Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 08-1717
http://www.bls.gov/mls/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, November 21, 2008
MASS LAYOFFS IN OCTOBER 2008
In October, employers took 2,140 mass layoff actions, seasonally
adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance
benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50
persons from a single employer; the number of workers involved totaled
232,468, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff
events this October decreased by 129 from the prior month, and the
number of associated initial claims fell by 3,213. Both layoff events
and initial claims reached their highest October levels since 2001, a
month that experienced continued layoff activity from the September 11
attacks. In October, 635 mass layoff events were reported in the
manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 87,403 initial
claims. Over the month, mass layoff events in manufacturing increased
by 32 and initial claims increased by 5,989; the third consecutive
over-the-month increase for both. (See table 1.)
From January through October 2008, the total number of events (sea-
sonally adjusted), at 16,951, and initial claims (seasonally adjusted),
at 1,742,914, were the highest for the January-October period since 2002.
The national unemployment rate was 6.5 percent in October, seasonally
adjusted, up significantly from 6.1 percent the prior month and up from
4.8 percent a year earlier. In October, total nonfarm payroll employment
decreased by 240,000 over the month and by 1,078,000 from a year earlier.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in October was 2,125 on a not
seasonally adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was
221,784. (See table 2.) Average weekly layoff events rose from 271
in October 2007 to 425 in October 2008, while average weekly initial
claimants increased from 27,114 to 44,357. In 2008, both average
weekly events and initial claimants reached their highest October
levels since 2001. In 2008, two major sectors reported program highs
in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month of October--
the construction sector and the arts, entertainment, and recreation sec-
tor (with data available back to 1995).
The manufacturing sector accounted for 32 percent of all mass
layoff events and 45 percent of initial claims filed in October 2008;
a year earlier, manufacturing made up 31 percent of events and 47
percent of initial claims. This October, the number of manufacturing
claimants was greatest in transportation equipment manufacturing
(36,110), followed by food manufacturing (11,144). (See table 3.)
Administrative and waste services accounted for 16 percent of mass
layoff events and 14 percent of associated initial claims during the
month.
The six-digit NAICS industry with the largest number of initial
claims was temporary help services (16,381), followed by automobile
manufacturing (10,508). Among the 10 industries with the highest
levels of initial claims, 3 of the 10--automobile manufacturing, travel
trailer and camper manufacturing, and professional employer organiza-
tions--reached program highs in 2008 for the month of October (with
data available back to 1995). (See table A.)
- 2 -
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in
October 2008
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Initial | October peak
Industry | claims |---------------------
| | |
| | Year |Initial claims
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
Temporary help services .......................| 16,381 | 1998 | 18,760
Automobile manufacturing ......................| 10,508 | 2008 | 10,508
Professional employer organizations ...........| 7,242 | 2008 | 7,242
Motion picture and video production ...........| 6,052 | 1997 | 7,692
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing .| 6,047 | 2001 | 8,763
Farm labor contractors and crew leaders .......| 4,123 | 1998 | 9,617
Heavy duty truck manufacturing ................| 3,983 | 2006 | 7,017
Discount department stores ....................| 3,135 | 2002 | 4,959
Fruit and vegetable canning ...................| 2,836 | 2002 | 4,500
Travel trailer and camper manufacturing .......| 2,826 | 2008 | 2,826
| | |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Of the 4 census regions, the Midwest had the highest number of
initial claims in October due to mass layoffs (75,210), followed by
the West (69,542) and the South (53,087). (See table 5.) Average
weekly initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year in
all 4 regions with the West (+5,341) and the Midwest (+5,329) experi-
encing the largest increases.
Of the 9 divisions, the Pacific (60,351) and the East North Central
(60,196) had the highest numbers of initial claims in October due to
mass layoffs. (See table 5.) All 9 of the divisions experienced over-
the-year increases in average weekly initial claims, led by the Pacific
(+4,229) and the East North Central (+3,829). In 2008, the East South
Central and Mountain divisions reached program highs in average weekly
initial claims for the month of October.
California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due
to mass layoff events in October with 51,286. The next highest states
reporting mass layoff initial claims were Ohio (17,764) and Michigan
(16,851). (See table 6.) Twelve states reached program highs in
average weekly initial claims in 2008 for the month of October--Alabama,
Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada,
Ohio, Utah, and Wyoming. Forty-four states registered over-the-year
increases in average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs,
led by California (+3,256), Michigan (+2,073), and Florida (+1,319).
______________________________
The report on Mass Layoffs in November 2008 is scheduled to be
released on Friday, December 19.
- 3 -
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, November 2004 to
October 2008, seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2004
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
April ...................... 1,308 133,914 1,186 124,053 483 60,552
May ........................ 1,626 171,387 1,496 161,912 528 72,058
June ....................... 1,643 165,697 1,491 153,568 541 76,514
July ....................... 1,512 151,171 1,368 140,116 443 57,470
August ..................... 1,772 173,955 1,622 163,800 599 72,244
September .................. 2,269 235,681 2,092 221,538 603 81,414
October .................... 2,140 232,468 1,976 218,131 635 87,403
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, November 2004 to
October 2008, not seasonally adjusted
Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing
Date
Initial Initial Initial
Events claimants Events claimants Events claimants
2004
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
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
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
Initial claimants for
Mass layoff events unemployment insurance
Industry
October August September October October August September October
2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008
Seasonally adjusted
Total ..................................... 1,347 1,772 2,269 2,140 136,124 173,955 235,681 232,468
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 1,224 1,622 2,092 1,976 127,163 163,800 221,538 218,131
Manufacturing ............................... 430 599 603 635 57,695 72,244 81,414 87,403
Not seasonally adjusted
Total (1) ................................. 1,083 1,427 1,292 2,125 108,455 139,999 129,586 221,784
Total, private .................................. 1,033 1,373 1,227 2,034 103,897 134,871 124,096 213,602
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting .. 104 30 25 117 6,181 1,725 1,591 8,049
Total, private nonfarm ........................ 929 1,343 1,202 1,917 97,716 133,146 122,505 205,553
Mining ...................................... (2) 3 6 6 (2) 207 728 449
Utilities ................................... - (2) (2) (2) - (2) (2) (2)
Construction ................................ 114 142 144 206 7,126 9,717 10,763 14,864
Manufacturing ............................... 338 414 361 689 50,918 51,912 46,391 100,457
Food .................................... 50 40 33 75 5,264 3,510 3,068 11,144
Beverage and tobacco products ........... 8 8 7 7 603 630 648 488
Textile mills ........................... 8 10 13 20 732 1,013 1,422 2,925
Textile product mills (3) ............... 4 4 3 10 232 487 347 792
Apparel (3) ............................. 6 10 7 9 408 981 688 914
Leather and allied products ............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Wood products ........................... 31 35 32 68 3,582 2,980 2,901 6,932
Paper ................................... 10 3 8 17 708 516 603 1,392
Printing and related support activities . 7 10 5 10 434 938 341 1,042
Petroleum and coal products ............. (2) (2) - (2) (2) (2) - (2)
Chemicals ............................... 6 5 8 13 907 268 527 1,394
Plastics and rubber products (3) ........ 11 30 16 47 1,133 3,625 1,224 4,903
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 8 8 12 21 440 1,161 861 1,755
Primary metals .......................... 16 19 13 48 1,579 1,709 1,582 6,038
Fabricated metal products ............... 18 25 35 47 1,367 2,179 2,357 4,632
Machinery (3) ........................... 18 30 28 43 5,459 4,887 4,058 7,897
Computer and electronic products ........ 10 26 15 36 674 2,446 1,556 3,705
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 12 11 22 21 1,516 1,485 3,453 3,873
Transportation equipment (3) ............ 88 112 87 149 23,399 19,787 19,278 36,110
Furniture and related products (3) ...... 18 20 13 32 1,504 2,566 1,153 2,902
Miscellaneous manufacturing (3) ......... 5 5 (2) 13 538 520 (2) 1,210
Wholesale trade ............................. 13 27 20 38 1,571 1,765 1,642 2,573
Retail trade ................................ 66 142 112 161 5,881 12,674 10,345 15,328
Transportation and warehousing .............. 31 100 54 75 3,153 9,077 4,383 6,007
Information ................................. 33 48 45 49 3,645 6,640 6,021 7,820
Finance and insurance (3) ................... 60 45 38 63 4,640 3,192 3,104 5,025
Real estate and rental and leasing (3) ...... 8 13 7 15 616 742 396 1,014
Professional and technical services (3) ..... 26 45 35 46 1,968 4,458 5,623 3,022
Management of companies and enterprises ..... 5 (2) (2) 4 382 (2) (2) 337
Administrative and waste services (3) ....... 140 214 181 334 10,778 19,682 18,557 30,945
Educational services ........................ (2) 9 5 5 (2) 1,462 346 292
Health care and social assistance ........... 20 35 54 39 1,708 2,584 4,021 2,823
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... 21 18 30 42 1,521 1,320 2,043 3,106
Accommodation and food services ............. 47 74 99 125 3,346 6,221 7,552 10,278
Other services, except public administration 3 9 6 16 175 1,185 297 962
Unclassified ................................ 1 - 2 (2) 74 - 73 (2)
Government ...................................... 50 54 65 91 4,558 5,128 5,490 8,182
Federal ..................................... 16 8 9 19 1,412 800 764 1,746
State ....................................... 16 13 12 30 1,431 1,464 922 2,985
Local ....................................... 18 33 44 42 1,715 2,864 3,804 3,451
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, October 2006 to October 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
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 1,640 330,954 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 1,110 199,250 35.4 61.3
April ...................... 1,219 127,444 1,115 118,040
May ........................ 923 85,816 856 81,153
June ....................... 1,599 172,810 1,318 148,669
Second Quarter ............. 3,741 386,070 3,289 347,862 1,421 259,234 43.2 74.5
July ....................... 1,599 175,419 1,450 164,939
August ..................... 963 93,458 908 88,345
September .................. 717 67,385 667 64,026
Third Quarter .............. 3,279 336,262 3,025 317,310 1,018 173,077 33.7 54.5
October .................... 1,083 108,455 929 97,716
November ................... 1,799 198,220 1,593 181,184
December ................... 2,167 224,214 2,071 216,898
Fourth Quarter ............. 5,049 530,889 4,593 495,798 1,814 (r)347,149 39.5 70.0
2008
January .................... 1,647 154,503 1,520 144,191
February ................... 1,269 119,508 1,178 113,587
March ...................... 1,089 114,541 1,039 110,147
First Quarter .............. 4,005 388,552 3,737 367,925 1,340 (r)258,767 35.9 (r)70.3
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 (r)1,756 (r)335,854 (r)44.7 (r)81.3
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 (2)(p)1,330 (2)(p)181,386 (p)31.4 (p)41.1
October .................... 2,125 221,784 1,917 205,553
1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The
initial claimant realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants associated with
layoffs lasting more than 30 days.
2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more data on these layoffs become available.
Experience suggests that the number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards by less than 10 percent and
the number of initial claimants associated with such events increases by 25-40 percent.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,
not seasonally adjusted
Initial claimants for
Mass layoff events unemployment insurance
Census region and division
October August September October October August September October
2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008
United States (1) ... 1,083 1,427 1,292 2,125 108,455 139,999 129,586 221,784
Northeast ................... 141 226 142 270 12,152 22,736 11,646 23,945
New England ............. 9 24 15 25 614 2,304 1,180 2,522
Middle Atlantic ......... 132 202 127 245 11,538 20,432 10,466 21,423
South ....................... 230 362 475 538 23,180 38,188 43,772 53,087
South Atlantic .......... 131 212 153 295 11,952 20,313 12,291 25,535
East South Central ...... 51 90 54 111 6,791 11,179 4,788 15,162
West South Central ...... 48 60 268 132 4,437 6,696 26,693 12,390
Midwest ..................... 261 307 225 511 38,853 33,238 26,646 75,210
East North Central ...... 215 254 189 406 32,840 26,689 23,087 60,196
West North Central ...... 46 53 36 105 6,013 6,549 3,559 15,014
West ........................ 451 532 450 806 34,270 45,837 47,522 69,542
Mountain ................ 38 50 43 98 2,905 4,688 3,675 9,191
Pacific ................. 413 482 407 708 31,365 41,149 43,847 60,351
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
October August September October October August September October
2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008
Total (1) ............ 1,083 1,427 1,292 2,125 108,455 139,999 129,586 221,784
Alabama ................. 10 24 12 26 1,037 3,288 1,090 3,865
Alaska .................. - - 3 13 - - 241 1,631
Arizona ................. 7 7 8 13 610 488 586 979
Arkansas ................ 10 8 3 18 1,486 613 359 1,877
California .............. 380 439 358 621 28,004 36,120 34,584 51,286
Colorado ................ 4 3 3 11 322 258 196 1,143
Connecticut ............. (2) 4 6 4 (2) 368 402 540
Delaware ................ (2) 3 (2) (2) (2) 694 (2) (2)
District of Columbia .... - (2) - - - (2) - -
Florida ................. 79 126 96 176 5,082 9,849 5,988 12,946
Georgia ................. 21 32 20 61 2,835 2,938 1,885 6,825
Hawaii .................. (2) 4 9 9 (2) 408 919 910
Idaho ................... 3 10 4 22 192 1,120 324 2,682
Illinois ................ 39 55 43 64 7,710 6,164 4,941 7,842
Indiana ................. 29 40 34 63 5,129 4,359 4,314 7,961
Iowa .................... 15 18 10 23 1,662 3,727 1,455 3,818
Kansas .................. 3 4 6 18 347 291 478 2,543
Kentucky ................ 28 34 24 46 3,449 5,487 2,351 8,327
Louisiana ............... 7 10 163 22 453 851 14,929 1,662
Maine ................... - 3 (2) (2) - 217 (2) (2)
Maryland ................ 7 8 5 11 702 762 349 885
Massachusetts ........... 4 6 4 11 234 495 310 980
Michigan ................ 51 48 40 81 5,187 3,669 4,130 16,851
Minnesota ............... 9 5 4 23 745 334 430 1,880
Mississippi ............. (2) 15 6 17 (2) 908 463 1,513
Missouri ................ 18 21 16 35 3,165 1,490 1,196 5,877
Montana ................. 5 (2) (2) 5 430 (2) (2) 573
Nebraska ................ (2) 3 - 5 (2) 271 - 819
Nevada .................. 14 23 18 29 1,027 1,912 1,604 2,421
New Hampshire ........... - 3 (2) 3 - 170 (2) 310
New Jersey .............. 16 38 17 45 1,327 3,151 1,663 3,670
New Mexico .............. (2) 5 4 5 (2) 728 440 396
New York ................ 28 94 36 54 3,202 10,760 2,905 4,725
North Carolina .......... 3 25 9 18 212 3,123 793 1,838
North Dakota ............ - (2) - (2) - (2) - (2)
Ohio .................... 53 62 32 118 10,896 7,994 5,912 17,764
Oklahoma ................ (2) (2) 5 6 (2) (2) 789 1,137
Oregon .................. 17 28 21 36 2,106 3,741 2,942 3,883
Pennsylvania ............ 88 70 74 146 7,009 6,521 5,898 13,028
Rhode Island ............ 3 5 (2) 3 249 390 (2) 325
South Carolina .......... 13 12 16 23 2,504 2,232 1,793 2,268
South Dakota ............ - - - - - - - -
Tennessee ............... 11 17 12 22 2,122 1,496 884 1,457
Texas ................... 30 40 97 86 2,414 5,124 10,616 7,714
Utah .................... (2) (2) 3 9 (2) (2) 243 721
Vermont ................. (2) 3 (2) (2) (2) 664 (2) (2)
Virginia ................ 6 4 4 4 465 361 546 655
Washington .............. 14 11 16 29 1,058 880 5,161 2,641
West Virginia ........... (2) (2) (2) - (2) (2) (2) -
Wisconsin ............... 43 49 40 80 3,918 4,503 3,790 9,778
Wyoming ................. (2) - (2) 4 (2) - (2) 276
Puerto Rico ............. 11 18 18 13 894 1,958 1,715 1,117
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
