For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, October 22, 2009 USDL-09-1272
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * mlsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/mls
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
MASS LAYOFFS -- SEPTEMBER 2009
Employers took 2,561 mass layoff actions in September that resulted in
the separation of 248,006 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 single employer. The number of mass layoff
events in September decreased by 129 from the prior month, and the num-
ber of associated initial claims decreased by 11,301. Over the year,
the number of mass layoff events increased by 271, and associated ini-
tial claims increased by 7,285. Year-to-date mass layoff events (23,745)
and initial claims (2,410,208) both recorded program highs. In September,
856 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, sea-
sonally adjusted, resulting in 97,066 initial claims. Over the month,
the number of manufacturing events decreased by 44, while associated
initial claims increased by 3,174. (See table 1.)
During the 22 months from December 2007 through September 2009, the
total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 47,230,
and the number of initial claims filed (seasonally adjusted) in those
events was 4,804,642. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as
designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)
The national unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in September 2009, sea-
sonally adjusted, little changed from 9.7 percent the prior month and
up from 6.2 percent a year earlier. In September, total nonfarm pay-
roll employment decreased by 263,000 over the month and by 5,785,000
from a year earlier.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in September was 1,371 on a not sea-
sonally adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was
123,177. (See table 2.) Over the year, the number of mass layoff
events increased by 79, while associated initial claims decreased by
6,409. Five of the 19 major industry sectors reported program highs in
terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month of September:
mining; utilities; wholesale trade; finance and insurance; and manage-
ment of companies and enterprises. (Average weekly analysis mitigates
the effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.)
The manufacturing sector accounted for 33 percent of all mass layoff
events and 42 percent of initial claims filed in September 2009. A
year earlier, manufacturing made up 28 percent of events and 36 per-
cent of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants
in September was greatest in machinery (12,389) and transportation
equipment (7,331). (See table 3.) The construction sector accounted
for 12 percent of mass layoff events and 9 percent of initial claims.
Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff
initial claims, 3 reached a series high for September: nonresidential
electrical contractors; farm machinery and equipment manufacturing;
and construction machinery manufacturing. This September, the indus-
try with the largest number of initial claims was temporary help ser-
vices. (See table A.)
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in
September 2009, not seasonally adjusted
September peak
Industry
Initial Year Initial
claims claims
Temporary help services (1) ................... 5,635 2001 12,752
Construction machinery manufacturing .......... 3,452 2009 3,452
Discount department stores .................... 3,446 2005 3,550
Farm machinery and equipment manufacturing .... 2,982 2009 2,982
Automobile manufacturing ...................... 2,646 2004 (2)
Professional employer organizations (1) ....... 2,548 2008 4,520
Motion picture and video production ........... 2,431 1997 11,176
Elementary and secondary schools .............. 2,033 2005 15,815
Hotels and motels, except casino hotels ....... 1,996 2001 10,886
Nonresidential electrical contractors ......... 1,759 2009 1,759
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)
Among the 4 census regions, the Midwest registered the highest number
of initial claims in September due to mass layoffs (38,137), followed
by the West (37,480) and the South (28,943). (See table 5.) Initial
claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the year in 2 of
the 4 regions, with the Midwest experiencing the largest increase
(+11,491). In 2009, the Midwest reported its highest September level
of average weekly initial claims (9,534) in program history.
Of the 9 geographic divisions, the Pacific had the highest number of
initial claims due to mass layoffs in September, followed by the East
North Central and the Middle Atlantic. (See table 5.) Seven of the 9
divisions experienced over-the-year increases in initial claims, led
by the East North Central (+7,217). This year, the East North Central
division reached a program high for September in terms of average
weekly initial claims.
California recorded the highest number of initial claims in September,
with 28,797, even though it had an over-the-year decrease in initial
claims (-5,787). The over-the-year decrease in California was largely
due to a drop in claims from the administrative and support services
industry. The states with the next highest number of mass layoff ini-
tial claims were Illinois (10,743), Pennsylvania (8,587), and Michigan
(6,167). (See table 6.) Twenty-eight states experienced over-the-year
increases in initial claims, led by Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Kansas.
In 2009, six states reached program highs in average weekly initial
claims for the month of September: Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa,
Kansas, and Wisconsin.
Louisiana registered the largest decrease in initial claims from
September of 2008, when Hurricane Gustov contributed to higher lay-
off activity.
Note
The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or
more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration
of the layoffs. For private nonfarm establishments, information on
the length of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly
release that reports on mass layoffs lasting more than 30 days (re-
ferred to as "extended mass layoffs"). The quarterly release provides
more information on the industry classification and location of the
establishment and on the demographics of the laid-off workers. Be-
cause 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.
____________
Extended Mass Layoffs in the Third Quarter of 2009 is scheduled to
be released on Tuesday, November 10, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. (EST). Mass
Layoffs in October 2009 is scheduled to be released on Friday,
November 20, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. (EST).
Technical Note
The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program
that uses a standardized automated approach to identifying, describing,
and tracking the effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each
state's unemployment insurance database. Each month, states report on
employers which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during
a consecutive 5-week period. These employers then are contacted by the
state agency to determine whether these separations lasted 31 days or
longer, and, if so, other information concerning the layoff is collected.
States report on layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quarterly basis.
A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly unemployment
insurance claims filings for the Sunday through Saturday weeks in that
month. All weeks are included for the particular month, except if the
first day of the month falls on Saturday. In this case, the week is
included in the prior month's tabulations. This means that some months
will contain 4 weeks and others, 5 weeks. The number of weeks in a given
month may be different from year to year, and the number of weeks in a
year may vary. Therefore, analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year
change in not seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect
into consideration.
The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after it had been
terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding. Prior to April 1995,
monthly layoff statistics were not available.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay
Service: (800) 877-8339.
Definitions
Employer. Employers in the MLS program include those covered by state
unemployment insurance laws. Information on employers is obtained from the
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which is adminis-
tered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Industry. Employers are classified according to the 2007 version of the
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For temporary help
and professional employers organization industries, monthly MLS-related
statistics generally reflect layoffs related to underlying client companies
in other industries. An individual layoff action at a client company can
be small, but when initial claimants associated with many such layoffs are
assigned to a temporary help or professional employer organization firm, a
mass layoff event may trigger.
Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of unemployment to
initiate a request either for a determination of entitlement to and
eligibility for compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment
within a benefit year or period of eligibility.
Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insur-
ance benefits filed against an employer during a 5-week period, regardless
of duration.
Seasonal adjustment
Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS began publish-
ing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS series. The six series are the
numbers of mass layoff events and mass layoff initial claims for the total,
private nonfarm, and manufacturing sectors.
Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and removing the effect
on time series data of regularly recurring seasonal events such as changes
in the weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year.
The use of seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes
in time series, particularly those associated with general economic expan-
sions and contractions.
The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjust-
ment method on a concurrent basis. Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all
available monthly estimates, including those for the current month, in devel-
oping seasonal adjustment factors. Revisions to the most recent 5 years
of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a year with the issuance of
December data. Before the data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments
are made to the original data to adjust them for differences in the number
of weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly unemployment
insurance claims are aggregated to form monthly data, a particular month's
value could be calculated with 5 weeks of data in 1 year and 4 weeks in
another. The effects of these differences could seriously distort the sea-
sonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal adjustment process. These
effects are modeled in the X-12-ARIMA program and are permanently removed from
the final seasonally adjusted series.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2005 to
September 2009, seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2005
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
February ................... 2,769 295,477 2,628 281,500 1,235 152,618
March ...................... 2,933 299,388 2,751 283,989 1,259 155,909
April ...................... 2,712 271,226 2,519 256,111 1,111 135,252
May ........................ 2,933 312,880 2,736 296,108 1,331 165,802
June ....................... 2,763 279,231 2,536 260,747 1,235 159,310
July ....................... 2,157 206,791 1,928 185,718 621 72,266
August ..................... 2,690 259,307 2,428 237,302 900 93,892
September .................. 2,561 248,006 2,324 229,371 856 97,066
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2005 to
September 2009, not seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2005
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
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
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
Initial claimants for
Mass layoff events unemployment insurance
Industry
September July August September September July August September
2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009
Seasonally adjusted
Total ..................................... 2,290 2,157 2,690 2,561 240,721 206,791 259,307 248,006
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 2,114 1,928 2,428 2,324 226,492 185,718 237,302 229,371
Manufacturing ............................... 643 621 900 856 86,617 72,266 93,892 97,066
Not seasonally adjusted
Total (1) ................................. 1,292 3,054 1,428 1,371 129,586 336,654 125,024 123,177
Total, private .................................. 1,227 2,752 1,356 1,285 124,096 304,108 118,920 116,813
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting .. 25 93 22 27 1,591 7,519 1,727 1,672
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 1,202 2,659 1,334 1,258 122,505 296,589 117,193 115,141
Mining ...................................... 6 22 9 10 728 1,816 603 918
Utilities ................................... (2) 3 (2) 6 (2) 446 (2) 448
Construction ................................ 144 170 160 167 10,763 12,415 11,904 10,637
Manufacturing ............................... 361 1,133 436 448 46,391 154,208 41,151 51,126
Food .................................... 33 67 41 50 3,068 8,076 3,632 5,044
Beverage and tobacco products ........... 7 8 5 5 648 624 937 306
Textile mills ........................... 13 21 (2) 12 1,422 2,424 (2) 1,197
Textile product mills ................... 3 8 5 (2) 347 875 557 (2)
Apparel ................................. 7 26 15 7 688 2,926 1,317 572
Leather and allied products ............. (2) 4 (2) (2) (2) 306 (2) (2)
Wood products ........................... 32 42 19 36 2,901 3,453 1,423 2,653
Paper ................................... 8 17 8 15 603 1,439 576 1,287
Printing and related support activities . 5 16 9 10 341 1,950 714 828
Petroleum and coal products ............. - 6 - - - 373 - -
Chemicals ............................... 8 19 10 9 527 1,722 843 540
Plastics and rubber products ............ 16 74 17 13 1,224 9,776 1,532 1,195
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 12 29 18 12 861 3,044 1,147 763
Primary metals .......................... 13 89 31 30 1,582 9,850 2,742 3,330
Fabricated metal products ............... 35 114 43 44 2,357 10,798 3,501 3,856
Machinery ............................... 28 132 74 63 4,058 29,528 6,608 12,389
Computer and electronic products ........ 15 77 30 28 1,556 7,823 2,535 1,986
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 22 45 18 23 3,453 5,992 1,853 2,740
Transportation equipment ................ 87 275 68 53 19,278 47,322 9,076 7,331
Furniture and related products .......... 13 35 13 22 1,153 3,311 941 3,481
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............. (2) 29 6 11 (2) 2,596 577 1,117
Wholesale trade ............................. 20 78 34 32 1,642 6,201 2,714 2,422
Retail trade ................................ 112 161 111 139 10,345 17,388 10,173 13,094
Transportation and warehousing .............. 54 131 101 47 4,383 11,279 9,131 4,807
Information ................................. 45 90 46 45 6,021 13,941 6,067 4,572
Finance and insurance ....................... 38 84 47 43 3,104 6,700 4,434 3,308
Real estate and rental and leasing .......... 7 12 7 (2) 396 819 404 (2)
Professional and technical services ......... 35 95 32 31 5,623 10,555 2,302 1,998
Management of companies and enterprises ..... (2) 14 (2) 5 (2) 2,289 (2) 495
Administrative and waste services ........... 181 351 195 142 18,557 35,419 15,604 11,525
Educational services ........................ 5 31 13 7 346 2,540 1,796 371
Health care and social assistance ........... 54 101 31 23 4,021 7,010 1,947 1,573
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... 30 38 19 29 2,043 2,611 1,403 2,209
Accommodation and food services ............. 99 124 74 73 7,552 9,651 6,034 4,981
Other services, except public administration 6 19 13 7 297 1,212 1,076 409
Unclassified ................................ 2 2 - (2) 73 89 - (2)
Government ...................................... 65 302 72 86 5,490 32,546 6,104 6,364
Federal ..................................... 9 10 14 8 764 845 1,381 603
State ....................................... 12 39 19 28 922 3,297 1,717 2,082
Local ....................................... 44 253 39 50 3,804 28,404 3,006 3,679
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, July 2007 to September 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
July ....................... 1,599 175,419 1,450 164,939
August ..................... 963 93,458 908 88,345
September .................. 717 67,385 667 64,026
Third Quarter .............. 3,279 336,262 3,025 317,310 1,018 173,077 33.7 54.5
October .................... 1,083 108,455 929 97,716
November ................... 1,799 198,220 1,593 181,184
December ................... 2,167 224,214 2,071 216,898
Fourth Quarter ............. 5,049 530,889 4,593 495,798 1,814 347,151 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 1,340 259,292 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 1,756 339,629 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 1,582 304,316 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 3,582 765,019 47.5 99.0
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 3,979 830,028 50.3 102.8
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 (2)(p)2,994 (2)(p)506,533 (p)42.7 (p)69.1
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
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
September July August September September July August September
2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009
United States (1) ... 1,292 3,054 1,428 1,371 129,586 336,654 125,024 123,177
Northeast ................... 142 511 279 233 11,646 45,526 26,444 18,617
New England ............. 15 82 32 29 1,180 7,194 2,953 2,762
Middle Atlantic ......... 127 429 247 204 10,466 38,332 23,491 15,855
South ....................... 475 725 342 334 43,772 71,648 29,486 28,943
South Atlantic .......... 153 389 204 182 12,291 34,220 17,732 14,927
East South Central ...... 54 213 57 71 4,788 25,153 4,820 6,844
West South Central ...... 268 123 81 81 26,693 12,275 6,934 7,172
Midwest ..................... 225 805 350 309 26,646 117,188 32,197 38,137
East North Central ...... 189 635 273 240 23,087 94,516 25,962 30,304
West North Central ...... 36 170 77 69 3,559 22,672 6,235 7,833
West ........................ 450 1,013 457 495 47,522 102,292 36,897 37,480
Mountain ................ 43 112 63 53 3,675 11,241 6,116 3,924
Pacific ................. 407 901 394 442 43,847 91,051 30,781 33,556
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
September July August September September July August September
2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009
Total (1) ............ 1,292 3,054 1,428 1,371 129,586 336,654 125,024 123,177
Alabama ................. 12 75 23 22 1,090 8,324 1,997 2,044
Alaska .................. 3 (2) 4 7 241 (2) 295 849
Arizona ................. 8 35 10 7 586 3,469 977 463
Arkansas ................ 3 11 4 (2) 359 1,033 260 (2)
California .............. 358 812 340 395 34,584 82,085 26,082 28,797
Colorado ................ 3 15 5 14 196 1,536 374 1,036
Connecticut ............. 6 15 4 4 402 1,056 334 323
Delaware ................ (2) 5 (2) (2) (2) 347 (2) (2)
District of Columbia .... - - (2) - - - (2) -
Florida ................. 96 192 104 91 5,988 14,929 7,795 5,975
Georgia ................. 20 62 23 35 1,885 7,636 2,202 2,817
Hawaii .................. 9 9 8 6 919 670 872 465
Idaho ................... 4 8 9 4 324 759 1,305 306
Illinois ................ 43 110 82 71 4,941 25,119 7,432 10,743
Indiana ................. 34 87 30 21 4,314 10,131 3,182 2,895
Iowa .................... 10 48 17 18 1,455 8,730 1,359 2,384
Kansas .................. 6 22 14 15 478 2,088 945 2,880
Kentucky ................ 24 97 22 32 2,351 14,128 2,006 3,394
Louisiana ............... 163 21 18 10 14,929 1,768 1,698 887
Maine ................... (2) 4 (2) 3 (2) 256 (2) 268
Maryland ................ 5 11 10 7 349 987 759 463
Massachusetts ........... 4 31 13 12 310 2,972 1,357 985
Michigan ................ 40 185 43 40 4,130 23,929 3,593 6,167
Minnesota ............... 4 31 13 15 430 3,229 948 1,122
Mississippi ............. 6 14 5 5 463 803 349 323
Missouri ................ 16 61 28 16 1,196 7,647 2,549 1,018
Montana ................. (2) 5 3 3 (2) 481 258 227
Nebraska ................ - 4 (2) 3 - 418 (2) 210
Nevada .................. 18 37 30 15 1,604 3,212 2,879 1,201
New Hampshire ........... (2) 17 6 (2) (2) 1,564 454 (2)
New Jersey .............. 17 101 27 31 1,663 8,366 2,162 2,844
New Mexico .............. 4 5 4 7 440 252 191 487
New York ................ 36 126 106 58 2,905 11,886 11,405 4,424
North Carolina .......... 9 23 19 8 793 1,950 2,523 918
North Dakota ............ - 4 (2) (2) - 560 (2) (2)
Ohio .................... 32 138 58 47 5,912 19,704 5,941 4,745
Oklahoma ................ 5 16 8 4 789 2,013 679 401
Oregon .................. 21 49 21 15 2,942 5,492 1,691 1,402
Pennsylvania ............ 74 202 114 115 5,898 18,080 9,924 8,587
Rhode Island ............ (2) 10 5 3 (2) 965 456 260
South Carolina .......... 16 59 20 18 1,793 5,359 2,133 2,831
South Dakota ............ - - (2) - - - (2) -
Tennessee ............... 12 27 7 12 884 1,898 468 1,083
Texas ................... 97 75 51 65 10,616 7,461 4,297 5,715
Utah .................... 3 7 (2) 3 243 1,532 (2) 204
Vermont ................. (2) 5 (2) 5 (2) 381 (2) 507
Virginia ................ 4 35 21 22 546 2,873 1,652 1,868
Washington .............. 16 29 21 19 5,161 2,549 1,841 2,043
West Virginia ........... (2) (2) 4 - (2) (2) 272 -
Wisconsin ............... 40 115 60 61 3,790 15,633 5,814 5,754
Wyoming ................. (2) - - - (2) - - -
Puerto Rico ............. 18 22 15 17 1,715 1,826 1,326 1,563
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
