Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 08-0557
http://www.bls.gov/mls/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, April 23, 2008
MASS LAYOFFS IN MARCH 2008
In March, employers took 1,571 mass layoff actions, seasonally ad-
justed, 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 157,156, on a
seasonally adjusted basis. March layoff events and associated initial
claimants were the highest for the month of March since 2003. The number
of mass layoff events in March 2008 decreased by 101 from the prior month,
while the number of associated initial claims decreased by 20,218. However,
the seasonally adjusted figures for February 2008 mass layoff events and
initial claims were inflated due to an unusual calendar effect. (See the
box note on page 3 of this news release.) In March, 482 mass layoff events
were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting
in 64,088 initial claims. Over the month, mass layoff activity in manufac-
turing decreased by 47 events, and initial claims decreased by 2,825.
(See table 1.)
The national unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in March, seasonally
adjusted, up from 4.8 percent in the prior month and from 4.4 percent a
year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 80,000 in
March from the previous month, but increased by 536,000 from a year
earlier.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in March 2008 was 1,089 on a not sea-
sonally adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was 114,541.
(See table 2.) The average weekly number of events in March 2008 was 272
compared with 216 in March 2007. The average weekly initial claimants in-
creased from 24,795 to 28,635. The weekly average number of events reached
the highest level for the month of March since 2003, while the weekly average
number of initial claims reached its highest level for the month since 2002.
(The weekly averages of events and claims are calculated by dividing the total
events and claims for the month by the number of weeks in the month--4 in
March 2008 versus 5 in March 2007.)
- 2 -
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims
in March 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | March peak
Industry |Initial |----------------------
| claims | |
| | Year |Initial claims
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
School and employee bus transportation ...| 8,073 | 2008 | 8,073
Food service contractors .................| 6,504 | 2007 | 7,636
Temporary help services ..................| 5,056 | 2002 | 14,338
Motion picture and video production ......| 3,324 | 2005 | 7,192
Light truck and utility vehicle | | |
manufacturing ...........................| 3,068 | 2008 | 3,068
Discount department stores ...............| 2,711 | 2007 | 3,670
Heavy duty truck manufacturing ...........| 2,683 | 1996 | 2,781
Automobile manufacturing .................| 2,599 | 1996 | 15,411
Professional employer organizations ......| 2,464 | 2002 | 2,987
Household refrigerator and home freezer | | |
manufacturing ...........................| (1) | 2001 | 2,279
| | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
The largest over-the-year increases in March 2008 average weekly initial
claims associated with mass layoffs occurred in transit and ground passenger
transportation (+1,275), food manufacturing (+709), and food services and
drinking places (+350). The largest decreases occurred in administrative
and support services (-502), transportation equipment manufacturing (-300),
and computer and electronic products manufacturing (-283).
The manufacturing sector accounted for 31 percent of all mass layoff
events and 38 percent of all related initial claims filed in March; a year
earlier, manufacturing made up 34 percent of events and 40 percent of in-
itial claims. In March 2008, the number of manufacturing claimants was
highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (14,318, largely in light
truck and utility vehicle manufacturing), followed by food manufacturing
(7,705, mainly in frozen fruit and vegetable manufacturing). (See table 3.)
Transportation and warehousing accounted for 8 percent of mass layoff
events and 9 percent of initial claims in March, primarily from school and
employee bus transportation. Accommodation and food services comprised 8
percent of events and 9 percent of initial claims, primarily from food
service contractors. Administrative and waste services made up 12 percent
of all mass layoff events and 9 percent of associated initial claims,
mainly from temporary help services.
The 10 industries reporting the highest numbers of mass layoff initial
claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 34 percent of all such
claims in March. The industry with the highest number of initial claims
was school and employee bus transportation with 8,073, followed by food
service contractors (6,504), temporary help services (5,056), and motion
picture and video production (3,324). (See table A.)
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in
March due to mass layoffs was in the Midwest, 34,885. Transportation equip-
ment manufacturing accounted for 31 percent of all mass layoff initial
claims in that region during the month. The West had the second largest
number of initial claims among the regions, 30,357, followed by the South
with 28,097 and the Northeast with 21,202. (See table 5.)
Three of the 4 regions experienced over-the-year increases in average
weekly initial claims--the Northeast (+2,378), the Midwest (+2,039), and
the South (+62). Six of the 9 divisions had over-the-year increases in
average weekly initial claims, led by the Middle Atlantic (+2,454).
- 3 -
California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to
mass layoff events in March (21,812), followed by Pennsylvania (12,745),
Wisconsin (7,067), Illinois (6,694), and Ohio (6,236). These five states
accounted for 51 percent of all mass layoff events and 42 percent of all
initial claims for unemployment insurance in March. (See table 6.)
Thirty states reported over-the-year increases in average weekly
initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by Pennsylvania (+2,227),
Ohio (+670), and Wisconsin (+650). For Pennsylvania, the largest increase
in initial claims occurred in food manufacturing. States with the largest
over-the-year decreases in average weekly claims were California (-1,181),
Mississippi (-762), and North Carolina (-455).
______________________________
The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the First Quarter of 2008 is
scheduled to be released on Thursday, May 15. The report on Mass Layoffs
in April 2008 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, May 22.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Calendar Effect on Over-the-Month Change |
| in Seasonally Adjusted Data |
| |
| |
| The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) monthly data can encompass |
| either 4 or 5 weeks of events and claims, based on where the |
| first day of the month falls. During months with 5 weeks, more |
| data are collected. The seasonal adjustment procedure typically |
| adjusts the data for differences in the number of weeks in a month. |
| This year, February was a 5-week month, an event that occurs once |
| every 28 years, and the seasonal adjustment program did not account |
| for this rare occurrence. Therefore, the seasonally adjusted data |
| reflect an exaggerated downward movement from February to March in |
| events and initial claims. See the Technical Note for more infor- |
| mation on the seasonal adjustment of MLS data. |
| |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
- 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.
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, April 2004 to
March 2008, seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2004
April ...................... 1,360 139,185 1,193 124,432 351 37,760
May ........................ 1,224 114,810 1,059 100,854 339 39,045
June ....................... 1,400 141,168 1,231 128,245 371 47,243
July ....................... 1,329 137,805 1,178 126,301 376 50,799
August ..................... 1,426 128,759 1,233 113,809 343 36,539
September .................. 1,285 127,833 1,154 116,843 336 45,690
October .................... 1,283 132,766 1,169 123,471 363 47,046
November ................... 1,320 130,873 1,174 119,029 380 45,416
December ................... 1,148 111,060 991 99,784 287 31,935
2005
January .................... 1,475 160,725 1,346 151,028 382 61,324
February ................... 1,146 121,455 1,020 110,480 353 43,568
March ...................... 1,207 131,271 1,066 120,945 372 53,673
April ...................... 1,252 136,752 1,125 126,550 401 60,681
May ........................ 1,248 136,420 1,104 123,495 398 54,999
June ....................... 1,196 127,084 1,078 118,012 368 58,300
July ....................... 1,250 132,445 1,103 119,566 357 46,602
August ..................... 1,144 125,686 1,000 113,762 341 47,598
September .................. 2,248 297,544 2,028 251,185 417 55,304
October .................... 1,101 110,035 982 100,934 321 43,230
November ................... 1,176 114,965 1,042 103,535 332 42,071
December ................... 1,261 134,461 1,132 123,418 360 46,863
2006
January .................... 1,107 110,800 988 101,494 283 34,037
February ................... 1,031 109,798 940 101,828 322 43,147
March ...................... 1,084 119,049 983 110,668 323 48,119
April ...................... 1,171 121,580 1,043 112,175 368 49,568
May ........................ 1,124 117,115 1,005 107,181 314 43,087
June ....................... 1,146 123,827 1,030 114,080 352 44,869
July ....................... 1,179 121,017 1,051 111,336 372 48,534
August ..................... 1,270 135,400 1,107 124,427 377 60,906
September .................. 1,173 123,767 1,056 114,677 385 45,767
October .................... 1,191 121,827 1,076 113,123 399 53,601
November ................... 1,232 133,803 1,121 124,559 414 58,385
December ................... 1,194 131,062 1,092 121,796 374 51,408
2007
January .................... 1,254 128,223 1,118 117,824 391 52,858
February ................... 1,352 143,837 1,238 135,066 416 61,749
March ...................... 1,277 130,981 1,169 122,488 412 52,606
April ...................... 1,243 126,977 1,116 116,926 382 43,930
May ........................ 1,199 120,587 1,096 113,069 370 48,910
June ....................... 1,238 129,858 1,116 120,165 351 40,670
July ....................... 1,247 127,687 1,140 119,614 392 51,333
August ..................... 1,228 121,886 1,128 114,628 335 36,518
September .................. 1,307 128,487 1,204 121,294 430 53,432
October .................... 1,347 136,124 1,224 127,163 430 57,695
November ................... 1,329 139,671 1,215 131,390 414 56,965
December ................... 1,433 141,750 1,315 133,024 462 58,108
2008
January .................... 1,438 144,111 1,317 134,347 427 55,488
February ................... 1,672 177,374 1,539 166,782 529 66,913
March ...................... 1,571 157,156 1,460 147,537 482 64,088
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2004 to
March 2008, not seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2004
April ...................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 343 36,172
May ........................ 988 87,501 878 78,786 219 22,141
June ....................... 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 222 27,307
July ....................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 885 145,895
August ..................... 809 69,033 745 63,876 194 17,698
September .................. 708 68,972 637 63,102 189 25,808
October .................... 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 372 48,265
November ................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 412 44,243
December ................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 436 50,726
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
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
Initial claimants for
Mass layoff events unemployment insurance
Industry
March January February March March January February March
2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008
Seasonally adjusted
Total ..................................... 1,277 1,438 1,672 1,571 130,981 144,111 177,374 157,156
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 1,169 1,317 1,539 1,460 122,488 134,347 166,782 147,537
Manufacturing ............................... 412 427 529 482 52,606 55,488 66,913 64,088
Not seasonally adjusted
Total (1) ................................. 1,082 1,647 1,269 1,089 123,974 154,503 119,508 114,541
Total, private .................................. 1,046 1,592 1,232 1,063 120,544 148,901 116,852 111,984
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting .. 31 72 54 24 2,113 4,710 3,265 1,837
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 1,015 1,520 1,178 1,039 118,431 144,191 113,587 110,147
Mining ...................................... (2) 8 5 (2) (2) 550 335 (2)
Utilities ................................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Construction ................................ 107 198 193 119 7,815 13,532 13,335 7,891
Manufacturing ............................... 367 488 361 333 49,886 54,418 42,527 43,740
Food .................................... 67 57 46 58 6,087 5,024 3,916 7,705
Beverage and tobacco products ........... 7 7 9 6 778 531 795 540
Textile mills ........................... 16 13 10 14 1,882 1,258 1,373 2,745
Textile product mills (3) ............... 4 8 5 (2) 350 950 615 (2)
Apparel (3) ............................. 15 17 (2) 8 1,355 1,630 (2) 544
Leather and allied products ............. - (2) - - - (2) - -
Wood products ........................... 30 46 50 30 2,674 4,780 5,576 2,419
Paper ................................... 10 6 7 9 779 469 711 827
Printing and related support activities . 8 11 11 9 637 766 714 736
Petroleum and coal products ............. - (2) (2) (2) - (2) (2) (2)
Chemicals ............................... 5 10 6 3 310 898 368 140
Plastics and rubber products (3) ........ 18 37 15 27 1,682 2,855 1,081 2,201
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 16 38 25 15 1,483 2,602 1,836 1,224
Primary metals .......................... 17 16 13 10 1,976 1,491 1,480 873
Fabricated metal products ............... 14 40 17 20 1,567 3,144 1,155 1,878
Machinery (3) ........................... 11 23 15 15 2,013 2,901 1,129 2,447
Computer and electronic products ........ 26 18 15 10 2,562 1,222 1,204 917
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 15 7 17 9 2,502 784 5,327 2,692
Transportation equipment (3) ............ 68 86 66 72 19,397 17,920 12,189 14,318
Furniture and related products (3) ...... 16 34 18 11 1,571 4,127 2,043 842
Miscellaneous manufacturing (3) ......... 4 9 10 4 281 721 638 301
Wholesale trade ............................. 17 30 17 22 1,828 2,848 1,248 1,624
Retail trade ................................ 93 119 123 94 11,407 12,839 11,662 9,788
Transportation and warehousing .............. 55 124 53 92 5,896 13,031 7,318 10,629
Information ................................. 30 43 28 35 4,843 4,668 4,229 4,316
Finance and insurance (3) ................... 39 50 46 46 2,883 4,285 3,397 3,692
Real estate and rental and leasing (3) ...... 7 8 5 5 400 462 261 552
Professional and technical services (3) ..... 29 41 34 24 4,391 3,829 2,756 3,225
Management of companies and enterprises ..... 5 (2) 3 (2) 324 (2) 181 (2)
Administrative and waste services (3) ....... 140 232 197 130 15,153 20,639 17,799 10,076
Educational services ........................ 4 7 5 6 192 851 374 1,191
Health care and social assistance ........... 16 27 19 20 1,160 1,767 1,407 1,347
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... 10 38 6 8 680 2,445 330 492
Accommodation and food services ............. 86 88 78 90 10,895 6,064 6,121 10,328
Other services, except public administration 6 13 (2) 10 364 1,381 (2) 906
Unclassified ................................ - - - - - - - -
Government ...................................... 36 55 37 26 3,430 5,602 2,656 2,557
Federal ..................................... 6 13 3 7 501 1,106 249 569
State ....................................... 11 9 11 7 820 804 819 618
Local ....................................... 19 33 23 12 2,109 3,692 1,588 1,370
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, January 2006 to March 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
January .................... 1,245 117,946 1,123 108,701
February ................... 719 66,555 658 62,208
March ...................... 921 111,838 856 106,177
First Quarter .............. 2,885 296,339 2,637 277,086 963 193,510 36.5 69.8
April ...................... 1,140 121,589 1,038 112,964
May ........................ 872 84,809 794 78,663
June ....................... 1,489 164,761 1,224 140,687
Second Quarter ............. 3,501 371,159 3,056 332,314 1,353 264,927 44.3 79.7
July ....................... 1,511 166,857 1,335 154,342
August ..................... 708 72,844 656 69,054
September .................. 865 87,699 785 81,274
Third Quarter .............. 3,084 327,400 2,776 304,670 929 161,764 33.5 53.1
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 1,640 330,901 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 1,111 199,295 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 1,421 258,812 43.2 74.4
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 1,019 172,508 33.7 54.4
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 (2)(p)1,619 (2)(p)234,612 (p)35.2 (p)47.3
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 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
March January February March March January February March
2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008
United States (1) ... 1,082 1,647 1,269 1,089 123,974 154,503 119,508 114,541
Northeast ................... 137 349 212 180 14,613 32,949 21,554 21,202
New England ............. 17 30 35 14 1,650 2,056 3,999 1,014
Middle Atlantic ......... 120 319 177 166 12,963 30,893 17,555 20,188
South ....................... 238 324 305 245 34,812 32,769 29,835 28,097
South Atlantic .......... 115 157 176 139 13,072 15,997 13,912 14,166
East South Central ...... 77 129 64 53 15,237 13,585 8,907 6,680
West South Central ...... 46 38 65 53 6,503 3,187 7,016 7,251
Midwest ..................... 283 416 232 287 33,410 42,229 25,941 34,885
East North Central ...... 225 324 184 224 27,218 33,964 21,916 27,847
West North Central ...... 58 92 48 63 6,192 8,265 4,025 7,038
West ........................ 424 558 520 377 41,139 46,556 42,178 30,357
Mountain ................ 41 44 47 43 3,200 3,757 3,754 4,001
Pacific ................. 383 514 473 334 37,939 42,799 38,424 26,356
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
March January February March March January February March
2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008
Total (1) ..... ...... 1,082 1,647 1,269 1,089 123,974 154,503 119,508 114,541
Alabama ................. 26 82 17 11 3,373 10,160 2,549 927
Alaska .................. - (2) - (2) - (2) - (2)
Arizona ................. 6 4 (2) 9 362 290 (2) 808
Arkansas ................ (2) 4 3 5 (2) 293 364 867
California .............. 333 468 416 296 33,172 38,715 32,747 21,812
Colorado ................ 4 7 4 6 458 654 326 533
Connecticut ............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Delaware ................ - (2) (2) 4 - (2) (2) 298
District of Columbia .... - (2) (2) - - (2) (2) -
Florida ................. 51 70 102 63 4,562 5,366 6,572 5,145
Georgia ................. 14 51 26 20 1,635 4,718 2,428 3,302
Hawaii .................. 4 3 9 4 323 217 786 304
Idaho ................... 8 7 7 12 537 496 497 1,187
Illinois ................ 54 68 52 51 8,754 9,106 6,344 6,694
Indiana ................. 19 34 24 27 1,927 2,955 3,709 3,870
Iowa .................... 11 26 16 11 1,285 3,163 1,885 1,051
Kansas .................. 4 8 3 8 930 490 192 1,069
Kentucky ................ 32 28 24 26 6,623 2,304 4,219 4,555
Louisiana ............... 5 7 13 6 446 739 2,640 411
Maine ................... 3 (2) 4 - 233 (2) 245 -
Maryland ................ 6 9 5 (2) 462 708 377 (2)
Massachusetts ........... 4 11 9 5 268 791 698 433
Michigan ................ 51 86 32 41 6,508 7,004 4,379 3,980
Minnesota ............... 15 19 5 9 1,231 1,751 361 617
Mississippi ............. 10 6 10 7 4,428 324 897 493
Missouri ................ 22 37 19 28 2,347 2,664 1,127 3,799
Montana ................. 4 6 (2) (2) 319 579 (2) (2)
Nebraska ................ 3 (2) 5 6 218 (2) 460 412
Nevada .................. 11 15 23 7 842 1,151 1,909 522
New Hampshire ........... 3 (2) 3 3 462 (2) 351 167
New Jersey .............. 35 35 35 34 3,529 2,613 3,439 4,007
New Mexico .............. 6 4 (2) 5 548 473 (2) 685
New York ................ 40 152 42 29 4,636 18,636 5,912 3,436
North Carolina .......... 22 3 21 16 3,986 350 2,121 1,367
North Dakota ............ (2) (2) - - (2) (2) - -
Ohio .................... 43 71 42 52 4,444 9,352 4,387 6,236
Oklahoma ................ 4 4 (2) 6 1,178 317 (2) 868
Oregon .................. 30 28 29 21 3,272 2,769 3,125 3,275
Pennsylvania ............ 45 132 100 103 4,798 9,644 8,204 12,745
Rhode Island ............ (2) 9 9 4 (2) 562 1,448 303
South Carolina .......... 10 12 10 17 1,210 1,991 1,354 1,659
South Dakota ............ (2) - - (2) (2) - - (2)
Tennessee ............... 9 13 13 9 813 797 1,242 705
Texas ................... 35 23 47 36 4,762 1,838 3,870 5,105
Utah .................... (2) (2) 7 (2) (2) (2) 525 (2)
Vermont ................. 4 4 8 (2) 465 248 1,084 (2)
Virginia ................ 10 8 8 14 1,091 1,027 742 1,808
Washington .............. 16 14 19 12 1,172 1,047 1,766 913
West Virginia ........... (2) (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) (2) 428
Wisconsin ............... 58 65 34 53 5,585 5,547 3,097 7,067
Wyoming ................. (2) - (2) - (2) - (2) -
Puerto Rico ............. 15 10 23 4 1,355 1,120 2,113 344
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
