... 1,238 135,707 1,104 125,704 372 58,962
September .................. 1,154 124,200 1,043 115,261 393 45,972
October .................... 1,208 123,691 1,094 115,102 409 53,957
November ................... 1,244 135,465 1,128 125,976 413 58,509
December ................... 1,227 134,176 1,123 124,570 376 51,403
2007
January .................... 1,264 130,834 1,113 119,874 404 55,217
February ................... 1,191 121,289 1,075 112,607 374 54,581
March ...................... 1,225 126,391 1,113 117,760 386 48,298
April ...................... 1,268 129,098 1,135 118,175 362 43,205
May ........................ 1,172 118,648 1,070 111,103 345 44,391
June ....................... 1,241 131,394 1,125 122,123 338 37,931
July ....................... 1,274 130,331 1,169 122,381 403 55,973
August ..................... 1,247 126,108 1,158 118,575 323 34,902
September .................. 1,255 123,632 1,160 116,744 436 51,814
October .................... 1,370 137,108 1,248 128,387 449 58,360
November ................... 1,415 148,952 1,289 139,665 424 58,543
December ................... 1,569 155,095 1,448 145,666 483 60,368
2008
January .................... 1,481 151,269 1,348 140,570 436 57,147
February ................... 1,578 162,152 1,432 150,712 470 60,276
March ...................... 1,487 151,539 1,372 141,574 436 56,919
April ...................... 1,327 133,318 1,201 122,651 460 59,377
May ........................ 1,604 170,619 1,465 160,529 468 62,345
June ....................... 1,674 170,329 1,523 158,084 501 68,403
July ....................... 1,531 152,447 1,389 141,707 461 61,417
August ..................... 1,845 189,798 1,711 179,737 607 78,172
September .................. 2,222 235,755 2,049 220,832 634 81,989
October .................... 2,287 239,768 2,125 226,098 721 95,301
November ................... 2,489 240,181 2,334 227,368 929 107,072
December ................... 2,461 243,505 2,277 229,171 962 115,961
2009
January .................... 2,279 251,807 2,115 238,990 764 109,124
February ................... 2,737 289,162 2,592 274,040 1,186 141,264
March ...................... 2,913 295,970 2,715 279,671 1,202 146,381
April ...................... 2,663 263,162 2,461 247,329 1,033 125,093
May ........................ 2,794 306,788 2,589 289,012 1,183 145,166
June ....................... 2,598 260,596 2,371 241,864 1,072 135,844
July ....................... 2,039 196,578 1,818 176,542 565 66,918
August ..................... 2,480 238,911 2,244 218,425 798 87,201
September .................. 2,326 221,639 2,109 204,462 783 90,440
October .................... 2,055 205,502 1,856 187,880 594 65,801
November ................... 1,813 163,823 1,650 151,810 485 54,858
December ................... 1,726 153,127 1,542 138,747 433 44,072
2010
January .................... 1,761 182,261 1,585 168,466 486 62,556
February ................... 1,570 155,718 1,406 142,240 376 43,100
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, March 2006 to
February 2010, not seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2006
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
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
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
Initial claimants for
Mass layoff events unemployment insurance
Industry
February December January February February December January February
2009 2009 2010 2010 2009 2009 2010 2010
Seasonally adjusted
Total ..................................... 2,737 1,726 1,761 1,570 289,162 153,127 182,261 155,718
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 2,592 1,542 1,585 1,406 274,040 138,747 168,466 142,240
Manufacturing ............................... 1,186 433 486 376 141,264 44,072 62,556 43,100
Not seasonally adjusted
Total (1) ................................. 2,262 2,310 2,860 1,183 218,438 214,648 278,679 102,818
Total, private .................................. 2,215 2,219 2,739 1,128 213,548 206,930 268,595 98,241
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting .. 42 53 57 37 2,793 3,275 3,521 2,219
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 2,173 2,166 2,682 1,091 210,755 203,655 265,074 96,022
Mining ...................................... 35 34 20 5 3,379 2,807 1,561 761
Utilities ................................... (2) 6 (2) - (2) 444 (2) -
Construction ................................ 199 485 328 166 14,040 35,718 24,148 12,200
Manufacturing ............................... 945 615 962 282 103,588 64,540 104,846 30,728
Food .................................... 57 63 93 45 5,379 6,447 9,134 4,031
Beverage and tobacco products ........... 8 5 13 6 606 396 839 407
Textile mills ........................... 19 14 28 5 1,833 2,242 3,807 431
Textile product mills ................... 8 3 18 5 769 300 2,503 557
Apparel ................................. 16 19 23 4 1,545 1,661 2,128 265
Leather and allied products ............. (2) 5 3 (2) (2) 324 499 (2)
Wood products ........................... 57 40 62 27 5,348 3,218 6,657 1,850
Paper ................................... 34 12 16 10 3,129 850 1,421 721
Printing and related support activities . 21 14 23 12 1,758 1,659 2,415 960
Petroleum and coal products ............. (2) 10 7 (2) (2) 866 469 (2)
Chemicals ............................... 20 10 23 9 1,806 768 2,058 872
Plastics and rubber products ............ 48 35 62 10 4,878 3,487 5,466 1,014
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 40 59 44 12 2,788 4,990 3,131 794
Primary metals .......................... 59 34 56 9 6,523 3,456 5,734 981
Fabricated metal products ............... 99 54 99 12 8,735 4,387 9,256 681
Machinery ............................... 106 53 89 20 14,921 6,827 12,322 2,466
Computer and electronic products ........ 78 23 37 18 7,439 1,429 4,239 1,538
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 35 19 33 12 5,399 2,191 3,360 1,386
Transportation equipment ................ 171 106 175 45 22,440 13,537 23,150 10,104
Furniture and related products .......... 44 28 48 16 6,333 4,617 5,088 1,346
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............. 20 9 10 (2) 1,607 888 1,170 (2)
Wholesale trade ............................. 62 50 67 27 4,243 3,858 5,310 1,754
Retail trade ................................ 193 121 259 128 17,538 12,300 28,109 10,802
Transportation and warehousing .............. 80 157 212 51 7,864 17,909 23,788 5,372
Information ................................. 72 51 84 40 8,476 7,042 12,581 3,753
Finance and insurance ....................... 74 30 47 32 5,685 2,357 3,681 2,671
Real estate and rental and leasing .......... 17 12 (2) 9 1,083 763 (2) 622
Professional and technical services ......... 82 47 71 33 7,895 3,746 6,390 2,292
Management of companies and enterprises ..... 14 5 15 6 990 545 1,462 1,990
Administrative and waste services ........... 235 253 326 191 23,566 21,653 30,020 13,594
Educational services ........................ (2) 12 18 4 (2) 755 2,460 242
Health care and social assistance ........... 33 38 46 31 2,032 2,653 3,019 2,118
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... 10 19 35 16 655 1,734 2,860 1,419
Accommodation and food services ............. 95 214 163 61 8,080 23,507 12,838 5,044
Other services, except public administration 18 16 20 8 1,083 1,171 1,458 552
Unclassified ................................ - 1 - 1 - 153 - 108
Government ...................................... 47 91 121 55 4,890 7,718 10,084 4,577
Federal ..................................... 7 11 8 8 533 921 698 631
State ....................................... 17 26 37 12 1,804 2,560 3,278 947
Local ....................................... 23 54 76 35 2,553 4,237 6,108 2,999
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 2008 to February 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
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 1,340 259,292 35.9 70.5
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 1,756 339,630 44.7 82.2
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 1,581 304,340 37.4 68.9
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 3,979 835,420 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 3,395 730,946 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 2,035 402,927 38.8 76.2
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)(p)2,043 (2)(p)292,696 (p)37.0 (p)55.5
2010
January .................... 2,860 278,679 2,682 265,074
February ................... 1,183 102,818 1,091 96,022
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 claim-
ants 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
February December January February February December January February
2009 2009 2010 2010 2009 2009 2010 2010
United States (1) ... 2,262 2,310 2,860 1,183 218,438 214,648 278,679 102,818
Northeast ................... 348 461 593 215 32,131 41,913 58,748 21,705
New England ............. 78 71 70 39 7,744 6,743 6,503 4,682
Middle Atlantic ......... 270 390 523 176 24,387 35,170 52,245 17,023
South ....................... 624 494 753 319 55,542 48,248 74,105 29,681
South Atlantic .......... 295 284 404 178 23,842 25,236 37,846 13,052
East South Central ...... 172 115 220 69 17,840 13,749 23,085 9,917
West South Central ...... 157 95 129 72 13,860 9,263 13,174 6,712
Midwest ..................... 561 739 807 221 64,973 76,826 83,185 21,128
East North Central ...... 434 508 604 169 52,690 51,903 63,706 16,776
West North Central ...... 127 231 203 52 12,283 24,923 19,479 4,352
West ........................ 729 616 707 428 65,792 47,661 62,641 30,304
Mountain ................ 128 126 94 58 11,381 10,700 8,992 4,276
Pacific ................. 601 490 613 370 54,411 36,961 53,649 26,028
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
February December January February February December January February
2009 2009 2010 2010 2009 2009 2010 2010
Total (1) ............ 2,262 2,310 2,860 1,183 218,438 214,648 278,679 102,818
Alabama ................. 33 36 93 17 4,690 4,592 11,204 1,758
Alaska .................. 7 7 9 3 557 650 713 267
Arizona ................. 23 9 17 8 2,185 817 1,502 700
Arkansas ................ 6 7 9 (2) 1,156 581 1,433 (2)
California .............. 515 412 533 335 45,557 30,229 46,474 23,191
Colorado ................ 15 24 13 10 1,237 1,941 1,301 706
Connecticut ............. 12 8 6 10 824 890 406 847
Delaware ................ 4 5 4 5 484 266 287 378
District of Columbia .... (2) 4 (2) (2) (2) 301 (2) (2)
Florida ................. 155 96 141 87 9,779 7,715 9,909 5,523
Georgia ................. 45 56 83 34 3,830 5,244 8,861 2,708
Hawaii .................. 15 7 9 (2) 1,211 637 735 (2)
Idaho ................... 10 16 11 11 591 1,099 1,068 709
Illinois ................ 115 142 112 40 19,469 17,639 11,615 4,311
Indiana ................. 59 57 59 22 6,776 6,256 6,470 1,907
Iowa .................... 33 51 54 13 4,374 6,087 6,647 1,122
Kansas .................. 18 28 27 - 1,582 4,878 2,432 -
Kentucky ................ 78 44 76 32 8,794 5,013 8,044 6,844
Louisiana ............... 19 22 18 12 1,498 1,641 1,566 1,442
Maine ................... 4 3 8 (2) 348 204 789 (2)
Maryland ................ 11 16 29 7 800 1,251 2,586 724
Massachusetts ........... 32 28 27 8 2,873 2,990 2,341 646
Michigan ................ 79 119 144 32 7,392 10,913 16,035 3,694
Minnesota ............... 24 45 36 13 1,777 3,690 3,614 1,456
Mississippi ............. 8 12 11 5 458 1,000 735 282
Missouri ................ 38 86 74 24 3,538 8,373 5,567 1,667
Montana ................. 11 12 9 4 753 896 1,012 258
Nebraska ................ 7 12 7 (2) 500 1,166 548 (2)
Nevada .................. 43 36 26 16 3,881 3,677 2,463 1,331
New Hampshire ........... 9 11 12 7 1,020 867 962 1,095
New Jersey .............. 47 67 87 16 3,777 6,716 7,506 1,408
New Mexico .............. 13 12 8 6 1,868 954 560 391
New York ................ 82 126 236 52 8,927 12,704 28,309 6,833
North Carolina .......... 34 18 27 5 3,833 1,455 2,072 451
North Dakota ............ 3 7 4 (2) 207 595 595 (2)
Ohio .................... 91 91 145 35 9,065 8,888 14,121 3,790
Oklahoma ................ 19 10 17 3 1,437 893 1,666 306
Oregon .................. 43 29 35 19 5,321 2,617 3,730 1,571
Pennsylvania ............ 141 197 200 108 11,683 15,750 16,430 8,782
Rhode Island ............ 9 6 13 7 1,291 713 1,696 1,545
South Carolina .......... 33 45 67 11 3,471 4,780 7,274 886
South Dakota ............ 4 (2) (2) - 305 (2) (2) -
Tennessee ............... 53 23 40 15 3,898 3,144 3,102 1,033
Texas ................... 113 56 85 56 9,769 6,148 8,509 4,894
Utah .................... 11 16 10 (2) 753 1,256 1,086 (2)
Vermont ................. 12 15 4 6 1,388 1,079 309 483
Virginia ................ 8 40 49 22 786 3,903 6,570 1,704
Washington .............. 21 35 27 11 1,765 2,828 1,997 769
West Virginia ........... 3 4 (2) 5 681 321 (2) 509
Wisconsin ............... 90 99 144 40 9,988 8,207 15,465 3,074
Wyoming ................. (2) (2) - (2) (2) (2) - (2)
Puerto Rico ............. 28 11 19 21 2,282 1,093 1,892 2,459
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
