Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Economic News Release
PRINT:Print
MLS MLS Program Links

Mass Layoffs (Monthly) News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, October 22, 2010                   USDL-10-1452

Technical information:  (202) 691-6392  *  mlsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/mls
Media contact:          (202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov

(NOTE: Monthly national Mass Layoffs data for April through September 2010 
have been found to contain errors in each of the 6 seasonally adjusted series
appearing in the charts, the text, and tables 1 and 3. Not seasonally adjusted
data and regional office news releases are not affected. The corrected 
seasonally adjusted estimates for April through September are located in the 
Mass Layoffs database at www.bls.gov/mls/#data.)


                             MASS LAYOFFS -- SEPTEMBER 2010


Employers took 1,486 mass layoff actions in September that resulted in the 
separation of 133,379 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new fil-
ings 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 de-
creased by 60 from the prior month, the third consecutive over-the-month de-
crease. The number of associated initial claims decreased by 16,813 to its 
lowest level since April 2008. In September, 345 mass layoff events were re-
ported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 34,168 
initial claims. Both figures declined over the month. (See table 1.)

The national unemployment rate was 9.6 percent in September, seasonally ad-
justed, unchanged from the prior month and down from 9.8 percent a year ear-
lier. In September, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 95,000 over 
the month but increased by 344,000 from a year earlier.
   
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
The number of mass layoff events in September was 920 on a not seasonally ad-
justed basis; the number of associated initial claims was 77,654. (See table 
2.) Over the year, the number of mass layoff events decreased by 451, and as-
sociated initial claims decreased by 45,523. Thirteen of the 19 major industry 
sectors in the private economy reported over-the-year decreases in initial 
claims, led by manufacturing. Agriculture reached a September program low in 
terms of average weekly claims. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect
of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note. Data began in
1995.)
   
The manufacturing sector accounted for 20 percent of all mass layoff events 
and 25 percent of initial claims filed in September. A year earlier, manufac-
turing made up 33 percent of events and 42 percent of initial claims. Within 
manufacturing, the number of claimants in September was greatest in transpor-
tation equipment and food. (See table 3.) Twenty of the 21 manufacturing sub-
sectors experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by machin-
ery.
   
Government registered an over-the-year increase in mass layoff initial claims. 
(See table 3.) Year-to-date initial claim totals through September for govern-
ment are the highest on record (with data available back to 1996), reflecting 
layoffs in educational services and the completion of work on the decennial 
census. 
   
The six-digit industry with the largest number of initial claims in September 
was temporary help services. (See table A.) Of the 10 detailed industries in 
table A, transportation program administration reached a program high number 
of claims for the month of September. The table includes both publicly and pri-
vately owned entities.




Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in September 
2010, not seasonally adjusted


                                                                  September peak
                  Industry                                                         
                                            Initial claims     Year  Initial claims

Temporary help services (1) ................     4,710         2001      12,752
Professional employer organizations (1) ....     2,259         2008       4,520
Supermarkets and other grocery stores ......     2,081         2005       4,873
Motion picture and video production ........     1,583         1997      11,176
Warehouse clubs and supercenters ...........     1,429         2009       1,705
Transportation program administration ......       (2)         2010         (2)
Full-service restaurants ...................     1,353         2005       5,554
Elementary and secondary schools ...........     1,338         2005      15,815
Casino hotels ..............................     1,317         2001       9,453
Colleges and universities ..................     1,303         2005       3,441
                                                                            
   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 four regions and 8 of the 9 divisions experienced over-the-year decreases 
in initial claims due to mass layoffs in September. Among the census regions, 
the Midwest registered the largest over-the-year declines in initial claims. 
Of the geographic divisions, the East North Central and the Pacific had the lar-
gest over-the-year declines in initial claims. (See table 5.)

California recorded the highest number of initial claims in September, followed 
by Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, and Illinois. Thirty-one states experienced 
over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by California, Illinois, and Mich-
igan. (See table 6.) The District of Columbia, North Dakota, South Dakota, West 
Virginia, and Wyoming matched September program lows for average weekly initial 
claims, while Idaho, Montana, and North Carolina reached program highs for the
month in terms of average weekly initial claims.

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 estab-
lishment and on the demographics of the laid-off workers. Because monthly figures 
include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 
months in a quarter will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of 
more than 30 days. (See table 4.) See the Technical Note for more detailed defi-
nitions.

___________
The Extended Mass Layoffs news release for the Third Quarter 2010 is scheduled 
to be released on Friday, November 12, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. (EST). The Mass 
Layoffs news release for October is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 
23, 2010, 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 2006 to 
September 2010, seasonally adjusted 

(NOTE: Monthly national Mass Layoffs data for April through September 2010 have been found 
to contain errors in each of the 6 seasonally adjusted series appearing in the charts, the
text, and tables 1 and 3. Not seasonally adjusted data and regional office news releases are
not affected. The corrected seasonally adjusted estimates for April through September are 
located in the Mass Layoffs database at www.bls.gov/mls/#data.)

                                      Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing    
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial 
                                Events    claimants   Events    claimants    Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2006                                                                             

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
March ......................     1,628     150,864     1,432     136,446       356      39,290
April ......................     1,856     200,870     1,686     185,150       448      63,616
May ........................     1,412     135,789     1,200     119,822       266      22,577
June .......................     1,647     145,538     1,436     127,928       298      29,384
July .......................     1,609     143,703     1,369     121,770       307      33,381
August .....................     1,546     150,192     1,359     130,660       403      46,540
September ..................     1,486     133,379     1,289     115,598       345      34,168




Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2006 to 
September 2010, not seasonally adjusted 

                                       Total           Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial  
                                Events    claimants    Events   claimants    Events   claimants 
                                                                                              
             2006                                                                             

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
March ......................     1,197     111,727     1,111     105,514       273      29,745
April ......................     1,840     199,690     1,697     184,654       424      55,178
May ........................     1,354     123,333     1,170     109,203       216      19,334
June .......................     1,861     171,190     1,355     125,872       212      21,083
July .......................     2,124     206,254     1,732     172,248       532      64,200
August .....................       976      92,435       897      83,021       230      23,088
September ..................       920      77,654       806      67,987       187      19,403




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

(NOTE: Monthly national Mass Layoffs data for April through September 2010 have been found 
to contain errors in each of the 6 seasonally adjusted series appearing in the charts, the
text, and tables 1 and 3. Not seasonally adjusted data and regional office news releases are
not affected. The corrected seasonally adjusted estimates for April through September are 
located in the Mass Layoffs database at www.bls.gov/mls/#data.)

                                                                                                    Initial claimants for           
                                                               Mass layoff events                   unemployment insurance          
                     Industry                                                                                                      
                                                   September   July    August   September  September    July     August    September 
                                                     2009      2010     2010      2010       2009       2010      2010       2010    
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                


      Total .....................................    2,326     1,609    1,546     1,486     221,639    143,703   150,192    133,379

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    2,109     1,369    1,359     1,289     204,462    121,770   130,660    115,598
    Manufacturing ...............................      783       307      403       345      90,440     33,381    46,540     34,168

              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

      Total (1) .................................    1,371     2,124      976       920     123,177    206,254    92,435     77,654
      
Total, private ..................................    1,285     1,832      923       823     116,813    179,524    84,610     68,913
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       27       100       26        17       1,672      7,276     1,589        926

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,258     1,732      897       806     115,141    172,248    83,021     67,987
    Mining ......................................       10         5      (2)         4         918        394       (2)        447
    Utilities ...................................        6         6        -       (2)         448        689         -        (2)
    Construction ................................      167       135      105        89      10,637      9,570     6,910      6,137
    Manufacturing ...............................      448       532      230       187      51,126     64,200    23,088     19,403
        Food ....................................       50        75       54        31       5,044      9,535     4,312      3,216
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        5         4      (2)       (2)         306        290       (2)        (2)
        Textile mills ...........................       12         8        4         3       1,197        959       888        277
        Textile product mills ...................      (2)         3        3       (2)         (2)        347       272        (2)
        Apparel .................................        7        18        9         3         572      1,576       573        194
        Leather and allied products .............      (2)         3      (2)         -         (2)        332       (2)          -
        Wood products ...........................       36        24       17        22       2,653      2,051     1,355      1,726
        Paper ...................................       15         4        7         4       1,287        311       559        239
        Printing and related support activities .       10        10        3         3         828        790       246        277
        Petroleum and coal products .............        -         4        -         3           -        294         -        180

        Chemicals ...............................        9        18        8       (2)         540      1,808       562        (2)
        Plastics and rubber products ............       13        31       10       (2)       1,195      3,027       691        (2)
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............       12        22        8         7         763      1,846       621        609
        Primary metals ..........................       30        24        7        13       3,330      2,752       835      1,381
        Fabricated metal products ...............       44        27       12        13       3,856      2,497       925      1,006
        Machinery ...............................       63        26       18        11      12,389      4,463     2,077      1,787
        Computer and electronic products ........       28        18       15         8       1,986      1,492       999        562
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....       23        17        8        10       2,740      1,692     1,303      1,793
        Transportation equipment ................       53       171       32        30       7,331     25,863     4,869      4,166
        Furniture and related products ..........       22        19        6        11       3,481      1,916     1,417        792
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............       11         6        4         8       1,117        359       319        573

    Wholesale trade .............................       32        33       18        16       2,422      2,691     1,324      1,011
    Retail trade ................................      139       142      108        99      13,094     14,907    10,430      9,764
    Transportation and warehousing ..............       47       148       45        31       4,807     17,270     4,356      2,268
    Information .................................       45        55       36        24       4,572      7,341     6,155      2,365
    Finance and insurance .......................       43        47       24        29       3,308      3,391     1,945      2,602
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........      (2)        15        7         4         (2)        883       514        267
    Professional and technical services .........       31        59       43        23       1,998      4,366     4,657      1,504
    Management of companies and enterprises .....        5         5        6       (2)         495        419       490        (2)
    Administrative and waste services ...........      142       292      158       133      11,525     25,234    14,605     10,059
    Educational services ........................        7        30        6        13         371      2,912       902        786
    Health care and social assistance ...........       23        90       36        26       1,573      6,716     2,532      1,660
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       29        31       17        39       2,209      2,559     1,286      2,799
    Accommodation and food services .............       73        89       50        72       4,981      7,184     3,424      5,735
    Other services, except public administration         7        18      (2)        12         409      1,522       (2)        864
    Unclassified ................................      (2)         -        -         1         (2)          -         -         78

Government ......................................       86       292       53        97       6,364     26,730     7,825      8,741
    Federal .....................................        8        25       18        19         603      3,243     1,933      1,898
    State .......................................       28        29       12        22       2,082      2,589       894      1,575
    Local .......................................       50       238       23        56       3,679     20,898     4,998      5,268
                                                                                                                                   
 
   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 2008 to September 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                                                                                                             

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         835,551         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         731,049         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         2,034         406,802         38.7       76.9

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         2,416         468,368         43.7       88.8

             2010                                                                                                             

January ....................    2,860      278,679     2,682     265,074                                                      
February ...................    1,183      102,818     1,091      96,022                                                      
March ......................    1,197      111,727     1,111     105,514                                                      

First Quarter ..............    5,240      493,224     4,884     466,610         1,870         360,208         38.3       77.2

April ......................    1,840      199,690     1,697     184,654                                                      
May ........................    1,354      123,333     1,170     109,203                                                      
June .......................    1,861      171,190     1,355     125,872                                                      

Second Quarter .............    5,055      494,213     4,222     419,729   (2)(p)1,851   (2)(p)273,860      (p)43.8    (p)65.2

July .......................    2,124      206,254     1,732     172,248                                                      
August .....................      976       92,435       897      83,021                                                      
September ..................      920       77,654       806      67,987                                                      

Third Quarter ..............    4,020      376,343     3,435     323,256                                                      


   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 
                                    2009      2010      2010     2010       2009       2010        2010       2010   
                                                                                                                   
        United States (1) ...      1,371     2,124       976      920     123,177    206,254      92,435     77,654
        
Northeast ...................        233       434       183      160      18,617     44,132      16,706     14,411
    New England .............         29        40        34       15       2,762      3,136       3,743      1,357
    Middle Atlantic .........        204       394       149      145      15,855     40,996      12,963     13,054

South .......................        334       512       274      259      28,943     48,848      21,631     21,507
    South Atlantic ..........        182       280       160      153      14,927     26,937      12,404     11,811
    East South Central ......         71       142        55       41       6,844     13,640       4,584      3,633
    West South Central ......         81        90        59       65       7,172      8,271       4,643      6,063

Midwest .....................        309       490       157      155      38,137     56,377      17,140     14,964
    East North Central ......        240       397       124      115      30,304     46,473      13,603     11,280
    West North Central ......         69        93        33       40       7,833      9,904       3,537      3,684

West ........................        495       688       362      346      37,480     56,897      36,958     26,772
    Mountain ................         53        71        31       47       3,924      6,593       2,197      4,461
    Pacific .................        442       617       331      299      33,556     50,304      34,761     22,311
                                                                                                                   
 
   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
                              2009         2010       2010       2010        2009         2010        2010       2010   
                                 
   Total (1) ............    1,371        2,124        976        920      123,177      206,254      92,435     77,654
                                 
Alabama .................       22           57         14         13        2,044        5,642       1,407      1,021
Alaska ..................        7          (2)         10          4          849          (2)         884        492
Arizona .................        7           16          5          6          463        1,710         268        477
Arkansas ................      (2)            8          3          3          (2)          765         275        301
California ..............      395          558        287        264       28,797       44,343      31,007     19,288
Colorado ................       14           16          5         10        1,036        1,552         355        827
Connecticut .............        4           13          8        (2)          323          977         880        (2)
Delaware ................      (2)          (2)        (2)        (2)          (2)          (2)         (2)        (2)
District of Columbia ....        -          (2)        (2)          -            -          (2)         (2)          -
Florida .................       91          137         93         91        5,975       10,581       6,506      6,001
Georgia .................       35           27         30         24        2,817        4,020       2,996      2,438
Hawaii ..................        6            5          5          3          465          471         381        182
Idaho ...................        4            5          7          7          306          480         504      1,011

Illinois ................       71           92         32         35       10,743       10,969       3,707      5,053
Indiana .................       21           38         14         10        2,895        5,905       1,554        846
Iowa ....................       18           25          9          3        2,384        3,463       1,743        362
Kansas ..................       15            5          4          8        2,880          416         366      1,245
Kentucky ................       32           50         18         10        3,394        5,491       1,422      1,454
Louisiana ...............       10           23         16         11          887        2,174       1,010        688
Maine ...................        3            3        (2)        (2)          268          249         (2)        (2)
Maryland ................        7           20          6          6          463        1,844         363        528
Massachusetts ...........       12           16         16          7          985        1,403       1,464        476
Michigan ................       40          107         14         11        6,167       12,383       2,385        758
Minnesota ...............       15           14          4          5        1,122        1,462         307        412
Mississippi .............        5           12         14         12          323        1,094       1,057        741
Missouri ................       16           34         12         19        1,018        3,005         864      1,115

Montana .................        3            4        (2)          4          227          322         (2)        332
Nebraska ................        3           10          4          5          210          835         257        550
Nevada ..................       15           20          7         13        1,201        1,644         484      1,238
New Hampshire ...........      (2)          (2)          6        (2)          (2)          (2)         657        (2)
New Jersey ..............       31          113         31         22        2,844       10,486       2,449      1,665
New Mexico ..............        7            4        (2)          3          487          247         (2)        238
New York ................       58          201         59         52        4,424       23,920       5,547      5,499
North Carolina ..........        8           19          9         13          918        1,264         698      1,372
North Dakota ............      (2)            4          -          -          (2)          666           -          -
Ohio ....................       47           87         27         22        4,745        9,564       2,569      1,638
Oklahoma ................        4            8        (2)        (2)          401          665         (2)        (2)
Oregon ..................       15           32         18         17        1,402        3,582       1,671      1,635
Pennsylvania ............      115           80         59         71        8,587        6,590       4,967      5,890

Rhode Island ............        3            6        (2)        (2)          260          396         (2)        (2)
South Carolina ..........       18           36         11          7        2,831        5,430         792        724
South Dakota ............        -          (2)          -          -            -          (2)           -          -
Tennessee ...............       12           23          9          6        1,083        1,413         698        417
Texas ...................       65           51         38         49        5,715        4,667       3,058      4,814
Utah ....................        3            6        (2)          4          204          638         (2)        338
Vermont .................        5          (2)        (2)        (2)          507          (2)         (2)        (2)
Virginia ................       22           36          8         11        1,868        3,427         747        689
Washington ..............       19           21         11         11        2,043        1,848         818        714
West Virginia ...........        -          (2)          -          -            -          (2)           -          -
Wisconsin ...............       61           73         37         37        5,754        7,652       3,388      2,985
Wyoming .................        -            -        (2)          -            -            -         (2)          -

Puerto Rico .............       17           18         12         16        1,563        2,344         987      1,382

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




Last Modified Date: November 16, 2010