For release 3:00 p.m. (EST) Wednesday, February 17, 2010 USDL-10-0171
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * mlsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/mls
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS -- FOURTH QUARTER 2009
ANNUAL TOTALS -- 2009
Employers initiated 2,043 mass layoff events in the fourth quarter of 2009
that resulted in the separation of 321,569 workers from their jobs for at
least 31 days, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics. The number of fourth quarter 2009 events decreased from
last year, following 12 consecutive quarters of over-the-year increases.
A year earlier, the number of events, at 3,582, reached a record high for
any fourth quarter (with data available back to 1995). (See table A.)
Permanent worksite closures accounted for 8 percent of all events and sepa-
rations, the lowest proportion of separations due to closures in program
history. Manufacturing firms reported their lowest percentage of separations
(26 percent) for any fourth quarter on record. The proportion of women who
filed for notice of unemployment during the quarter recorded a program low
29 percent. Fourth quarter 2009 layoff data are preliminary and are subject
to revision. (See the Technical Note.)
The national unemployment rate averaged 9.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted,
in the fourth quarter of 2009, up from 6.6 percent a year earlier. Private
nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, decreased by 4.7 percent
(-5,346,000) over the year.
Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs
Manufacturing firms reported 504 events involving the separation of 83,691
workers and were responsible for 25 percent of private nonfarm extended
layoff events and 26 percent of related separations in the fourth quarter of
2009, the lowest proportion of separations for any fourth quarter. A year
earlier, manufacturing made up 36 percent of events and 37 percent of sepa-
rations. (See table 1.) The largest numbers of separations within the man-
ufacturing sector were associated with transportation equipment (mostly from
automobile manufacturing) and food (mostly related to fruit and vegetable
canning).
Construction firms recorded 659 events and 82,504 separations. Layoffs in
this sector comprised 32 percent of events and 26 percent of separations,
primarily in heavy and civil engineering construction (largely from highway,
street, and bridge construction).
Reasons for Extended Layoffs
Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 37 percent of
the extended mass layoff events and 39 percent of related separations during
the fourth quarter of 2009. This compared to 24 percent of events and 23 per-
cent of separations in the same period a year earlier. (See table 2.) Among
the seven categories of economic reasons for layoff, extended mass layoff
events decreased from a year ago in all categories. The largest decreases
were related to business demand factors (-854) and financial issues (-176).
Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity
Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants
2005
January-March .......... 1,142 186,506 185,486
April-June ............. 1,203 246,099 212,673
July-September ......... 1,136 201,878 190,186
October-December ....... 1,400 250,178 246,188
2006
January-March .......... 963 183,089 193,510
April-June ............. 1,353 295,964 264,927
July-September ......... 929 160,254 161,764
October-December ....... 1,640 296,662 330,954
2007
January-March .......... 1,110 225,600 199,250
April-June ............. 1,421 278,719 259,234
July-September ......... 1,018 160,024 173,077
October-December ....... 1,814 301,592 347,151
2008
January-March .......... 1,340 230,098 259,292
April-June ............. 1,756 354,713 339,630
July-September ......... 1,581 290,453 304,340
October-December ....... 3,582 641,714 766,780
2009
January-March(r) ....... 3,979 705,138 835,420
April-June(r) .......... 3,395 651,318 730,946
July-September(r) ...... 2,035 345,367 402,927
October-December(p) .... 2,043 321,569 292,696
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Movement of Work
In the fourth quarter of 2009, 58 extended mass layoffs involved movement
of work and were associated with 10,477 separated workers. The number of
events decreased 51 percent from the fourth quarter of 2008, and the number
of separations decreased 49 percent. Movement of work layoffs accounted for
5 percent of both nonseasonal layoff events and separations in the fourth
quarter of 2009. (See table 9.)
Nearly 6 out of 10 extended mass layoff events related to movement of work
were from manufacturing industries. In comparison, manufacturing accounted
for more than 2 out of 10 events in the total private nonfarm economy. (See
table 6.) Employers cited financial issues in 34 percent of the extended
mass layoff events involving the movement of work. (See table 7.) The lar-
gest proportions of workers affected by the movement of work among the
regions were in the South and West. (See table 8.) Among the states,
California, Connecticut, and Tennessee reported the highest numbers of
separations associated with movement of work.
The 58 extended layoff events with movement of work for the fourth quarter
of 2009 involved 89 identifiable relocations of work actions. Employers
were able to provide more complete separations information for 50 of the
actions. Of these, 86 percent involved work moving within the same company,
and 66 percent were domestic reassignments. (See table 10.)
Recall Expectations
About half of employers reporting an extended mass layoff event during the
quarter indicated they anticipated some type of recall, up from 43 percent
a year earlier. Excluding extended mass layoff events due to seasonal work
and vacation period, in which 96 percent of the employers expected a recall,
employers anticipated recalling laid-off workers in just 24 percent of the
events. Of those employers expecting to recall workers, 39 percent indi-
cated that the offer would be extended to all displaced employees, and 83
percent of employers anticipated extending the offer to at least half of
the workers. Eighty-one percent of employers expecting to recall laid-off
employees intend to do so within 6 months. (See table 11.)
Size of Extended Layoffs
In the fourth quarter of 2009, the average size of a layoff (as measured
by separations per layoff event) was 157, the smallest fourth quarter
average size in program history. (See table 12.) Extended mass layoffs
involving 500 or more workers accounted for only 4 percent of events but
resulted in 23 percent of all separations. (See table 13.)
Three major industry sectors reported fourth quarter program lows in
terms of the average size of a layoff--mining, manufacturing, and retail
trade. Three categories of economic reasons for layoff--financial issues,
production specific, and seasonal factors--also recorded fourth quarter
program lows.
Table B. Metropolitan areas with the largest number of initial claimants associated with
extended mass layoff events in the fourth quarter 2009, by residency of claimants
2008 IV (r) 2009 IV (p)
Metropolitan area Initial Initial
claimants Rank claimants Rank
Total, 372 metropolitan areas .......... 579,260 225,365
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. ....... 36,283 2 18,751 1
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. ...... 36,027 3 16,967 2
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long
Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ...................... 24,877 4 11,422 3
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. ....... 17,228 5 6,658 4
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. .......... 15,602 6 6,258 5
Pittsburgh, Pa. ................................ 5,147 19 4,569 6
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif. .......... 10,111 8 4,381 7
Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. ....................... 11,421 7 3,918 8
St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. ............................ 8,940 9 3,900 9
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington,
Minn.-Wis. ................................. 7,776 12 3,779 10
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: The geographic boundaries of the metropolitan areas shown in this table are
defined in Office of Management and Budget Bulletin 09-01, November 20, 2008.
Initial Claimant Characteristics
A total of 292,696 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were asso-
ciated with extended mass layoffs in the fourth quarter of 2009. Of these
claimants, 11 percent were black, 18 percent were Hispanic, 29 percent were
women, and 18 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) The
proportion of women who filed for notice of unemployment recorded a program
low. Among persons in the civilian labor force for the same period, 11 per-
cent were black, 15 percent were Hispanic, 47 percent were women, and 19
percent were 55 years of age or older.
Geographic Distribution
Among the four census regions, the Midwest and the West recorded the high-
est numbers of separations due to extended mass layoff events in the fourth
quarter of 2009. Among the nine census divisions, the highest numbers of
separations were in the East North Central and Pacific. All regions and
divisions reported over-the-year decreases in the number of separations.
(See table 4.)
California recorded the largest number of worker separations, followed by
Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. (See table 5.) Over the year,
forty-one states reported decreased numbers of workers laid off, led by
California and Michigan. Four states reported fourth quarter program highs
in terms of numbers of separations--Alaska, Delaware, Vermont, and Wyoming,
while three states reported fourth quarter program lows--Maine, Massachu-
setts, and Wisconsin. After excluding the impact of seasonal reasons,
California still reported the highest number of job cuts (53,425), followed
by Illinois (18,387) and Florida (12,946).
Seventy-seven percent of the initial claimants associated with extended
mass layoff events in the fourth quarter of 2009 resided within metro-
politan areas, nearly the same as a year earlier (76 percent). Among the
372 metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported
the highest number of resident initial claimants in the fourth quarter of
2009. The next highest were Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis.,
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., and Riverside-
San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. Both Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington,
Minn.-Wis., and Pittsburgh, Pa., moved into the top 10 metropolitan areas
in terms of initial claims by residency of claimant in the fourth quarter
of 2009, replacing Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., and Miami-Fort Lauder-
dale-Pompano Beach, Fla., from the previous year. (See table B.)
Table C. Selected measures of mass layoff activity, 1996-2009
Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants
1996 .............. 4,760 948,122 805,810
1997 .............. 4,671 947,843 879,831
1998 .............. 4,859 991,245 1,056,462
1999 .............. 4,556 901,451 796,917
2000 .............. 4,591 915,962 846,267
2001 .............. 7,375 1,524,832 1,457,512
2002 .............. 6,337 1,272,331 1,218,143
2003 .............. 6,181 1,216,886 1,200,811
2004 .............. 5,010 993,909 903,079
2005 .............. 4,881 884,661 834,533
2006 .............. 4,885 935,969 951,155
2007 .............. 5,363 965,935 978,712
2008(r) ........... 8,259 1,516,978 1,670,042
2009(p) ........... 11,452 2,023,392 2,261,989
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Review of 2009
For all of 2009, employers reported 11,452 extended mass layoff actions,
affecting 2,023,392 workers. Both layoff events and separations reached
record highs (with annual data available back to 1996). Compared to 2008,
the number of events increased by 39 percent and the number of separations
increased by 33 percent. (See table C.) The annual average national unem-
ployment rate increased from 5.8 percent in 2008 to 9.3 percent in 2009,
and private nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 5.2 percent, or
5,912,000.
Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs
In the private nonfarm economy, all major industry sectors, except util-
ities and information, reported program highs in terms of events and sepa-
rations in 2009. Manufacturing firms reported the highest number of sepa-
rations, with 652,886, followed by administrative and waste services
(232,817), construction (232,279), and retail trade (166,763). Within
manufacturing, the largest number of separations was associated with
transportation equipment, followed by food and machinery.
Reasons for Extended Layoffs
Among the seven categories of economic reasons for layoff, business demand
factors accounted for 46 percent of the events and 40 percent of sepa-
rations during 2009, both program high proportions. The largest increases
in events were related to business demand factors (+1,896) and financial
issues (+285).
Movement of Work
In 2009, 344 extended mass layoffs involved movement of work and were asso-
ciated with 60,249 separated workers, compared with 332 events and 60,956
separations in 2008. More than 6 out of 10 events related to movement of
work were from manufacturing industries. California and Illinois reported
the highest numbers of separations associated with movement of work. Em-
ployers cited organizational issues in 37 percent of the layoffs involving
the movement of work, the highest among the reason categories.
The 344 extended layoff events with movement of work for 2009 involved 481
identifiable relocations of work actions. Employers were able to provide
more complete separations information for 313 of the actions. Of these,
88 percent involved work moving within the same company, and 73 percent
were domestic reassignments.
Recall Expectations
About 34 percent of employers reporting an extended mass layoff in 2009
indicated they anticipated some type of recall, down from 41 percent a
year earlier and the lowest proportion on record. Excluding events due
to seasonal work and vacation period, employers anticipated recalling
laid-off workers in just 21 percent of the events. Of those employers
expecting to recall workers, 34 percent indicated that the offer would be
extended to all displaced employees, and 72 percent intended to do so
within 6 months; both proportions were program lows.
Size of Extended Layoffs
In 2009, the average size of a layoff (as measured by separations per
layoff event) was 177, registering the smallest annual average size in
program history. Extended mass layoffs involving 500 or more workers
accounted for only 5 percent of events but resulted in 29 percent of all
separations.
Initial Claimant Characteristics
A total of 2,261,989 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were
associated with extended mass layoffs in 2009. Of these claimants, 14
percent were black and 16 percent were Hispanic. The 55 years of age or
older demographic reached an annual program high at 19 percent, while the
proportion of women who filed for notice of unemployment recorded a pro-
gram low 36 percent. Among persons in the civilian labor force for the
same period, 11 percent were black, 15 percent were Hispanic, 47 percent
were women, and 19 percent were 55 years of age or older.
Geographic Distribution
Compared to 2008, all census regions, divisions, and 45 states and the
District of Columbia reported increased numbers of laid-off workers.
Among the states, the largest increases were reported by California
(+115,779), Pennsylvania (+44,960), and New York (+33,790). Twenty-
five states reported program highs in terms of numbers of separations
in 2009.
Among the 372 metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana,
Calif., reported the highest number of resident initial claimants
(164,472) in 2009. The next highest were New York- Northern New Jersey-
Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. (102,851), Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich.
(87,600), and Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. (82,224).
Note
The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs cover layoffs of at least
31-days duration that involve 50 or more individuals from a single em-
ployer filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a consec-
utive 5-week period. Approximately 30 days after a mass layoff is trig-
gered, the employer is contacted for additional information. Data for
the current quarter are preliminary and subject to revision. This re-
lease also includes revised data for previous quarters. Data are not
seasonally adjusted, but survey data suggest that there is a seasonal
pattern to layoffs. Thus, comparisons between consecutive quarters
should not be used as an indicator of trend. For additional information
about the program, see the Technical Note.
__________
The Mass Layoffs in January 2010 news release is scheduled to be released
on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. (EST).
Technical Note
The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program which
identifies, describes, and tracks the effects of major job cutbacks, using
data from each state's unemployment insurance database. Employers which have
at least 50 initial claims filed against them during a consecutive 5-week per-
iod are contacted by the state agency to determine whether these separations
are of at least 31 days duration, and, if so, information is obtained on the
total number of persons separated and the reasons for these separations. Em-
ployers are identified according to industry classification and location, and
unemployment insurance claimants are identified by such demographic factors as
age, race, gender, ethnic group, and place of residence. The program yields
information on an individual's entire spell of unemployment, to the point when
regular unemployment insurance benefits are exhausted.
Definitions
Domestic relocation. A movement of work from an establishment within the
U.S. to a location also inside the U.S., either within the same company or to
a different company altogether (domestic outsourcing).
Employer. A firm covered by state unemployment insurance laws. Information
on employers is obtained from the Quarterly Census ofEmployment and Wages (QCEW)
program, which is administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Extended mass layoff event. A layoff defined by the filing of 50 or more
initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an employer during a
5-week period, with at least 50 workers separated for more than 30 days. Such
layoffs involve both persons subject to recall and those who are terminated.
Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of unemployment to initiate
a request either for a determination of entitlement to and eligibility for com-
pensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or
period of eligibility.
Movement of work. The reassignment of work activities previously performed
at the worksite by the company experiencing the layoff (1) to another worksite
within the company; (2) to another company under formal contractual arrange-
ments at the same worksite; or (3) to another company under formal contractual
arrangements at another worksite either within or outside of the U.S.
Outsourcing. A movement of work that was formerly conducted inhouse by em-
ployees paid directly by a company to a different company under a contractual
arrangement.
Overseas relocation. A movement of work from an establishment within the
U.S. to a location outside of the U.S. (offshoring), either within the same
company or to a different company altogether (offshore outsourcing).
Relocation of work action. A movement-of-work action where the employer
provides information on the new location of work and/or the number of workers
affected by the movement. Events may involve more than one action per employer
if work is moved to more than one location.
Separations. The number of individuals who have become displaced during an
extended mass layoff event as provided by the employer, regardless of whether
they file for unemployment insurance or not.
Worksite closure. The complete closure of an employer or the partial closure
of an employer with multiple locations where entire worksites affected by layoffs
are closed.
Revisions to preliminary data
The latest quarterly data in this news release are considered preliminary.
After the initial publication of quarterly information, more data are collected
as remaining employer interviews for the quarter are completed and additional
initial claimant information associated with extended layoff events is received.
Movement of work concepts and questions
Beginning in 2004, the economic reasons "domestic relocation" and "overseas
relocation" were replaced by the movement of work concept. The movement of work
data are not collected in the same way as the relocation reasons in releases prior
to 2004; therefore, the movement of work data are not comparable to the data for
those discontinued reasons.
Questions on movement of work and location are asked for all layoff events when
the reason for separation is other than "seasonal work" or "vacation period," as
these are unlikely. Movement of work questions are asked after the analyst veri-
fies that a layoff in fact occurred and lasted more than 30 days. If the reason
for layoff is other than seasonal or vacation, the employer was asked the following:
(1) "Did this layoff include your company moving work from this location(s)
to a different geographic location(s) within your company?"
(2) "Did this layoff include your company moving work that was performed in-
house by your employees to a different company, through contractual arrangements?"
A "yes" response to either question is followed by:
"Is the location inside or outside of the U.S.?" and "How many of the layoffs
were a result of this relocation?"
Layoff actions are classified as "domestic relocation" if the
employer responds "yes" to questions 1 and/or 2 and indicates the
location(s) was inside the U.S.; "overseas relocation" indicates that
the location(s) was outside the U.S.
Reliability of the data
The identification of employers and layoff events in the MLS program and asso-
ciated characteristics of claimants is based on administrative data on covered
employers and unemployment insurance claims, and, therefore, is not subject to
issues associated with sampling error. Nonsampling errors such as typographical
errors may occur but are not likely to be significant. While the MLS employers
and layoff events are not subject to sampling error, and all such employers are
asked the interview questions, the employer responses are subject to nonsampling
error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the inability to
obtain information for all respondents, inability or unwillingness of respondents
to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing
of the data. For the fourth quarter of 2009, outright refusal to participate in
the employer interview accounted for 4.0 percent of all private nonfarm events.
Although included in the total number of instances involving the movement of work,
for the fourth quarter, employers in 39 relocations were unable to provide the num-
ber of separations specifically associated with the movement of work, 9 of which
involved out-of-country moves.
Additional information
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired in-
dividuals upon request. Voice phone: (202)691-5200; Federal Relay Service:
(800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
Industry
IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................. 3,582 2,035 2,043 641,714 345,367 321,569 766,780 402,927 292,696
Mining ....................................... 43 25 34 7,013 4,137 4,193 8,138 3,085 3,819
Utilities .................................... 5 5 7 977 628 964 897 900 669
Construction ................................. 915 353 659 114,108 42,299 82,504 138,143 58,938 79,397
Manufacturing ................................ 1,284 585 504 238,950 98,211 83,691 339,518 126,769 83,233
Food .................................... 106 61 86 24,532 15,241 17,415 25,410 15,291 15,612
Beverage and tobacco products ........... (2) 8 6 (2) 1,822 706 (2) 1,798 720
Textile mills ........................... 28 6 8 5,763 476 1,635 12,383 784 3,290
Textile product mills ................... 12 4 - 1,584 841 - 2,103 747 -
Apparel ................................. 14 13 15 2,094 3,471 1,911 2,660 2,369 1,441
Leather and allied products ............. (2) - - (2) - - (2) - -
Wood products ........................... 99 20 30 14,482 1,704 4,002 19,658 2,251 4,134
Paper ................................... 31 15 10 4,393 1,667 1,037 5,543 1,622 873
Printing and related support activities . 14 12 7 2,135 2,001 1,962 3,232 2,031 1,038
Petroleum and coal products ............. 18 3 17 2,508 240 2,326 2,746 223 2,239
Chemicals .............................. 30 15 20 4,849 1,567 2,743 5,477 1,571 1,867
Plastics and rubber products ............ 83 23 14 9,961 2,795 1,559 14,201 4,008 1,377
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 109 21 50 16,133 2,084 6,745 18,810 2,314 6,643
Primary metals .......................... 80 47 32 14,601 6,106 3,826 18,473 7,577 5,167
Fabricated metal products ............... 124 56 35 15,230 6,953 4,752 22,505 8,430 4,424
Machinery ............................... 67 64 40 10,970 10,819 5,201 19,084 21,310 6,887
Computer and electronic products ........ 69 46 33 11,778 7,391 4,112 14,187 7,237 3,798
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 38 26 13 7,720 3,798 1,612 11,498 4,492 1,320
Transportation equipment ................ 288 100 65 78,869 23,942 19,210 125,837 36,623 19,013
Furniture and related products .......... 42 29 12 6,854 3,870 1,446 10,455 4,630 2,181
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............. 19 16 11 2,910 1,423 1,491 3,578 1,461 1,209
Wholesale trade .............................. 90 63 47 11,919 7,229 5,673 13,464 7,690 4,875
Retail trade ................................. 202 96 70 61,492 21,158 10,143 56,231 27,562 9,096
Transportation and warehousing ............... 118 151 75 23,156 26,108 11,957 22,474 26,392 9,070
Information .................................. 73 63 45 10,350 10,372 7,976 11,949 16,280 7,555
Finance and insurance ........................ 113 101 57 22,743 17,552 9,616 23,989 20,597 9,013
Real estate and rental and leasing ........... 27 9 18 3,592 1,019 2,016 4,061 1,600 1,741
Professional and technical services .......... 88 76 60 12,803 16,788 11,257 13,909 15,090 9,184
Management of companies and enterprises ...... 17 11 8 3,138 1,463 893 3,122 1,423 1,560
Administrative and waste services ............ 319 202 224 72,042 43,423 39,346 78,212 49,907 39,960
Educational services ......................... 4 30 6 630 5,018 543 474 4,659 560
Health care and social assistance ............ 39 89 34 6,765 11,845 4,071 5,385 10,011 3,451
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .......... 63 52 60 14,609 13,854 17,421 8,696 8,240 7,805
Accommodation and food services .............. 153 102 116 33,908 20,982 26,440 34,368 21,048 19,746
Other services, except public administration . 28 22 19 3,446 3,281 2,865 3,677 2,736 1,962
Unclassified ................................. 1 - - 73 - - 73 - -
1 For the fourth quarter of 2009, data on layoffs were reported by employers in all states and the District of Columbia.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 2. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
Reason for layoff
IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ..... 3,582 2,035 2,043 641,714 345,367 321,569 766,780 402,927 292,696
Business demand ................... 1,580 941 726 248,222 134,654 105,378 372,717 180,574 112,305
Contract cancellation ........... 57 48 29 11,692 6,530 4,888 13,346 6,809 3,822
Contract completion ............. 313 283 252 45,608 48,226 38,970 63,474 64,145 39,762
Domestic competition ............ 4 4 (2) 470 258 (2) 639 367 (2)
Excess inventory/saturated
market ........................ 18 17 9 4,021 3,399 1,124 4,218 6,762 1,100
Import competition .............. 14 3 (2) 1,855 310 (2) 2,671 387 (2)
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown. 1,174 586 430 184,576 75,931 59,721 288,369 102,104 67,147
Organizational changes ............ 159 114 73 31,012 20,303 13,501 33,740 28,547 8,101
Business-ownership change ....... 31 21 24 8,430 4,082 6,677 5,987 2,896 2,091
Reorganization or restructuring
of company .................... 128 93 49 22,582 16,221 6,824 27,753 25,651 6,010
Financial issues .................. 329 172 153 73,370 26,086 26,167 70,806 39,879 21,808
Bankruptcy ...................... 45 19 18 12,022 3,121 4,724 7,295 4,335 3,986
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ........ 165 99 96 24,679 15,120 14,521 33,147 25,990 12,152
Financial difficulty ............ 119 54 39 36,669 7,845 6,922 30,364 9,554 5,670
Production specific ............... 24 15 14 4,644 4,476 1,693 4,130 3,778 1,332
Automation/technological
advances ...................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Energy related .................. (2) - - (2) - - (2) - -
Governmental regulations/
intervention .................. 7 4 5 1,549 2,637 576 915 1,409 484
Labor dispute/contract
negotiations/strike ........... 5 4 (2) 630 422 (2) 588 796 (2)
Material or supply shortage ..... - - (2) - - (2) - - (2)
Model changeover ................ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Plant or machine repair/
maintenance ................... 5 (2) 3 1,357 (2) 540 1,248 (2) 281
Product line discontinued ....... 3 3 (2) 590 537 (2) 705 551 (2)
Disaster/safety ................... 12 4 5 1,346 1,951 790 1,325 494 673
Hazardous work environment ...... - (2) - - (2) - - (2) -
Natural disaster (not weather
related) ...................... - - - - - - - - -
Non-natural disaster ............ (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Extreme weather-related event ... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Seasonal .......................... 869 286 763 149,773 56,301 124,781 147,899 47,838 100,279
Seasonal ........................ 863 171 754 148,449 39,685 122,529 146,518 32,853 97,548
Vacation period-school related
or otherwise .................. 6 115 9 1,324 16,616 2,252 1,381 14,985 2,731
Other/miscellaneous ............... 609 503 309 133,347 101,596 49,259 136,163 101,817 48,198
Other ........................... 26 31 16 4,243 3,873 2,828 6,844 4,080 2,028
Data not provided: refusal ...... 129 117 82 40,398 31,560 14,286 40,384 31,555 14,280
Data not provided: does not
know .......................... 454 355 211 88,706 66,163 32,145 88,935 66,182 31,890
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 3. State and selected claimant characteristics: Extended mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
private nonfarm sector, third and fourth quarters, 2009
Total Percent of total
initial Hispanic Persons age 55
Layoff events claimants Black origin Women and over
State
III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV
2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) . 2,035 2,043 402,927 292,696 12.9 11.3 19.4 17.9 36.0 28.9 18.3 18.0
Alabama ........................ 11 12 3,607 1,592 42.6 46.0 4.3 1.6 44.6 49.1 15.4 14.4
Alaska ......................... 10 9 3,161 1,656 6.4 4.3 20.9 11.6 28.7 33.3 25.2 21.9
Arizona ........................ 23 18 4,090 1,992 6.4 5.7 34.5 37.7 49.3 36.6 16.0 16.1
Arkansas ....................... 4 10 444 1,574 27.9 32.2 8.1 5.8 50.7 28.1 15.8 17.1
California ..................... 685 392 135,126 58,935 9.2 7.5 35.0 38.9 38.1 37.9 15.3 16.2
Colorado ....................... 21 32 2,897 3,607 3.7 4.1 20.4 29.9 26.7 24.1 18.8 19.0
Connecticut .................... 12 15 1,990 1,484 13.3 13.0 10.5 17.4 42.7 31.5 19.1 24.5
Delaware ....................... (2) 7 (2) 444 23.0 23.0 - 4.7 21.6 23.0 64.9 21.6
District of Columbia ........... - 5 - 471 - 65.0 - 14.4 - 50.3 - 15.5
Florida ........................ 96 87 23,917 13,312 14.6 14.1 27.9 27.4 39.8 37.4 18.5 20.2
Georgia ........................ 23 19 5,292 5,609 49.0 45.9 1.3 6.7 35.5 48.5 15.9 19.0
Hawaii ......................... 7 5 1,031 496 1.0 1.0 13.1 7.3 27.8 19.0 13.5 10.5
Idaho .......................... 7 13 1,304 1,954 .3 .2 15.1 13.4 40.4 28.0 20.7 15.6
Illinois ....................... 106 203 23,468 27,703 17.8 12.4 10.7 19.5 34.6 22.8 16.9 15.2
Indiana ........................ 35 41 6,541 5,276 4.4 5.6 2.2 4.0 30.5 18.3 22.1 15.5
Iowa ........................... 12 10 3,975 1,448 3.6 2.7 .9 5.9 14.5 11.0 23.0 19.5
Kansas ......................... 21 18 2,738 3,082 17.1 10.5 3.2 4.8 37.6 27.3 16.0 18.4
Kentucky ....................... 22 25 2,750 2,512 4.0 2.8 - .1 15.2 9.4 20.8 17.8
Louisiana ...................... 20 27 2,439 3,129 61.3 43.8 3.1 4.5 45.6 20.2 14.4 22.0
Maine .......................... (2) 6 (2) 998 2.1 2.3 - .5 42.9 20.2 21.1 22.1
Maryland ....................... 7 (2) 722 (2) 55.8 26.4 3.3 4.7 51.4 27.0 14.5 35.1
Massachusetts .................. 21 14 3,011 1,285 9.1 7.5 3.6 2.3 45.6 35.6 25.9 20.1
Michigan ....................... 59 78 17,871 9,034 16.6 10.6 3.4 8.4 30.4 24.5 17.0 15.3
Minnesota ...................... 35 93 5,323 10,897 4.3 2.8 2.7 9.4 27.8 16.2 22.6 17.6
Mississippi .................... 7 8 663 547 47.8 49.0 5.1 2.4 25.8 28.7 11.5 16.5
Missouri ....................... 34 57 6,440 5,492 15.0 15.5 .9 1.7 32.5 32.6 23.7 19.9
Montana ........................ (2) 11 (2) 1,158 1.2 .1 2.3 2.9 9.3 18.8 18.6 20.1
Nebraska ....................... 4 7 368 800 - 1.0 4.1 10.1 50.8 25.3 25.0 29.8
Nevada ......................... 37 21 9,812 5,016 8.6 6.8 30.3 34.5 29.8 33.1 17.8 16.6
New Hampshire .................. 4 4 331 439 1.5 .9 1.8 .7 36.0 17.1 19.6 22.6
New Jersey ..................... 66 49 9,567 5,562 23.7 19.2 8.7 10.6 49.4 35.3 22.6 18.4
New Mexico ..................... 10 12 1,017 1,437 3.3 1.6 32.1 55.8 36.4 37.0 16.0 17.1
New York ....................... 154 142 26,172 18,731 17.2 11.8 15.8 12.9 47.8 31.4 25.6 21.4
North Carolina ................. 29 40 6,973 5,302 38.0 42.4 4.3 4.7 46.1 39.6 17.7 14.8
North Dakota ................... 3 9 634 902 .6 1.7 1.3 3.7 22.9 17.7 23.3 22.2
Ohio ........................... 75 96 18,003 16,984 9.6 9.5 2.9 3.7 23.6 21.7 21.1 20.3
Oklahoma ....................... 8 8 616 996 15.9 9.0 4.4 4.1 26.5 26.0 12.8 16.2
Oregon ......................... 26 32 6,126 6,493 1.7 1.3 24.2 22.1 40.0 36.3 18.2 18.9
Pennsylvania ................... 134 128 26,872 24,370 6.2 4.0 2.9 2.3 27.2 18.1 25.2 20.9
Rhode Island ................... 5 4 403 314 2.5 2.2 30.8 15.0 48.4 46.2 31.5 22.0
South Carolina ................. 18 12 2,701 1,323 42.3 51.2 2.5 .8 41.8 45.0 7.7 14.6
South Dakota ................... (2) (2) (2) (2) - - 3.8 3.6 28.8 14.5 13.5 25.5
Tennessee ...................... 21 22 3,373 3,435 36.0 21.4 - - 40.3 27.5 19.9 27.5
Texas .......................... 34 41 6,243 6,364 14.3 15.7 41.5 47.4 22.8 25.1 14.3 14.2
Utah ........................... 8 14 1,780 2,388 1.1 .8 13.0 9.7 36.1 13.2 11.4 15.6
Vermont ........................ 5 8 668 1,254 .3 1.0 .1 .6 33.1 34.9 28.9 23.5
Virginia ....................... 16 30 2,022 4,408 37.9 40.5 1.7 5.0 37.3 42.0 21.7 17.2
Washington ..................... 41 62 8,823 8,144 5.5 5.3 15.5 20.8 38.0 33.2 13.1 17.4
West Virginia .................. 5 5 481 449 - - - .2 21.2 3.1 12.9 16.9
Wisconsin ...................... 48 73 10,429 10,955 7.0 3.9 9.4 7.6 30.0 14.9 18.5 15.6
Wyoming ........................ - 4 - 592 - 1.7 - 7.6 - 36.5 - 22.5
Puerto Rico .................... 16 5 3,286 491 .2 .2 99.4 99.2 56.3 28.3 7.5 11.8
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 4. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
Census region and division
IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
United States (1) ..... 3,582 2,035 2,043 641,714 345,367 321,569 766,780 402,927 292,696
Northeast ..................... 517 403 370 91,113 67,268 52,088 101,637 69,303 54,437
New England ............... 76 49 51 11,454 6,601 7,287 12,400 6,692 5,774
Middle Atlantic ........... 441 354 319 79,659 60,667 44,801 89,237 62,611 48,663
South ......................... 682 322 362 124,275 60,164 54,766 146,158 62,391 51,763
South Atlantic ............ 371 195 209 71,902 37,837 31,801 78,626 42,256 31,614
East South Central ........ 169 61 67 26,768 12,137 10,064 36,003 10,393 8,086
West South Central ........ 142 66 86 25,605 10,190 12,901 31,529 9,742 12,063
Midwest ....................... 1,236 433 686 234,691 69,316 109,033 305,085 95,894 92,628
East North Central ........ 924 323 491 183,967 51,230 78,582 248,346 76,312 69,952
West North Central ........ 312 110 195 50,724 18,086 30,451 56,739 19,582 22,676
West .......................... 1,147 877 625 191,635 148,619 105,682 213,900 175,339 93,868
Mountain .................. 210 108 125 40,530 17,665 20,956 40,591 21,072 18,144
Pacific ................... 937 769 500 151,105 130,954 84,726 173,309 154,267 75,724
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
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 5. State distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
State
IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) . 3,582 2,035 2,043 641,714 345,367 321,569 766,780 402,927 292,696
Alabama ........................ 17 11 12 5,086 2,817 1,799 8,642 3,607 1,592
Alaska ......................... 12 10 9 3,345 4,123 5,326 2,363 3,161 1,656
Arizona ........................ 30 23 18 6,365 4,251 1,925 5,611 4,090 1,992
Arkansas ....................... 20 4 10 3,167 343 1,623 3,169 444 1,574
California ..................... 765 685 392 117,835 116,855 65,152 134,969 135,126 58,935
Colorado ....................... 31 21 32 5,384 3,967 4,494 4,142 2,897 3,607
Connecticut .................... 11 12 15 2,445 1,974 2,602 2,519 1,990 1,484
Delaware ....................... 7 (2) 7 976 (2) 1,346 986 (2) 444
District of Columbia ........... (2) - 5 (2) - 471 (2) - 471
Florida ........................ 180 96 87 42,222 24,697 14,671 37,576 23,917 13,312
Georgia ........................ 59 23 19 8,373 3,438 3,709 16,008 5,292 5,609
Hawaii ......................... 10 7 5 1,233 888 467 1,318 1,031 496
Idaho .......................... 51 7 13 7,791 826 2,404 8,397 1,304 1,954
Illinois ....................... 286 106 203 55,805 17,820 35,879 60,449 23,468 27,703
Indiana ........................ 154 35 41 22,553 4,011 4,227 44,383 6,541 5,276
Iowa ........................... 45 12 10 5,828 1,748 1,125 10,735 3,975 1,448
Kansas ......................... 25 21 18 3,857 2,633 3,366 4,238 2,738 3,082
Kentucky ....................... 65 22 25 9,376 4,874 3,678 12,247 2,750 2,512
Louisiana ...................... 22 20 27 4,586 3,331 4,424 4,429 2,439 3,129
Maine .......................... 7 (2) 6 1,040 (2) 822 1,249 (2) 998
Maryland ....................... 24 7 4 3,280 669 417 3,498 722 296
Massachusetts .................. 43 21 14 6,237 2,815 1,417 6,712 3,011 1,285
Michigan ....................... 212 59 78 47,602 7,328 10,899 77,701 17,871 9,034
Minnesota ...................... 120 35 93 20,893 4,983 14,483 21,625 5,323 10,897
Mississippi .................... 24 7 8 4,343 552 645 4,512 663 547
Missouri ....................... 101 34 57 17,641 7,431 9,306 17,882 6,440 5,492
Montana ........................ 14 (2) 11 1,775 (2) 1,194 2,432 (2) 1,158
Nebraska ....................... 8 4 7 1,015 740 1,085 755 368 800
Nevada ......................... 46 37 21 9,438 6,176 3,845 13,222 9,812 5,016
New Hampshire .................. (2) 4 4 (2) 431 588 (2) 331 439
New Jersey ..................... 89 66 49 16,459 11,672 8,359 16,382 9,567 5,562
New Mexico ..................... 17 10 12 2,729 1,202 1,769 2,805 1,017 1,437
New York ....................... 147 154 142 30,582 28,216 19,033 31,868 26,172 18,731
North Carolina ................. 32 29 40 3,718 3,694 4,039 6,110 6,973 5,302
North Dakota ................... 10 3 9 1,253 476 1,013 1,253 634 902
Ohio ........................... 189 75 96 39,950 12,760 17,115 45,689 18,003 16,984
Oklahoma ....................... 21 8 8 3,846 872 1,554 4,443 616 996
Oregon ......................... 73 26 32 13,668 3,001 5,962 19,492 6,126 6,493
Pennsylvania ................... 205 134 128 32,618 20,779 17,409 40,987 26,872 24,370
Rhode Island ................... 6 5 (2) 612 396 (2) 615 403 (2)
South Carolina ................. 47 18 12 10,129 2,376 1,363 11,661 2,701 1,323
South Dakota ................... 3 (2) (2) 237 (2) (2) 251 (2) (2)
Tennessee ...................... 63 21 22 7,963 3,894 3,942 10,602 3,373 3,435
Texas .......................... 79 34 41 14,006 5,644 5,300 19,488 6,243 6,364
Utah ........................... 18 8 14 3,704 978 1,695 3,714 1,780 2,388
Vermont ........................ 7 5 8 825 628 1,522 1,096 668 1,254
Virginia ....................... 14 16 30 2,104 1,898 5,341 1,712 2,022 4,408
Washington ..................... 77 41 62 15,024 6,087 7,819 15,167 8,823 8,144
West Virginia .................. 7 5 5 915 665 444 890 481 449
Wisconsin ...................... 83 48 73 18,057 9,311 10,462 20,124 10,429 10,955
Wyoming ........................ 3 - 4 3,344 - 3,630 268 - 592
Puerto Rico .................... 12 16 5 1,304 1,529 299 2,020 3,286 491
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 6. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,
selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Layoff events Separations
Industry
IV III IV IV III IV
2008 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................ 118 78 58 20,382 12,906 10,477
Mining ...................................... - (2) - - (2) -
Utilities ................................... - - - - - -
Construction ................................ (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Manufacturing ............................... 80 47 33 15,238 7,376 5,993
Food ................................... 3 4 (2) 425 672 (2)
Beverage and tobacco products .......... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Textile mills .......................... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Textile product mills .................. (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Apparel ................................ (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Leather and allied products ............ - - - - - -
Wood products .......................... (2) - - (2) - -
Paper .................................. 4 (2) (2) 602 (2) (2)
Printing and related support activities (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Petroleum and coal products ............ - (2) - - (2) -
Chemicals ............................. 4 (2) 4 1,125 (2) 760
Plastics and rubber products ........... 4 3 (2) 542 384 (2)
Nonmetallic mineral products ........... (2) - - (2) - -
Primary metals ......................... 3 3 (2) 1,795 555 (2)
Fabricated metal products .............. 6 3 (2) 752 477 (2)
Machinery .............................. 5 4 4 1,118 624 890
Computer and electronic products ....... 10 7 9 1,534 1,099 930
Electrical equipment and appliances .... 7 (2) (2) 836 (2) (2)
Transportation equipment ............... 19 6 6 4,301 1,107 2,046
Furniture and related products ......... 3 (2) (2) 456 (2) (2)
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............ 3 (2) - 509 (2) -
Wholesale trade ............................. 7 5 6 804 572 772
Retail trade ................................ 6 5 (2) 682 944 (2)
Transportation and warehousing .............. 4 4 (2) 686 552 (2)
Information ................................. 4 4 5 871 745 696
Finance and insurance ....................... 8 3 (2) 926 302 (2)
Real estate and rental and leasing .......... - - (2) - - (2)
Professional and technical services ......... (2) 3 (2) (2) 1,152 (2)
Management of companies and enterprises ..... - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Administrative and waste services ........... 4 - 3 545 - 650
Educational services ........................ - - - - - -
Health care and social assistance ........... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Accommodation and food services ............. - (2) - - (2) -
Other services, except public administration (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Unclassified ................................ - - - - - -
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 7. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,
selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Layoff events Separations
Reason for layoff IV III IV IV III IV
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) .... 118 78 58 20,382 12,906 10,477
Business demand .................. 36 21 16 6,080 3,337 2,831
Contract cancellation .......... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Contract completion ............ (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Domestic competition ........... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Excess inventory/saturated
market ....................... - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Import competition ............. 10 (2) (2) 1,504 (2) (2)
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown 22 15 11 4,227 2,583 2,394
Organizational changes ........... 49 40 18 8,966 7,085 2,514
Business-ownership change ..... 9 6 (2) 1,498 1,329 (2)
Reorganization or restructuring
of company .................. 40 34 (2) 7,468 5,756 (2)
Financial issues ................. 29 15 20 4,554 2,107 4,372
Bankruptcy ..................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ....... 25 12 17 3,392 1,559 3,564
Financial difficulty ........... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Production specific .............. 3 (2) (2) 592 (2) (2)
Automation/technological
advances ..................... - - - - - -
Energy related ................. - - - - - -
Governmental regulations/
intervention ................. (2) - - (2) - -
Labor dispute/contract
negotiations/strike .......... - - - - - -
Material or supply shortage .... - - - - - -
Model changeover ............... (2) - - (2) - -
Plant or machine repair/
maintenance .................. - - - - - -
Product line discontinued ...... - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Disaster/safety .................. (2) - - (2) - -
Hazardous work environment ..... - - - - - -
Natural disaster (not weather
related) ..................... - - - - - -
Non-natural disaster ........... - - - - - -
Extreme weather-related event .. (2) - - (2) - -
Other/miscellaneous .............. - - 3 - - 670
Other .......................... - - 3 - - 670
Data not provided: refusal ..... - - - - - -
Data not provided: does not
know ......................... - - - - - -
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 8. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,
selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Layoff events Separations
Census region and division
IV III IV IV III IV
2008 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
United States (1) . 118 78 58 20,382 12,906 10,477
Northeast ................. 13 10 12 1,828 1,424 2,020
New England ........... 4 4 6 686 719 1,280
Middle Atlantic ....... 9 6 6 1,142 705 740
South ..................... 29 19 21 4,917 2,622 4,022
South Atlantic ........ 9 (2) 12 1,220 (2) 1,960
East South Central .... 12 9 6 1,650 1,039 1,362
West South Central .... 8 (2) 3 2,047 (2) 700
Midwest ................... 48 22 13 9,534 3,578 1,758
East North Central .... 33 15 (2) 6,652 2,260 (2)
West North Central .... 15 7 (2) 2,882 1,318 (2)
West ...................... 28 27 12 4,103 5,282 2,677
Mountain .............. (2) 5 (2) (2) 1,832 (2)
Pacific ............... (2) 22 (2) (2) 3,450 (2)
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
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 9. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Layoff events Separations
Action
IV III IV IV III IV
2008 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ......... 3,582 2,035 2,043 641,714 345,367 321,569
Total, excluding seasonal
and vacation events (2) .... 2,713 1,749 1,280 491,941 289,066 196,788
Total, movement of work (3) 118 78 58 20,382 12,906 10,477
Movement of work
actions ............. 161 110 89 (4) (4) (4)
With separations
reported ....... 122 74 50 11,919 7,140 4,198
With separations
unknown ........ 39 36 39 (4) (4) (4)
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
2 The questions on movement of work were not asked of employers when the reason for layoff was either seasonal work
or vacation period.
3 Movement of work can involve more than one action.
4 Data are not available.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Table 10. Movement of work actions by type of separation where number of separations is known by employers,
selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Actions (1) Separations
Activities
IV III IV IV III IV
2008 2009r 2009p 2008 2009r 2009p
With separations reported (2) . 122 74 50 11,919 7,140 4,198
By location
Out-of-country relocations .. 36 19 15 4,059 2,006 1,807
Within company .......... 31 16 12 3,720 1,786 1,542
Different company ....... 5 3 3 339 220 265
Domestic relocations ........ 86 55 33 7,860 5,134 2,096
Within company .......... 79 43 29 7,363 3,694 1,734
Different company ....... 7 12 4 497 1,440 362
Unable to assign place of
relocation ............... - - 2 - - 295
By company
Within company .............. 110 59 43 11,083 5,480 3,571
Domestic ................ 79 43 29 7,363 3,694 1,734
Out of country .......... 31 16 12 3,720 1,786 1,542
Unable to assign ........ - - 2 - - 295
Different company ........... 12 15 7 836 1,660 627
Domestic ................ 7 12 4 497 1,440 362
Out of country .......... 5 3 3 339 220 265
Unable to assign ........ - - - - - -
1 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement of work were reported are
shown.
2 See footnote 1, table 1.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Note: Dash represents zero.
Table 11. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended mass layoffs, private nonfarm sector,
selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Percent of total layoff events (1) Percent of layoff events Percent of layoff events,
due to seasonal work excluding those due to
Nature of recall and vacation period seasonal and vacation period
IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Anticipate a recall ..... 42.8 31.1 50.7 96.0 93.7 96.1 25.7 20.9 23.7
Timeframe
Within 6 months ......... 77.3 64.8 80.5 88.2 89.2 89.8 64.3 46.8 58.1
Within 3 months ... 33.9 48.2 32.8 24.7 65.3 29.2 45.0 35.6 41.6
Size of recall
At least half ........... 77.5 63.3 83.3 89.3 91.4 91.8 63.5 42.7 62.7
All workers ....... 35.4 31.9 38.6 45.1 58.6 46.2 23.8 12.3 20.1
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Table 12. Average number of separations in extended mass layoff events by selected
measures, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009
Average number of separations
Measure
IV III IV
2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ..... 179 170 157
Industry
Mining ............................... 163 165 123
Utilities ............................ 195 126 138
Construction ......................... 125 120 125
Manufacturing ........................ 186 168 166
Wholesale trade ...................... 132 115 121
Retail trade ......................... 304 220 145
Transportation and warehousing ....... 196 173 159
Information .......................... 142 165 177
Finance and insurance ................ 201 174 169
Real estate and rental and leasing ... 133 113 112
Professional and
technical services ................. 145 221 188
Management of companies
and enterprises .................... 185 133 112
Administrative and waste services .... 226 215 176
Educational services ................. 158 167 91
Health care and social assistance .... 173 133 120
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .. 232 266 290
Accommodation and food services ...... 222 206 228
Other services, except
public administration .............. 123 149 151
Unclassified establishments .......... 73 - -
Reason for layoff
Business demand ...................... 157 143 145
Organizational changes ............... 195 178 185
Financial issues ..................... 223 152 171
Production specific .................. 194 298 121
Disaster/Safety ...................... 112 488 158
Seasonal ............................. 172 197 164
Other/miscellaneous .................. 219 202 159
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 13. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff, private nonfarm sector,
fourth quarter 2009 (p)
Layoff events Separations
Size
Number Percent Number Percent
Total ..................... 2,043 100.0 321,569 100.0
50-99 ................... 939 46.0 66,198 20.6
100-149 ................. 485 23.7 56,286 17.5
150-199 ................. 231 11.3 38,605 12.0
200-299 ................. 200 9.8 45,861 14.3
300-499 ................. 113 5.5 41,204 12.8
500-999 ................. 47 2.3 30,499 9.5
1,000 or more ........... 28 1.4 42,916 13.3
p = preliminary.
United States Department of Labor
