Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0934
http://www.bls.gov/mls/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, August 12, 2009
EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2009
Employers initiated 2,994 mass layoff events in the second quarter
of 2009 that resulted in the separation of 534,881 workers from their
jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures released
by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both
the numbers of extended mass layoff events and associated separations
were record highs for a second quarter (with data available back to
1995). (See table A.)
Second quarter program highs in the number of separations were re-
corded in 7 of 18 major industry sectors, all four geographic regions,
and fourteen states. Separations due to business demand reasons (es-
pecially slack work/insufficient demand) set a second quarter program
high, while separations for financial reasons reached its highest sec-
ond quarter level since 2001. Thirty-eight percent of employers re-
porting an extended layoff in the second quarter of 2009 indicated they
anticipated some type of recall, this was down from 51 percent a year
earlier, and was the lowest proportion of anticipated recalls for a
second quarter in program history (with data available back to 1995).
Second quarter 2009 layoff data are preliminary and are subject to
revision. (See the Technical Note.)
The national unemployment rate averaged 9.1 percent, not seasonally
adjusted, in the second quarter of 2009, up from 5.2 percent a year
earlier. Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted,
decreased by 5 percent (-5,607,000) over the year.
Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs
Manufacturing firms reported 932 extended mass layoff events involv-
ing 166,240 separations in the second quarter of 2009. The number of
events in manufacturing reached a second quarter program high, while
associated worker separations for this industry sector were at its high-
est second quarter level since 1998 (with data available back to 1995).
Manufacturing industries were responsible for 31 percent of private non-
farm extended layoff events and related separations in the second quarter
of 2009. A year earlier, manufacturing made up 22 percent of events and
18 percent of separations. (See table 1.) The largest numbers of sep-
arations within manufacturing were associated with transportation equip-
ment manufacturing (57,136, mostly associated with automobile and light
truck manufacturing) and machinery manufacturing (18,096). Six of the
21 manufacturing industry sub-sectors reached second quarter program
highs in terms of the numbers of separations--printing and related sup-
port activities; plastics and rubber products; nonmetallic mineral pro-
ducts; primary metals; fabricated metal products; and machinery.
__________________________________________________________
| |
| Changes to the Extended Mass Layoffs News Release |
| |
| Effective with this release, changes have been made to |
|the tables and Technical Note. For further information on|
|these changes, see the note on page 6. |
|__________________________________________________________|
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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 (r) ......... 1,756 354,713 339,629
July-September (r) ..... 1,582 290,900 304,316
October-December (r) ... 3,582 641,578 765,019
2009
January-March (r) ...... 3,979 704,618 830,028
April-June (p) ......... 2,994 534,881 506,533
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
In the second quarter of 2009, seven major industry sectors reported
second quarter program highs in terms of the number of worker separa-
tions--mining; construction; wholesale trade; transportation and ware-
housing; real estate and rental and leasing; health care and social
assistance; and accommodation and food services.
Reasons for Extended Layoffs
Among the seven categories of economic reasons for extended mass lay-
offs, business demand factors accounted for 45 percent of the events and
38 percent of separations during the second quarter of 2009, this was up
from 32 percent of events and 23 percent of separations in the same per-
iod a year earlier. (See table 2.) Separations related to business de-
mand factors more than doubled over the year from 79,925 to 202,151, a sec-
ond quarter program high for this reason category. Within the business
demand category, employers citing slack work/insufficient demand/nonsea-
sonal business slowdown had the largest over-the-year increase in separa-
tions (+92,546),largely in transportation equipment manufacturing.
Extended mass layoffs stemming from financial issues sharply increased
from 120 events associated with 27,999 separations in the second quarter
of 2008 to 264 events and 68,017 separations in the second quarter of 2009.
Manufacturing accounted for the largest number of separations due to fi-
nancial issues, mostly in transportation equipment manufacturing.
- 3 -
Table B. Metropolitan areas with the largest number of initial claimants associated
with extended mass layoff events in the second quarter 2009, by residency of claimants
2008 II (r) 2009 II (p)
Metropolitan area Initial Initial
claimants Rank claimants Rank
Total, 372 metropolitan areas ........ 276,640 404,966
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. ..... 27,159 1 31,813 1
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. .... 16,908 3 20,922 2
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island,
N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ............................ 17,680 2 19,891 3
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. ................ 15,282 4 19,193 4
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. ........ 9,852 6 14,031 5
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. ..... 11,868 5 12,492 6
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif. ........ 6,189 8 8,653 7
Peoria, Ill. ................................. 590 90 8,295 8
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-
N.J.-Del.-Md. ............................ 7,198 7 7,903 9
Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. ..................... 2,261 21 7,874 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.
Movement of Work
Ninety-nine extended mass layoffs involved the movement of work and
were associated with 18,242 separated workers in the second quarter of
2009. A year earlier, there were 71 layoff events and 12,317 separations
associated with the movement of work. Movement of work layoffs accounted
for 4 percent of nonseasonal layoff events in the second quarter of 2009.
(See table 9.) Sixty percent of movement of work layoff events involved
the permanent closure of worksites--affecting 11,647 workers--compared to
9 percent of total layoff events.
Sixty-four percent of extended mass layoff events and 56 percent of
the laid-off workers related to the movement of work were from manu-
facturing industries. In comparison, manufacturing accounted for 31 per-
cent of events and separations in the total private nonfarm economy.
(See table 6.) Employers cited an organizational change or a business
demand reason in most extended layoff events involving movement of work.
(See table 7.) Among the regions, the largest proportions of workers
affected by movement of work were in the West (31 percent) and Midwest
(30 percent). (See table 8.)
The 99 extended layoff events with movement of work for the second
quarter of 2009 involved 137 identifiable relocation of work actions,
of which employers were able to provide more complete separations infor-
mation for 86 of the actions. (See table 9.) In these 86 actions, 91
percent involved work moving within the same company, while 79 percent
were domestic reassignments. (See table 10.)
- 4 -
Recall Expectations
Thirty-eight percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the
second quarter of 2009 indicated they anticipated some type of recall,
down from 51 percent a year earlier and the lowest second quarter pro-
portion in program history (with data available back to 1995). (See
table 11.) Of those employers expecting to recall workers, 41 percent
indicated that the offer would be extended to all displaced employees,
and 79 percent of employers anticipated extending the offer to at least
half of the workers, the lowest proportions on record for a second quarter.
Seventy-seven percent of employers expecting to recall laid-off employees
intend to do so within 6 months. Excluding layoff events due to seasonal
work and vacation period, in which 95 percent of the employers expected a
recall, employers anticipated recalling laid-off workers in 22 percent of
the events.
Size of Extended Layoffs
The average size of a layoff (as measured by separations per layoff
event) in the second quarter of 2009 was 179, compared to 202 per layoff
in second quarter 2008. Three of 18 major industry sectors registered aver-
age layoff sizes of 250 or more workers per event in the second quarter--
accommodation and food services (256 workers), utilities (255 workers), and
professional and technical services (253 workers). Among the seven cate-
gories of economic reasons for extended mass layoffs, financial issues re-
corded the largest average size of layoff in the second quarter of 2009, at
258 workers per event. (See table 12.)
Layoff events continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the ex-
tended layoff-size spectrum, with 45 percent of events involving between 50
and 99 workers and 68 percent of events with less than 150 workers. Layoffs
involving between 50 and 99 workers accounted for 18 percent of all separa-
tions during the period, and layoffs with less than 150 separated workers
accounted for 32 percent. These proportions are up from 14 and 28 percent
respectively from a year earlier. Separations involving 500 or more workers
accounted for 31 percent of all separations in the second quarter of 2009,
down from 37 percent a year earlier. (See table 13.)
Initial Claimant Characteristics
A total of 506,533 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were
associated with extended mass layoffs in the second quarter of 2009. Of
these claimants, 15 percent were black, 15 percent were Hispanic, 41 percent
were women, 34 percent were 30 to 44 years of age, and 21 percent were 55
years of age or older. (See table 3.) Among persons in the civilian labor
force for the same period, 11 percent were black, 14 percent were Hispanic,
47 percent were women, 33 percent were age 30 to 44, and 19 percent were 55
years of age or older.
- 5 -
Geographic Distribution
Among the 4 census regions, the West (173,840) and the Midwest (171,053)
recorded the highest numbers of separations due to extended mass layoff
events in the second quarter of 2009. All regions reported second quarter
program highs in terms of the numbers of worker separations (with data avail-
able back to 1995). (See table 4.) Among the 9 census divisions, the high-
est numbers of separations during the second quarter of 2009 were in the
Pacific (141,608) and East North Central (133,588). (See table 4.) Five
divisions reported second quarter program highs in terms of the numbers of
separations--the Middle Atlantic, East South Central, West North Central,
Mountain, and Pacific.
California recorded the largest number of worker separations (116,207),
followed by Ohio (42,578) and Illinois (42,325). (See table 5.) After ex-
cluding the impact of seasonal reasons, California still reported the highest
number of job cuts (104,761). Fourteen states reported second quarter pro-
gram highs in terms of numbers of separations--Alabama, Arkansas, California,
Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North
Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Eighty percent of the initial claimants associated with extended mass lay-
off events in the second quarter of 2009 resided within metropolitan areas,
about the same as a year earlier (81 percent). Among the 372 metropolitan
areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported the highest number
of resident initial claimants (31,813) associated with extended mass layoff
events in the second quarter of 2009. Next were Chicago-Naperville-Joliet,
Ill.-Ind.-Wis., with 20,922 resident claimants, New York-Northern New Jersey-
Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., with 19,891 resident claimants, and Detroit-Warren-
Livonia, Mich., with 19,193 resident claimants. In the second quarter of 2009,
Peoria, Ill., and Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., entered the list of the 10 metro-
politan areas with the most resident initial claimants associated with extended
mass layoffs, replacing Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla., and St. Louis,
Mo.-Ill., which were on the list in the second quarter of 2008. (See table B.)
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 employer
filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a consecutive 5-week
period. Approximately 30 days after a mass layoff is triggered, the employer
is contacted for additional information. Data for the first quarter are pre-
liminary and subject to revision. This release 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 consec-
utive quarters should not be used as an indicator of trend.
For additional information about the program, see the Technical
Note.
_____________________________
The report on Mass Layoffs in July 2009 is scheduled to be released
on Friday, August 21.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Changes to the Extended Mass Layoffs News Release |
| |
| Effective with this release, the following changes have been |
| implemented: |
| |
| -- The original tables B-D were dropped, as this information |
| is replicated within tables 2, 10, and 11, respectively. |
| |
| -- Table E has become the new table 11. This table has been |
| expanded to show the recall expectations of employers dis- |
| aggregated by whether extended layoff events were due to |
| seasonal/vacation factors or nonseasonal factors. |
| |
| -- Table F has become table 13. |
| |
| -- Table G has undergone a conceptual change and has become a |
| new table B. Previously, this table reflected a concept of |
| "worksite location," where the numbers of extended layoff |
| events and associated separated workers were displayed by the |
| metropolitan statistical area where the event occurred. The |
| concept of "worksite location" has been replaced by a "sepa- |
| rated worker residence" concept, where the number of initial |
| claimants associated with extended layoffs will be displayed |
| by the metropolitan statistical area where the separated |
| workers reside. This conceptual change will result in more |
| complete information on layoffs in metropolitan areas. |
| |
| -- The original table 6 has been dropped from the news release |
| as there was often only a small amount of layoff activity in |
| the IT-producing industries. The table will be provided as |
| a supplemental table on the Mass Layoff Statistics Web site |
| at http://www.bls.gov/mls/#tables. The original tables 7-11 |
| have been renumbered as tables 6-10. |
| |
| -- A new table, table 12, has been added to the release display- |
| ing the average size of layoff events by industry and by rea- |
| son for layoff. |
| |
| -- The explanatory language in the body of the news release re- |
| garding movement of work data has been transferred to the |
| Technical Note. |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
- 7 -
Technical Note
The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program
which identifies, describes, and tracks the effects of major job cut-
backs, 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 period 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 sep-
arated and the reasons for these separations. Employers are identi-
fied according to industry classification and location, and unemploy-
ment insurance claimants are identified by such demographic factors
as age, race, gender, ethnic group, and place of residence. The pro-
gram 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 with-
in 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 of
Employment 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 compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemploy-
ment 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 arrangements 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 in-
house by employees 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.
- 8 -
Revisions to preliminary data
The latest quarterly data in this news release are considered
preliminary. After the initial publication of quarterly informa-
tion, more data are collected as remaining employer interviews for
the quarter are completed and additional initial claimant informa-
tion 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 verifies 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 associated 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 second quarter of 2009, outright refusal to
participate in the employer interview accounted for 4.9 percent of all
private nonfarm events. Although included in the total number of
instances involving the movement of work, for the second quarter,
employers in 51 relocations were unable to provide the number of
separations specifically associated with the movement of work, 7 of
which involved out-of-country moves.
Additional information
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.
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
II I II II I II II I II
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................. 1,756 3,979 2,994 354,713 704,618 534,881 339,629 830,028 506,533
Mining ....................................... 3 82 48 627 14,408 7,782 357 15,112 6,547
Utilities .................................... 4 3 3 758 480 765 738 799 764
Construction ................................. 243 526 352 27,477 63,072 39,800 35,492 76,153 42,751
Manufacturing ................................ 382 1,597 932 65,293 276,536 166,240 87,835 376,289 186,241
Food .................................... 61 85 76 11,597 13,924 14,633 9,020 16,214 13,557
Beverage and tobacco products ........... (2) 14 (2) (2) 2,141 (2) (2) 3,020 (2)
Textile mills ........................... (2) 27 12 (2) 3,137 2,050 (2) 6,188 4,040
Textile product mills ................... 6 9 6 728 1,315 659 805 2,356 737
Apparel ................................. 11 24 22 1,589 3,250 3,113 1,544 3,280 2,501
Leather and allied products ............. (2) 5 - (2) 680 - (2) 679 -
Wood products ........................... 37 91 34 5,003 11,039 3,556 5,571 14,604 3,742
Paper ................................... 12 41 27 1,426 5,309 3,103 1,284 6,045 2,927
Printing and related support activities . 12 43 27 1,548 5,580 2,747 1,954 6,232 4,221
Petroleum and coal products ............. 3 6 (2) 378 809 (2) 218 631 (2)
Chemicals ............................... 13 30 20 1,817 4,795 2,304 1,573 4,791 2,449
Plastics and rubber products ............ 20 82 52 3,272 8,913 6,765 3,290 10,226 6,446
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 13 82 38 1,846 8,476 4,594 1,499 11,235 4,088
Primary metals .......................... 8 106 73 728 16,205 13,382 1,360 21,410 13,696
Fabricated metal products ............... 19 159 90 2,178 18,176 11,282 3,294 27,093 10,212
Machinery ............................... 25 157 92 4,356 28,061 18,096 5,998 38,182 28,691
Computer and electronic products ........ 20 147 79 2,783 25,482 11,289 2,712 30,494 10,795
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 9 66 31 1,739 9,001 5,069 1,481 12,588 4,829
Transportation equipment ................ 84 322 197 19,381 95,238 57,136 40,401 142,052 64,665
Furniture and related products .......... 17 63 31 3,366 10,182 3,381 4,024 14,297 5,381
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............. 8 38 20 895 4,823 2,633 1,100 4,672 2,817
Wholesale trade .............................. 32 131 77 5,050 16,945 10,484 4,038 17,749 9,968
Retail trade ................................. 81 382 163 15,044 90,379 31,653 19,704 82,415 32,347
Transportation and warehousing ............... 191 157 233 44,637 28,741 45,612 44,000 28,355 37,320
Information .................................. 50 98 81 9,815 14,688 14,058 10,651 21,254 11,875
Finance and insurance ........................ 89 175 108 31,417 36,478 23,730 20,909 37,299 18,159
Real estate and rental and leasing ........... 8 39 18 723 4,325 3,010 883 4,445 2,303
Professional and technical services .......... 80 154 122 38,374 21,862 30,884 21,451 24,142 21,546
Management of companies and enterprises ...... 6 21 10 658 2,753 1,343 529 2,641 1,260
Administrative and waste services ............ 114 327 278 21,435 85,362 51,409 23,526 91,258 51,442
Educational services ......................... 16 10 24 1,644 1,288 3,059 1,986 1,194 2,314
Health care and social assistance ............ 186 44 187 23,803 6,937 24,923 21,613 7,478 19,813
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .......... 57 45 76 23,768 7,147 16,402 5,830 7,183 8,766
Accommodation and food services .............. 158 158 215 36,853 29,854 55,013 32,980 32,421 45,338
Other services, except public administration . 54 29 67 6,819 3,294 8,714 6,816 3,772 7,779
Unclassified ................................. 2 1 - 518 69 - 291 69 -
1 For the second 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
II I II II I II II I II
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ..... 1,756 3,979 2,994 354,713 704,618 534,881 339,629 830,028 506,533
Business demand ................... 566 2,160 1,342 79,925 334,971 202,151 108,157 457,706 234,409
Contract cancellation ........... 22 87 71 2,854 12,783 10,799 3,245 16,953 11,415
Contract completion ............. 211 327 292 27,716 64,033 44,317 35,666 78,142 44,896
Domestic competition ............ (2) 6 - (2) 822 - (2) 988 -
Excess inventory/saturated
market ........................ (2) 32 25 (2) 4,096 7,263 (2) 6,750 16,851
Import competition .............. 13 6 6 1,831 1,016 1,081 1,800 1,022 908
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown. 311 1,702 948 46,145 252,221 138,691 66,082 353,851 160,339
Organizational changes ............ 122 201 149 37,097 46,365 32,069 33,583 54,161 26,531
Business-ownership change ....... 20 31 26 17,922 9,313 11,211 4,311 6,070 5,863
Reorganization or restructuring
of company .................... 102 170 123 19,175 37,052 20,858 29,272 48,091 20,668
Financial issues .................. 120 428 264 27,999 98,770 68,017 21,355 90,914 48,951
Bankruptcy ...................... 23 87 48 9,011 28,675 31,625 5,246 16,831 16,571
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ........ 55 234 147 10,267 36,859 19,678 8,165 51,811 20,066
Financial difficulty ............ 42 107 69 8,721 33,236 16,714 7,944 22,272 12,314
Production specific ............... 24 17 8 4,716 4,394 1,362 5,766 3,015 1,082
Automation/technological
advances ...................... 3 (2) (2) 264 (2) (2) 545 (2) (2)
Energy related .................. (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Governmental regulations/
intervention .................. 4 3 (2) 1,067 1,043 (2) 436 998 (2)
Labor dispute/contract
negotiations/strike ........... 5 (2) - 1,430 (2) - 1,421 (2) -
Material or supply shortage ..... 5 (2) (2) 624 (2) (2) 614 (2) (2)
Model changeover ................ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Plant or machine repair/
maintenance ................... 3 (2) - 802 (2) - 733 (2) -
Product line discontinued ....... (2) 6 (2) (2) 1,165 (2) (2) 804 (2)
Disaster/safety ................... 6 6 3 852 686 508 989 646 226
Hazardous work environment ...... - (2) - - (2) - - (2) -
Natural disaster (not weather
related) ...................... (2) - - (2) - - (2) - -
Non-natural disaster ............ - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Extreme weather-related event ... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Seasonal .......................... 651 340 671 156,324 56,225 139,231 122,035 61,252 102,623
Seasonal ........................ 364 (2) 363 107,485 (2) 81,541 70,302 (2) 57,685
Vacation period-school related
or otherwise .................. 287 (2) 308 48,839 (2) 57,690 51,733 (2) 44,938
Other/miscellaneous ............... 267 827 557 47,800 163,207 91,543 47,744 162,334 92,711
Other ..................... ..... 18 35 31 3,176 6,207 4,938 3,183 5,332 6,583
Data not provided: refusal ... .. 54 162 147 12,775 38,270 25,175 12,543 38,200 25,077
Data not provided: does not
know..................... ..... 195 630 379 31,849 118,730 61,430 32,018 118,802 61,051
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, first and second quarters, 2009
Total Percent of total
initial Hispanic Persons age 55
Layoff events claimants Black origin Women and over
State
I II I II I II I II I II I II
2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) . 3,979 2,994 830,028 506,533 13.1 14.8 14.7 14.9 33.4 41.4 18.2 20.9
Alabama ........................ 21 34 6,114 9,206 42.2 42.1 1.9 2.4 38.8 38.2 14.1 15.2
Alaska ......................... 8 13 1,523 2,462 2.5 5.0 10.5 11.2 22.4 34.6 23.6 24.9
Arizona ........................ 45 30 7,250 4,745 5.4 4.8 37.4 45.9 36.5 51.1 15.6 17.9
Arkansas ....................... 12 16 3,526 2,647 27.4 38.4 5.3 3.5 38.1 44.0 13.4 21.2
California ..................... 879 729 157,595 105,901 8.0 9.2 35.6 35.4 36.8 42.1 15.6 16.4
Colorado ....................... 36 32 5,102 4,266 5.8 4.6 17.4 18.8 33.5 45.6 18.3 18.6
Connecticut .................... 30 27 4,702 3,404 13.8 14.1 15.1 14.5 47.5 62.6 22.4 28.0
Delaware ....................... 7 10 1,385 1,148 12.1 28.4 1.5 4.8 14.9 50.1 11.9 25.3
District of Columbia ........... (2) 3 (2) 270 37.0 73.0 14.0 5.6 56.8 64.8 5.8 25.2
Florida ........................ 243 124 49,348 23,993 16.5 18.1 27.8 29.5 37.5 45.2 18.7 20.6
Georgia ........................ 59 34 13,015 7,939 43.0 46.6 4.6 5.6 45.0 47.2 16.7 16.4
Hawaii ......................... 12 9 1,181 1,149 3.6 .9 11.9 11.3 28.1 39.7 13.9 15.4
Idaho .......................... 24 7 4,115 659 .3 .2 10.5 3.0 36.7 37.3 18.5 19.6
Illinois ....................... 240 197 47,072 45,907 17.4 14.6 13.5 9.4 33.5 38.3 17.3 21.1
Indiana ........................ 112 85 21,064 13,635 8.0 7.9 2.1 3.0 31.1 32.4 17.6 19.1
Iowa ........................... 37 24 10,985 4,511 2.4 2.5 1.9 1.4 30.4 29.0 16.8 19.5
Kansas ......................... 26 25 8,691 5,596 8.6 8.3 7.9 3.7 32.1 30.6 14.9 20.0
Kentucky ....................... 88 41 19,789 4,829 6.6 3.8 .5 .1 17.6 20.9 14.6 18.2
Louisiana ...................... 29 47 4,626 6,666 36.0 67.1 4.2 2.0 18.6 58.6 21.9 17.3
Maine .......................... 13 9 2,092 1,499 1.1 .8 .3 .3 24.8 37.8 21.4 27.1
Maryland ....................... 40 9 4,938 947 38.0 44.4 3.1 2.3 35.8 41.2 19.5 28.3
Massachusetts .................. 63 29 11,337 4,541 7.9 12.1 .9 1.7 44.0 58.3 20.9 28.7
Michigan ....................... 183 121 78,489 34,858 20.0 19.0 2.7 2.6 29.1 31.4 18.9 19.2
Minnesota ...................... 73 73 11,243 10,149 4.9 4.9 3.6 2.4 26.6 31.9 19.0 21.5
Mississippi .................... 19 13 1,740 1,369 60.1 75.3 .5 .9 39.5 50.7 19.6 22.0
Missouri ....................... 78 74 13,996 10,919 13.3 19.5 .7 .8 37.1 59.8 19.7 29.3
Montana ........................ 9 4 1,300 531 .1 .4 2.6 3.2 13.5 28.1 23.3 17.3
Nebraska ....................... 5 9 844 1,502 1.2 3.8 10.3 7.9 36.8 44.1 26.5 30.8
Nevada ......................... 74 51 14,416 9,164 8.4 9.0 31.6 30.8 38.3 36.1 17.2 19.8
New Hampshire .................. 8 5 1,433 678 .4 1.2 4.0 4.7 41.2 40.4 25.5 27.3
New Jersey ..................... 110 92 18,121 17,191 18.6 18.1 9.7 8.2 45.9 68.0 21.5 34.9
New Mexico ..................... 14 26 3,158 2,387 2.1 1.9 36.8 53.7 18.9 48.7 15.4 21.5
New York ....................... 213 99 39,320 15,291 12.2 13.3 11.2 11.3 40.5 41.5 21.5 21.4
North Carolina ................. 86 46 19,994 9,400 38.5 34.2 7.4 6.2 40.9 40.5 16.8 19.5
North Dakota ................... 9 10 1,010 1,346 1.2 2.9 1.9 1.9 6.4 20.4 9.2 19.3
Ohio ........................... 212 184 56,283 33,596 12.4 12.5 3.2 3.7 28.0 33.4 21.3 24.1
Oklahoma ....................... 31 16 6,768 2,165 7.6 11.6 6.9 7.3 21.2 31.3 15.7 18.0
Oregon ......................... 73 52 18,237 10,930 1.5 1.8 13.2 14.3 29.4 49.0 19.5 23.2
Pennsylvania ................... 244 217 50,375 34,444 4.3 5.6 3.6 3.1 26.1 42.3 24.3 28.0
Rhode Island ................... 11 8 1,090 627 3.3 10.2 14.1 13.2 50.2 74.0 30.6 35.2
South Carolina ................. 50 19 9,183 2,276 43.8 61.2 1.1 1.9 40.0 53.8 7.6 14.2
South Dakota ................... 6 (2) 546 (2) 5.1 1.7 1.8 3.4 25.3 22.4 17.6 8.6
Tennessee ...................... 86 41 13,230 5,706 15.8 27.5 .1 - 39.4 47.0 17.7 24.4
Texas .......................... 140 82 33,513 12,343 16.4 16.4 35.5 45.9 27.9 36.8 13.9 16.3
Utah ........................... 27 14 4,510 2,036 1.8 1.3 15.2 7.5 33.9 36.6 12.1 11.5
Vermont ........................ 10 12 1,906 1,609 .3 .7 .2 .4 30.2 36.0 29.9 19.4
Virginia ....................... 14 47 3,261 8,480 25.2 39.7 2.1 4.3 31.4 47.0 19.3 22.3
Washington ..................... 59 54 13,668 7,484 5.9 6.3 9.1 8.6 37.3 38.4 15.7 17.1
West Virginia .................. 14 17 2,589 2,259 .5 .1 .1 .1 23.3 10.4 16.1 17.8
Wisconsin ...................... 91 71 23,796 11,449 3.2 12.6 4.1 5.4 29.0 44.9 21.6 23.5
Wyoming ........................ (2) (2) (2) (2) 2.2 1.4 8.2 4.6 13.0 20.2 8.2 10.4
Puerto Rico .................... 20 6 4,712 1,381 .1 - 99.4 99.4 54.6 42.7 11.4 13.5
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
II I II II I II II I II
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
United States (1) ..... 1,756 3,979 2,994 354,713 704,618 534,881 339,629 830,028 506,533
Northeast ..................... 317 702 498 62,131 121,167 83,390 64,001 130,376 79,284
New England ............... 73 135 90 15,480 22,121 15,221 12,480 22,560 12,358
Middle Atlantic ........... 244 567 408 46,651 99,046 68,169 51,521 107,816 66,926
South ......................... 358 941 599 63,062 176,631 106,598 60,125 193,262 101,643
South Atlantic ............ 192 515 309 35,724 88,266 54,789 33,506 103,956 56,712
East South Central ........ 73 214 129 10,863 38,118 22,511 11,089 40,873 21,110
West South Central ........ 93 212 161 16,475 50,247 29,298 15,530 48,433 23,821
Midwest ....................... 455 1,072 874 92,768 202,887 171,053 106,019 274,019 173,526
East North Central ........ 355 838 658 75,631 167,882 133,588 90,292 226,704 139,445
West North Central ........ 100 234 216 17,137 35,005 37,465 15,727 47,315 34,081
West .......................... 626 1,264 1,023 136,752 203,933 173,840 109,484 232,371 152,080
Mountain .................. 94 233 166 30,318 39,469 32,232 12,413 40,167 24,154
Pacific ................... 532 1,031 857 106,434 164,464 141,608 97,071 192,204 127,926
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
II I II II I II II I II
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) . 1,756 3,979 2,994 354,713 704,618 534,881 339,629 830,028 506,533
Alabama ........................ 21 21 34 3,200 5,822 9,375 3,703 6,114 9,206
Alaska ......................... 6 8 13 3,707 2,437 3,467 1,207 1,523 2,462
Arizona ........................ 20 45 30 3,484 7,287 5,377 2,741 7,250 4,745
Arkansas ....................... 11 12 16 1,381 3,144 3,444 1,278 3,526 2,647
California ..................... 464 879 729 88,740 134,681 116,207 82,770 157,595 105,901
Colorado ....................... 12 36 32 14,369 5,919 8,514 1,576 5,102 4,266
Connecticut .................... 22 30 27 5,256 4,862 4,638 4,470 4,702 3,404
Delaware ....................... (2) 7 10 (2) 1,548 1,232 (2) 1,385 1,148
District of Columbia ........... 4 (2) 3 566 (2) 270 566 (2) 270
Florida ........................ 113 243 124 21,648 49,572 26,189 20,439 49,348 23,993
Georgia ........................ 14 59 34 1,384 7,180 6,137 1,612 13,015 7,939
Hawaii ......................... 9 12 9 4,333 1,086 1,241 2,522 1,181 1,149
Idaho .......................... 20 24 7 2,219 3,378 1,447 2,135 4,115 659
Illinois ....................... 110 240 197 26,735 43,738 42,325 26,197 47,072 45,907
Indiana ........................ 52 112 85 9,504 14,323 16,121 13,556 21,064 13,635
Iowa ........................... 14 37 24 1,702 4,347 3,011 2,280 10,985 4,511
Kansas ......................... 15 26 25 2,086 5,773 7,335 1,577 8,691 5,596
Kentucky ....................... 20 88 41 2,320 19,234 4,442 2,058 19,789 4,829
Louisiana ...................... 26 29 47 4,022 5,789 7,854 3,300 4,626 6,666
Maine .......................... 5 13 9 1,953 3,630 2,380 788 2,092 1,499
Maryland ....................... 10 40 9 1,445 4,699 981 1,406 4,938 947
Massachusetts .................. 25 63 29 5,123 9,336 5,256 4,320 11,337 4,541
Michigan ....................... 75 183 121 13,357 47,872 21,155 29,235 78,489 34,858
Minnesota ...................... 22 73 73 3,399 10,220 10,102 2,803 11,243 10,149
Mississippi .................... 12 19 13 1,296 1,855 2,341 1,548 1,740 1,369
Missouri ....................... 43 78 74 8,992 12,587 13,459 8,252 13,996 10,919
Montana ........................ 9 9 4 671 1,241 1,275 683 1,300 531
Nebraska ....................... 5 5 9 750 362 2,117 715 844 1,502
Nevada ......................... 15 74 51 3,359 12,772 8,292 2,550 14,416 9,164
New Hampshire .................. 7 8 5 1,172 1,292 427 897 1,433 678
New Jersey ..................... 77 110 92 21,546 18,709 23,302 17,656 18,121 17,191
New Mexico ..................... 8 14 26 853 3,704 3,667 853 3,158 2,387
New York ....................... 70 213 99 14,492 41,333 15,669 12,901 39,320 15,291
North Carolina ................. 10 86 46 4,384 10,804 8,088 2,822 19,994 9,400
North Dakota ................... - 9 10 - 1,010 1,346 - 1,010 1,346
Ohio ........................... 83 212 184 20,134 41,636 42,578 15,110 56,283 33,596
Oklahoma ....................... 5 31 16 1,134 6,192 2,711 786 6,768 2,165
Oregon ......................... 27 73 52 6,541 12,897 10,332 6,775 18,237 10,930
Pennsylvania ................... 97 244 217 10,613 39,004 29,198 20,964 50,375 34,444
Rhode Island ................... 9 11 8 1,239 1,068 911 1,274 1,090 627
South Carolina ................. 16 50 19 3,077 7,152 2,147 3,678 9,183 2,276
South Dakota ................... (2) 6 (2) (2) 706 (2) (2) 546 (2)
Tennessee ...................... 20 86 41 4,047 11,207 6,353 3,780 13,230 5,706
Texas .......................... 51 140 82 9,938 35,122 15,289 10,166 33,513 12,343
Utah ........................... 9 27 14 4,563 4,582 2,725 1,801 4,510 2,036
Vermont ........................ 5 10 12 737 1,933 1,609 731 1,906 1,609
Virginia ....................... 14 14 47 1,997 3,141 6,559 1,861 3,261 8,480
Washington ..................... 26 59 54 3,113 13,363 10,361 3,797 13,668 7,484
West Virginia .................. 7 14 17 894 3,927 3,186 763 2,589 2,259
Wisconsin ...................... 35 91 71 5,901 20,313 11,409 6,194 23,796 11,449
Wyoming ........................ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Puerto Rico .................... 13 20 6 1,310 2,623 597 3,469 4,712 1,381
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
II I II II I II
2008 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................ 71 92 99 12,317 15,501 18,242
Mining ...................................... - 3 (2) - 543 (2)
Utilities ................................... - - - - - -
Construction ................................ (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Manufacturing ............................... 49 65 63 7,699 11,138 10,296
Food ................................... 5 (2) 10 1,025 (2) 2,000
Beverage and tobacco products .......... - - - - - -
Textile mills .......................... - - - - - -
Textile product mills .................. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Apparel ................................ 3 (2) 4 599 (2) 565
Leather and allied products ............ - (2) - - (2) -
Wood products .......................... - 3 - - 577 -
Paper .................................. 3 3 (2) 256 312 (2)
Printing and related support activities (2) (2) 4 (2) (2) 594
Petroleum and coal products ............ - - - - - -
Chemicals .............................. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Plastics and rubber products ........... (2) (2) 5 (2) (2) 623
Nonmetallic mineral products ........... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Primary metals ......................... (2) 4 3 (2) 603 257
Fabricated metal products .............. 3 6 8 338 629 924
Machinery .............................. 4 4 5 541 464 1,138
Computer and electronic products ....... 4 12 10 408 2,930 1,265
Electrical equipment and appliances .... 5 6 - 1,432 987 -
Transportation equipment ............... 9 11 5 1,125 2,036 1,058
Furniture and related products ......... (2) 3 (2) (2) 647 (2)
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............ (2) 3 3 (2) 460 876
Wholesale trade ............................. 4 (2) 6 578 (2) 459
Retail trade ................................ 5 4 5 454 828 2,361
Transportation and warehousing .............. 3 5 3 1,589 761 315
Information ................................. (2) 5 3 (2) 906 464
Finance and insurance ....................... (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 822
Real estate and rental and leasing .......... - - (2) - - (2)
Professional and technical services ......... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Management of companies and enterprises ..... - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Administrative and waste services ........... 5 (2) 6 1,206 (2) 822
Educational services ........................ - - (2) - - (2)
Health care and social assistance ........... - - (2) - - (2)
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... - - - - - -
Accommodation and food services ............. - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Other services, except public administration - (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 II I II II I II
2008 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) .... 71 92 99 12,317 15,501 18,242
Business demand .................. 19 44 33 4,560 6,374 4,927
Contract cancellation .......... - (2) 3 - (2) 555
Contract completion ............ - (2) - - (2) -
Domestic competition ........... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Excess inventory/saturated
market ....................... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Import competition ............. (2) 5 4 (2) 868 651
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown 9 33 26 2,810 4,385 3,721
Organizational changes ........... 34 24 41 5,154 3,564 6,824
Business-ownership change ...... 3 (2) (2) 634 (2) (2)
Reorganization or restructuring
of company ................... 31 (2) (2) 4,520 (2) (2)
Financial issues ................. 12 18 20 1,691 4,514 5,496
Bankruptcy ..................... - - 4 - - 1,254
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ....... (2) (2) 10 (2) (2) 1,586
Financial difficulty ........... (2) (2) 6 (2) (2) 2,656
Production specific .............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Automation/technological
advances ..................... - - (2) - - (2)
Energy related ................. - - - - - -
Governmental regulations/
intervention ................. - - - - - -
Labor dispute/contract
negotiations/strike .......... - - - - - -
Material or supply shortage .... - - - - - -
Model changeover ............... - - - - - -
Plant or machine repair/
maintenance .................. - - - - - -
Product line discontinued ...... (2) (2) (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 .............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Other .......................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Data not provided: refusal ..... (2) - - (2) - -
Data not provided: does not
know ......................... - - (2) - - (2)
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
II I II II I II
2008 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
United States (1) . 71 92 99 12,317 15,501 18,242
Northeast ................. 15 9 14 1,839 1,729 2,340
New England ........... (2) 4 7 (2) 721 1,179
Middle Atlantic ....... (2) 5 7 (2) 1,008 1,161
South ..................... 20 25 31 3,406 4,786 4,738
South Atlantic ........ 12 10 14 1,899 1,667 2,534
East South Central .... 5 9 11 734 1,276 868
West South Central .... 3 6 6 773 1,843 1,336
Midwest ................... 22 40 34 3,569 6,009 5,469
East North Central .... 17 30 23 2,959 4,708 3,892
West North Central .... 5 10 11 610 1,301 1,577
West ...................... 14 18 20 3,503 2,977 5,695
Mountain .............. (2) 3 (2) (2) 669 (2)
Pacific ............... (2) 15 (2) (2) 2,308 (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
II I II II I II
2008 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ......... 1,756 3,979 2,994 354,713 704,618 534,881
Total, excluding seasonal
and vacation events (2) .... 1,105 3,639 2,323 198,389 648,393 395,650
Total, movement of work (3) 71 92 99 12,317 15,501 18,242
Movement of work
actions ............. 100 124 137 (4) (4) (4)
With separations
reported ....... 78 87 86 7,346 9,089 9,790
With separations
unknown ........ 22 37 51 (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
II I II II I II
2008 2009r 2009p 2008 2009r 2009p
With separations reported (2) . 78 87 86 7,346 9,089 9,790
By location
Out-of-country relocations .. 25 25 18 3,159 3,967 2,355
Within company .......... 23 23 17 2,935 3,794 2,265
Different company ....... 2 2 1 224 173 90
Domestic relocations ........ 52 62 68 3,912 5,122 7,435
Within company .......... 47 57 61 3,694 4,776 6,212
Different company ....... 5 5 7 218 346 1,223
Unable to assign place of
relocation ............... 1 - - 275 - -
By company
Within company .............. 70 80 78 6,629 8,570 8,477
Domestic ................ 47 57 61 3,694 4,776 6,212
Out of country .......... 23 23 17 2,935 3,794 2,265
Unable to assign ........ - - - - - -
Different company ........... 8 7 8 717 519 1,313
Domestic ................ 5 5 7 218 346 1,223
Out of country .......... 2 2 1 224 173 90
Unable to assign ........ 1 - - 275 - -
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
II I II II I II II I II
2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p 2008r 2009r 2009p
Anticipate a recall ..... 51.1 25.2 38.3 97.4 87.6 95.1 23.8 19.3 21.9
Timeframe
Within 6 months ......... 84.5 61.5 77.1 90.5 77.9 90.4 70.0 54.6 60.3
Within 3 months ... 59.1 39.2 55.9 60.4 43.6 64.3 55.9 37.3 45.4
Size of recall
At least half ........... 88.3 62.6 78.7 96.1 80.2 94.7 69.6 55.2 58.7
All workers ....... 51.7 19.8 41.2 62.1 30.5 57.7 26.6 15.2 20.4
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
II I II
2008r 2009r 2009p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ..... 202 177 179
Industry
Mining ............................... 209 176 162
Utilities ............................ 190 160 255
Construction ......................... 113 120 113
Manufacturing ........................ 171 173 178
Wholesale trade ...................... 158 129 136
Retail trade ......................... 186 237 194
Transportation and warehousing ....... 234 183 196
Information .......................... 196 150 174
Finance and insurance ................ 353 208 220
Real estate and rental and leasing ... 90 111 167
Professional and
technical services ................. 480 142 253
Management of companies
and enterprises .................... 110 131 134
Administrative and waste services .... 188 261 185
Educational services ................. 103 129 127
Health care and social assistance .... 128 158 133
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .. 417 159 216
Accommodation and food services ...... 233 189 256
Other services, except
public administration .............. 126 114 130
Unclassified establishments .......... 259 69 -
Reason for layoff
Business demand ...................... 141 155 151
Organizational changes ............... 304 231 215
Financial issues ..................... 233 231 258
Production specific .................. 197 258 170
Disaster/Safety ...................... 142 114 169
Seasonal ............................. 240 165 207
Other/miscellaneous .................. 179 197 164
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
p = preliminary.
r = revised.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 13. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff, private nonfarm
sector, second quarter 2009 (p)
Layoff events Separations
Size
Number Percent Number Percent
Total ..................... 2,994 100.0 534,881 100.0
50-99 ................... 1,360 45.4 95,540 17.9
100-149 ................. 671 22.4 78,131 14.6
150-199 ................. 306 10.2 51,010 9.5
200-299 ................. 298 10.0 69,544 13.0
300-499 ................. 200 6.7 72,961 13.6
500-999 ................. 114 3.8 75,286 14.1
1,000 or more ........... 45 1.5 92,409 17.3
p = preliminary.
United States Department of Labor
