Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 03-311 http://www.bls.gov/mls/ For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT Media contact: 691-5902 Wednesday, June 18, 2003 EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2003 In the first quarter of 2003, 1,508 mass layoff actions were taken by employers that resulted in the separation of 272,133 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 to- tal number of layoff events and the number of separations were lower than in January-March 2002 and were the lowest for the first quarter since 2000. (See table A.) The decline from first quarter 2002 was most notable in ad- ministrative and support services, general merchandise stores, and computer and electronic products manufacturing. The completion of seasonal work accounted for 26 percent of all events and 76,203 separations during the period. Layoffs due to internal company restructuring accounted for 23 percent of events and resulted in 77,977 se- parations, both lower than a year earlier. Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 14 percent of all events and affected 50,894 workers. A year earlier, such closures occurred in 20 percent of all events and affected 92,795 workers. Forty-one percent of the employers with layoffs in the first quarter indicated that they anticipated some type of recall, higher than a year ago (35 percent). Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs Extended mass layoff separations occurred in 468 of the 1,197 detailed in- dustries for which data are available. Manufacturing industries accounted for 36 percent of private-sector layoff events and 32 percent of separations during January-March 2003. The 84,296 worker separations were the lowest for a first quarter since 1998. Separations in this sector were concentrated in computer and electronic products (15,634, mostly in semiconductors and related devices), followed by transportation equipment (11,262, mainly in automobiles and aircraft) and food manufacturing (11,245, largely in the highly seasonal fruit and vegetable canning industry). (See table 1.) The level and propor- tion of first-quarter layoff events and separations in manufacturing have de- clined substantially since the 2001 peak for the January-March period. Retail trade accounted for 9 percent of private-sector layoff events and 14 percent of separations, with the layoff activity concentrated in general merchandise stores. Layoffs in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting comprised 9 percent of events and 12 percent of separations, mostly among farm labor contractors. Layoffs in construction accounted for 14 percent of events and 10 percent of separations, mainly among specialty trade contractors. The administrative and waste services sector accounted for an additional 10 percent of events and 9 percent of separations during the quarter, primarily from temporary help services. - 2 - Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Period | Layoff events| Separations | Initial claimants -------------------------|--------------|--------------|------------------- 1999 | | | January-March............| 1,509 | 277,780 | 252,122 April-June...............| 1,444 | 294,968 | 242,464 July-September...........| 1,097 | 241,725 | 189,973 October-December.........| 1,625 | 334,794 | 287,685 2000 | | | January-March............| 1,330 | 254,646 | 221,368 April-June...............| 1,271 | 258,608 | 231,471 July-September...........| 1,014 | 230,103 | 189,250 October-December.........| 2,005 | 427,070 | 376,611 2001 | | | January-March............| 1,765 | 342,954 | 340,210 April-June...............| 2,072 | 481,886 | 401,270 July-September...........| 1,815 | 384,403 | 370,942 October-December(r)......| 2,698 | 542,284 | 502,724 2002 | | | January-March(r).........| 1,747 | 333,097 | 315,781 April-June(r)............| 1,905 | 432,914 | 352,807 July-September(r)........| 1,382 | 310,347 | 278,483 October-December(r)......| 2,259 | 468,982 | 421,669 2003 | | | January-March(p).........| 1,508 | 272,133 | 210,674 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- p=preliminary. r=revised. Layoffs in government establishments accounted for 3 percent of all events and separations, mostly from executive, legislative, and general government agencies and the postal service. Reasons for Extended Layoff Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 26 percent of the extended layoff events and resulted in 76,203 separations in the first quarter. (See table 2.) Seasonal layoffs were most numerous among workers in agriculture and forestry support services (largely among farm labor contractors) and crop production (mostly in grape vineyards). Internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and reorganization) accounted for 23 percent of layoff events and resulted in 77,997 separations. These layoffs were mostly among workers in general merchandise stores. Lack of demand for products and services (slack work) accounted for 17 percent of events and resulted in 35,107 separations during the first quarter, mostly in computer and electronic products manufacturing and in transportation equipment manufacturing. Recall Expectations Forty-one percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the first quarter of 2003 indicated they anticipated some type of recall. This compares with 35 percent of the employers anticipating a recall a year earlier. (See table B.) Most of the employers not expecting a recall were in general mer- chandise stores, computer and electronic products manufacturing, and admin- istrative and support services. - 3 - Table B. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended layoff, first quarter 2002-first quarter 2003 ------------------------------------------------------------- | Percentage of events |--------------------------------------- Nature of the recall | I | II | III | IV | I | 2002 | 2002 | 2002 | 2002r | 2003p ----------------------|------|-------|-------|-------|-------- Anticipate a recall..| 35.3 | 52.8 | 36.4 | 55.7 | 41.2 | | | | | Timeframe | | | | | | | | | | Within 6 months......| 77.3 | 82.0 | 77.5 | 78.8 | 74.2 Within 3 months....| 46.5 | 57.4 | 51.5 | 32.6 | 46.3 | | | | | Size | | | | | | | | | | At least half........| 84.9 | 91.3 | 82.5 | 86.7 | 79.7 All workers........| 27.7 | 42.8 | 32.6 | 37.4 | 29.3 ------------------------------------------------------------- p=preliminary. r=revised. Among establishments expecting a recall, most employers expected to recall over one-half of the separated employees and to do so within 6 months. Twenty- nine percent of the employers expected to extend the offer to all laid-off workers. Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 88 percent of the employers expected a recall), employers expected to recall laid-off workers in 25 percent of the events. In layoff events due to intern- al company restructuring, employers anticipated a recall in only 6 percent of the events. Size of Extended Layoff Layoff events during the first quarter continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 64 percent involving few- er than 150 workers. These events, however, accounted for only 31 percent of all separations. (See table C.) Separations involving 500 or more workers accounted for 29 percent of all separations, down slightly from 32 percent a year earlier. The average size of layoffs (as measured by separations per layoff event) differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 71 separa- tions in miscellaneous store retailers to a high of 527 in warehousing and storage. Initial Claimant Characteristics A total of 210,674 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass layoffs in the first quarter of 2003. Of these claimants, 13 percent were black, 38 percent were women, 19 percent were Hispanic, and 14 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) Forty percent of claimants were 30 to 44 years of age. Among the civilian labor force for the same period, 11 percent were black, 47 percent were wo- men, 13 percent were Hispanic, and 15 percent were 55 years of age or older. Thirty-seven percent of the civilian labor force were ages 30 to 44. - 4 - Table C. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff, January-March 2003(p) ------------------------------------------------------------------- | Layoff events | Separations Size |------------------------|------------------------ | Number | Percent | Number | Percent -----------------|-----------|------------|----------|------------- | | | | Total........| 1,508 | 100.0 | 272,133 | 100.0 | | | | 50-99............| 634 | 42.0 | 44,812 | 16.5 100-149..........| 333 | 22.1 | 38,449 | 14.1 150-199..........| 176 | 11.7 | 29,677 | 10.9 200-299..........| 174 | 11.5 | 40,550 | 14.9 300-499..........| 110 | 7.3 | 39,436 | 14.5 500-999..........| 50 | 3.3 | 31,401 | 11.5 1,000 or more....| 31 | 2.1 | 47,808 | 17.6 ------------------------------------------------------------------- p=preliminary. Geographic Distribution In the first quarter, the number of separations due to extended mass layoff events was highest in the West (98,030), followed by the Midwest (68,658), the South (64,754), and the Northeast (40,691). (See table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the West were mainly agriculture related. All four regions reported over-the-year decreases in separations, with the largest decrease occurring in the South (-23,923), closely followed by the West (-20,857). Six of the nine geographic divisions reported over-the- year declines in laid-off workers, with the largest decline in the South Atlantic division. This was followed closely by declines in the Mountain, East South Central, and Middle Atlantic divisions. Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the largest number of worker separations occurred in California (67,087), followed by Illinois (29,995). These two states accounted for 31 percent of total layoff events and 36 percent of the separations during the first quarter of 2003. They were followed by Texas (18,236), New York (14,203), Florida (11,487), North Carolina (11,050), and Washington (10,579). (See table 5.) After excluding the substantial impact of seasonal work, California still reported the most laid-off workers (35,777), largely due to layoffs in computer and electronic products manufacturing, general merchandise stores, and administrative and support services. Over the year, Florida reported the greatest decrease in laid-off workers (-12,206), followed by Pennsylvania (-9,698) and Alabama (-8,406). The largest increase occurred in New York (+4,366). 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 establish- ment filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a consecutive 5-week period. Approximately 30 days after a mass layoff is triggered at an establishment, the employer is contacted for additional information. Data for the first quarter are preliminary 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 consecutive quarters should not be used as an indi- cator of trend. For additional information about the program, see the Techni- cal Note. ______________________________ The report on Mass Layoffs in May 2003 will be issued on Thursday, June 26, 2003. Technical Note The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program which uses a standardized, automated approach to identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment insurance database. Establishments 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 separated and the reasons for these separations. Establishments are identified according to industry classification and location, and unemployment insurance claimants are identified by such demographic factors as age, race, sex, 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. The MLS program was resumed in April 1995; it had been terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding. However, due to changes in concepts and definitions, data from the resumed program are not comparable to earlier data. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339. Definitions Establishment. A unit at a single physical location at which predominantly one type of economic activity is conducted. Extended layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment during a 5-week period, with at least 50 workers separated for more than 30 days. Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or period of eligibility. Layoff. The separation of persons from an employer as part of a mass layoff event. (See below.) Such layoffs involve both persons subject to recall and those who are terminated by the establishment. - 2 - Mass layoff. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment beginning in a given month, regardless of duration. Worksite closure. The full closure of either multi-unit or single- unit establishments or the partial closure of a multi-unit establishment where entire worksites affected by layoffs are closed or planned to be closed. Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, selected quarters, 2002 and 2003 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance Industry I IV I I IV I I IV I 2002r 2002r 2003p 2002r 2002r 2003p 2002r 2002r 2003p Total ( 1 ) .............................. 1,747 2,259 1,508 333,097 468,982 272,133 315,781 421,669 210,674 Total, private ................................... 1,712 2,204 1,458 324,272 450,141 265,208 308,319 409,983 204,494 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting .... 103 285 128 25,535 77,538 31,954 15,951 40,510 15,767 Mining ......................................... 29 24 17 4,217 3,054 2,255 4,061 2,960 2,530 Utilities ...................................... ( 2 ) 7 6 ( 2 ) 1,539 808 ( 2 ) 950 533 Construction ................................... 195 463 211 21,739 68,259 26,098 27,552 72,875 24,229 Manufacturing .................................. 660 736 525 116,996 142,034 84,296 117,412 150,803 73,142 Food ...................................... 69 124 69 12,363 31,738 11,245 12,371 25,350 9,777 Beverage and tobacco products ............. 6 6 8 1,108 941 922 749 1,228 658 Textile mills ............................. 21 24 9 3,397 4,121 1,697 3,400 5,118 1,402 Textile product mills ..................... 4 11 5 410 3,479 459 385 3,675 503 Apparel ................................... 45 32 20 10,594 5,395 4,342 9,914 5,021 2,770 Leather and allied products ............... 4 8 - 322 860 - 392 1,006 - Wood products ............................. 18 38 30 2,079 5,760 3,870 3,512 5,960 3,552 Paper ..................................... 15 19 12 2,135 3,133 2,474 1,891 2,721 2,335 Printing and related support activities ... 22 8 11 3,835 1,441 1,134 3,239 1,107 965 Petroleum and coal products ............... 3 18 3 249 2,942 238 247 3,150 251 Chemicals ................................ 22 12 9 3,473 1,802 1,633 2,618 1,345 1,281 Plastics and rubber products .............. 21 20 15 2,087 2,858 1,816 1,912 3,118 1,498 Nonmetallic mineral products .............. 26 42 31 3,522 7,347 4,819 2,986 6,494 4,287 Primary metals ............................ 29 38 29 6,440 7,065 4,658 8,061 8,890 3,876 Fabricated metal products ................. 52 35 28 5,733 5,221 3,375 6,290 5,145 2,972 Machinery ................................. 43 55 42 4,720 12,156 6,359 5,218 13,320 6,898 Computer and electronic products .......... 121 93 86 27,692 17,080 15,634 27,118 19,274 12,809 Electrical equipment and appliances ....... 24 28 23 4,120 7,802 3,399 5,032 12,722 2,788 Transportation equipment .................. 71 80 54 16,293 13,392 11,262 16,354 18,315 9,757 Furniture and related products ............ 27 24 18 3,262 4,293 1,925 3,693 4,882 2,579 Miscellaneous manufacturing ............... 17 21 23 3,162 3,208 3,035 2,030 2,962 2,184 Wholesale trade ................................ 38 35 32 5,096 7,402 4,344 4,098 5,221 3,325 Retail trade ................................... 157 89 124 50,115 28,664 37,048 36,929 24,149 22,321 Transportation and warehousing ................. 62 61 62 11,461 19,770 16,762 11,313 17,120 13,276 Information .................................... 70 64 63 9,928 14,925 12,715 11,216 14,892 10,141 Finance and insurance .......................... 55 47 39 9,819 9,217 8,332 9,067 8,978 5,743 Real estate and rental and leasing ............. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 411 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 319 Professional and technical services ............ 62 56 36 7,486 11,692 6,297 7,847 11,205 4,306 Management of companies and enterprises ........ 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,608 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,506 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Administrative and waste services .............. 163 176 142 39,139 34,383 24,724 42,869 35,562 21,535 Educational services ........................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Health care and social assistance .............. 20 33 18 3,390 5,507 1,746 2,047 4,926 1,713 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ............ 16 33 12 5,710 7,946 2,798 2,003 4,622 1,350 Accommodation and food services ................ 51 64 29 8,388 12,987 3,621 10,722 10,185 3,513 Other services, except public administration ... 7 18 7 1,642 2,712 623 1,688 2,355 523 Unclassified ................................... 7 3 - 1,082 629 - 929 563 - Government ....................................... 35 55 50 8,825 18,841 6,925 7,462 11,686 6,180 Federal ................................... 16 10 11 4,339 4,104 1,487 3,568 2,334 1,353 State ..................................... 11 19 18 2,720 7,613 2,499 2,516 5,229 2,375 Local ..................................... 8 26 21 1,766 7,124 2,939 1,378 4,123 2,452 1 For the first quarter of 2003, data on layoffs were reported by employers in all states and the District of Columbia, except Wyoming. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. p = preliminary. r = revised. NOTE: Industry data reflect the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), 2002. Dash represents zero. Table 2. Reason for separation: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, selected quarters, 2002 and 2003 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance Reason for separation I IV I I IV I I IV I 2002r 2002r 2003p 2002r 2002r 2003p 2002r 2002r 2003p Total, all reasons ( 1 ) ...... 1,747 2,259 1,508 333,097 468,982 272,133 315,781 421,669 210,674 Automation ....................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 500 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 459 Bankruptcy ....................... 59 46 41 22,294 15,539 17,826 15,003 11,174 9,473 Business ownership change ........ 72 33 29 15,837 8,503 4,992 9,408 5,870 3,239 Contract cancellation ............ 48 44 31 7,827 8,423 5,717 6,790 7,194 3,245 Contract completed ............... 184 194 202 32,643 35,813 32,172 44,042 41,350 30,160 Domestic relocation .............. 33 18 21 4,822 5,053 2,685 4,603 3,982 2,159 Energy-related ................... ( 2 ) - - ( 2 ) - - ( 2 ) - - Environment-related .............. 3 - - 718 - - 597 - - Financial difficulty ............. 127 111 110 22,859 21,692 19,580 22,913 20,545 15,878 Import competition ............... 22 19 22 4,620 3,293 6,028 3,744 3,020 4,275 Labor dispute .................... ( 2 ) 11 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,300 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,245 ( 2 ) Material shortage ................ ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 379 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 509 ( 2 ) Model changeover ................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,891 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,108 Natural disaster ................. - ( 2 ) - - ( 2 ) - - ( 2 ) - Non-natural disaster ............. ( 2 ) - - ( 2 ) - - ( 2 ) - - Overseas relocation .............. 16 21 19 4,853 3,407 3,965 4,245 3,021 2,303 Plant or machine repair .......... 5 5 6 543 877 725 454 981 660 Product line discontinued ........ 13 9 13 1,494 1,025 2,532 1,359 1,060 2,202 Reorganization within company .... 240 186 163 50,822 36,752 35,599 43,053 37,953 22,900 Seasonal work .................... 357 1,016 388 69,630 226,530 76,203 55,253 169,547 51,982 Slack work ....................... 438 319 261 67,215 51,407 35,107 79,544 66,363 33,272 Vacation period .................. - ( 2 ) 5 - ( 2 ) 485 - ( 2 ) 647 Weather-related .................. 9 19 15 1,253 2,211 1,447 1,766 2,597 1,523 Other ............................ 47 59 44 6,029 11,615 6,758 8,760 11,138 8,291 Not reported ..................... 65 139 127 17,177 32,521 15,891 12,239 31,947 14,983 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. p = preliminary. r = revised. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 3. State and selected claimant characteristics: Extended mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, fourth quarter, 2002 and first quarter, 2003 Total Percent of total initial Hispanic Persons age 55 Layoff events claimants Black origin Women and over State IV I IV I IV I IV I IV I IV I 2002r 2003p 2002r 2003p 2002r 2003p 2002r 2003p 2002r 2003p 2002r 2003p Total ( 1 ) ......... 2,259 1,508 421,669 210,674 11.4 13.1 21.0 19.0 35.5 37.9 14.2 14.4 Alabama ................. 8 3 1,418 944 24.8 20.0 3.9 1.6 69.0 26.7 17.7 21.3 Alaska .................. 10 8 1,146 722 3.3 2.9 27.4 5.8 26.4 28.3 14.3 15.8 Arizona ................. 21 13 3,189 1,751 6.7 2.0 24.8 40.6 40.4 26.7 16.6 13.6 Arkansas ................ 7 6 4,147 649 13.2 22.0 1.2 4.2 36.9 28.7 12.1 16.3 California .............. 488 339 78,618 43,214 4.2 6.0 61.2 50.1 39.8 40.6 12.5 12.9 Colorado ................ 33 21 5,612 3,274 5.8 6.7 23.9 18.3 29.7 37.6 13.9 14.8 Connecticut ............. 17 16 2,866 1,931 10.5 17.1 5.9 9.9 23.0 55.2 16.5 14.0 Delaware ................ - - - - - - - - - - - - District of Columbia .... 3 4 409 485 19.6 32.6 22.2 1.6 33.0 55.5 14.7 11.1 Florida ................. 105 74 16,191 9,125 21.4 20.8 24.3 25.2 46.7 45.2 16.8 18.2 Georgia ................. 28 24 7,120 2,902 39.6 56.5 5.9 5.4 47.2 50.1 14.0 15.9 Hawaii .................. 10 6 1,901 773 .7 .6 49.9 28.8 67.4 52.4 14.2 20.7 Idaho ................... 7 8 1,256 1,781 1.2 1.2 7.3 6.0 27.5 35.5 13.3 13.3 Illinois ................ 213 134 38,981 19,404 15.5 18.3 17.0 12.8 29.0 38.2 12.5 13.2 Indiana ................. 74 43 17,064 6,274 7.6 7.4 2.8 4.2 29.7 30.7 13.5 16.5 Iowa .................... 22 15 4,322 1,855 .9 1.8 2.5 1.4 25.9 50.2 12.4 17.7 Kansas .................. 13 12 2,722 2,762 16.1 14.0 7.0 3.2 38.5 32.5 13.3 21.7 Kentucky ................ 28 19 3,584 2,436 6.3 7.8 1.1 .2 39.6 39.3 16.6 14.8 Louisiana ............... 22 17 2,761 1,278 47.5 47.7 3.0 3.4 26.3 20.4 12.7 11.0 Maine ................... 13 11 2,759 1,649 .2 .2 .1 .2 49.8 25.2 17.5 17.6 Maryland ................ 7 3 1,207 187 25.0 11.8 1.0 5.3 45.6 41.2 30.6 41.2 Massachusetts ........... 65 45 10,975 5,171 5.9 7.5 2.4 1.0 39.4 41.0 15.1 13.7 Michigan ................ 54 34 8,526 4,079 15.9 17.1 12.5 3.7 36.4 38.8 12.7 11.3 Minnesota ............... 93 33 13,387 3,815 2.4 5.3 8.0 3.4 21.2 30.5 14.6 13.9 Mississippi ............. 14 5 1,347 544 54.2 88.8 .5 .2 48.3 69.1 16.3 11.0 Missouri ................ 43 11 8,451 1,525 10.5 7.8 .5 .2 40.9 56.3 20.6 20.1 Montana ................. 11 ( 2 ) 1,723 ( 2 ) .4 .7 2.1 1.5 17.3 19.6 15.8 15.2 Nebraska ................ 9 4 930 384 1.3 1.6 11.1 9.1 13.3 21.4 20.2 15.9 Nevada .................. 7 ( 2 ) 2,214 ( 2 ) 8.7 9.0 15.0 25.9 41.1 35.6 21.4 15.8 New Hampshire ........... 8 4 1,066 473 .8 1.9 4.5 2.1 41.1 46.5 22.2 16.9 New Jersey .............. 68 34 11,736 3,531 16.0 20.1 17.4 9.8 43.5 46.6 19.4 20.4 New Mexico .............. 4 4 458 289 2.8 2.4 66.8 71.6 32.8 27.3 15.9 15.6 New York ................ 145 92 32,783 11,202 12.1 12.6 8.1 8.3 37.8 35.8 15.3 12.0 North Carolina .......... 29 36 6,239 5,720 36.6 40.9 4.6 4.4 47.1 46.8 13.8 13.0 North Dakota ............ 8 3 1,427 306 .6 .3 3.4 1.6 13.9 43.5 14.2 18.0 Ohio .................... 106 63 18,908 7,651 13.6 12.3 3.4 2.0 20.0 27.5 12.1 13.6 Oklahoma ................ 7 9 1,105 1,240 8.9 12.7 9.1 3.5 19.8 27.9 15.0 16.9 Oregon .................. 42 40 7,998 6,169 2.2 1.2 14.9 12.3 35.4 40.5 14.5 17.6 Pennsylvania ............ 78 68 25,440 12,146 6.3 9.2 2.6 3.3 34.9 33.6 15.8 18.2 Rhode Island ............ 10 - 1,211 - 3.1 - 28.1 - 56.0 - 21.6 - South Carolina .......... 20 11 5,217 910 49.7 58.2 .2 .5 39.6 50.9 2.3 5.2 South Dakota ............ - ( 2 ) - ( 2 ) - - - 3.4 - 49.7 - 25.9 Tennessee ............... 15 15 3,385 1,458 20.9 19.5 .1 - 36.0 43.3 16.9 18.1 Texas ................... 70 90 19,957 20,536 18.5 16.6 34.0 29.7 31.4 30.9 11.2 10.7 Utah .................... 5 ( 2 ) 744 ( 2 ) .3 1.8 8.3 5.5 24.9 - 12.5 21.8 Vermont ................. ( 2 ) - ( 2 ) - .3 - - - 65.0 - 22.0 - Virginia ................ 27 20 4,498 2,880 41.2 48.1 3.1 .9 53.0 59.4 14.4 15.4 Washington .............. 66 49 10,713 7,308 3.8 4.6 35.6 12.4 36.3 37.4 13.3 19.0 West Virginia ........... 8 6 1,189 708 .8 .1 - - 49.3 23.2 17.2 14.1 Wisconsin ............... 115 49 22,302 8,483 4.1 6.7 12.5 4.8 29.3 34.6 16.8 13.5 Wyoming ................. ( 2 ) ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 ) 1.0 ( 1 ) 1.0 ( 1 ) 40.4 ( 1 ) 26.9 ( 1 ) Puerto Rico ............. 3 12 664 1,343 ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) 49.8 38.6 12.8 10.6 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 3 Data are not available. p = preliminary. r = revised. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 4. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, selected quarters, 2002 and 2003 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance Census region and division I IV I I IV I I IV I 2002r 2002r 2003p 2002r 2002r 2003p 2002r 2002r 2003p United States ( 1 ) ... 1,747 2,259 1,508 333,097 468,982 272,133 315,781 421,669 210,674 Northeast ..................... 259 406 270 51,777 86,272 40,691 52,165 89,199 36,103 New England ............... 77 115 76 14,832 24,725 14,870 12,695 19,240 9,224 Middle Atlantic ........... 182 291 194 36,945 61,547 25,821 39,470 69,959 26,879 South ......................... 485 398 342 88,677 71,871 64,754 94,602 79,774 52,002 South Atlantic ............ 252 227 178 46,859 41,778 33,273 42,445 42,070 22,917 East South Central ........ 104 65 42 19,507 12,082 8,020 17,695 9,734 5,382 West South Central ........ 129 106 122 22,311 18,011 23,461 34,462 27,970 23,703 Midwest ....................... 441 750 403 73,756 135,113 68,658 72,444 137,020 56,685 East North Central ........ 345 562 323 59,878 102,818 53,344 59,183 105,781 45,891 West North Central ........ 96 188 80 13,878 32,295 15,314 13,261 31,239 10,794 West ( 1 ) .................... 562 705 493 118,887 175,726 98,030 96,570 115,676 65,884 Mountain ( 1 ) ............ 109 89 51 24,094 24,346 12,244 16,197 15,300 7,698 Pacific ................... 453 616 442 94,793 151,380 85,786 80,373 100,376 58,186 1 See footnote 1, table 1. p = preliminary. r = revised. 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, selected quarters, 2002 and 2003 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance State I IV I I IV I I IV I 2002r 2002r 2003p 2002r 2002r 2003p 2002r 2002r 2003p Total ( 1 ) ........ 1,747 2,259 1,508 333,097 468,982 272,133 315,781 421,669 210,674 Alabama ................. 36 8 3 9,359 790 953 9,884 1,418 944 Alaska .................. 4 10 8 303 1,146 722 303 1,146 722 Arizona ................. 26 21 13 5,125 5,263 3,472 4,825 3,189 1,751 Arkansas ................ 4 7 6 899 1,525 2,203 823 4,147 649 California .............. 362 488 339 73,196 123,700 67,087 61,057 78,618 43,214 Colorado ................ 23 33 21 5,046 7,755 5,991 3,017 5,612 3,274 Connecticut ............. 10 17 16 2,340 2,963 2,948 2,701 2,866 1,931 Delaware ................ - - - - - - - - - District of Columbia .... 3 3 4 404 409 485 404 409 485 Florida ................. 113 105 74 23,693 17,066 11,487 20,709 16,191 9,125 Georgia ................. 20 28 24 4,291 6,515 2,480 3,033 7,120 2,902 Hawaii .................. 10 10 6 904 2,468 1,125 1,612 1,901 773 Idaho ................... 8 7 8 905 1,982 1,750 557 1,256 1,781 Illinois ................ 157 213 134 33,892 45,739 29,995 27,342 38,981 19,404 Indiana ................. 29 74 43 3,490 13,945 5,935 3,433 17,064 6,274 Iowa .................... 9 22 15 1,399 2,881 2,107 1,718 4,322 1,855 Kansas .................. 9 13 12 1,257 2,966 3,815 1,032 2,722 2,762 Kentucky ................ 24 28 19 2,673 4,682 3,281 2,226 3,584 2,436 Louisiana ............... 22 22 17 4,574 2,983 1,803 3,188 2,761 1,278 Maine ................... 8 13 11 1,930 4,659 2,593 1,317 2,759 1,649 Maryland ................ 17 7 3 2,703 1,316 219 2,092 1,207 187 Massachusetts ........... 41 65 45 8,299 14,127 8,869 6,441 10,975 5,171 Michigan ................ 41 54 34 4,414 6,016 3,090 8,012 8,526 4,079 Minnesota ............... 41 93 33 6,085 14,813 5,647 6,381 13,387 3,815 Mississippi ............. 17 14 5 3,118 2,211 1,041 2,010 1,347 544 Missouri ................ 26 43 11 3,408 8,841 2,492 2,684 8,451 1,525 Montana ................. 6 11 ( 2 ) 826 2,259 ( 2 ) 610 1,723 ( 2 ) Nebraska ................ 8 9 4 1,234 1,367 769 1,093 930 384 Nevada .................. 26 7 ( 2 ) 4,557 3,955 ( 2 ) 4,300 2,214 ( 2 ) New Hampshire ........... 5 8 4 675 1,074 460 854 1,066 473 New Jersey .............. 54 68 34 9,304 11,767 3,512 9,178 11,736 3,531 New Mexico .............. 6 4 4 1,224 802 289 916 458 289 New York ................ 53 145 92 9,837 34,419 14,203 10,283 32,783 11,202 North Carolina .......... 49 29 36 9,577 6,483 11,050 8,066 6,239 5,720 North Dakota ............ ( 2 ) 8 3 ( 2 ) 1,427 351 ( 2 ) 1,427 306 Ohio .................... 84 106 63 12,323 14,229 6,339 13,450 18,908 7,651 Oklahoma ................ 8 7 9 1,315 902 1,219 1,620 1,105 1,240 Oregon .................. 26 42 40 5,459 7,998 6,273 5,121 7,998 6,169 Pennsylvania ............ 75 78 68 17,804 15,361 8,106 20,009 25,440 12,146 Rhode Island ............ 8 10 - 752 1,152 - 752 1,211 - South Carolina .......... 12 20 11 928 4,171 1,331 2,383 5,217 910 South Dakota ............ ( 2 ) - ( 2 ) ( 2 ) - ( 2 ) ( 2 ) - ( 2 ) Tennessee ............... 27 15 15 4,357 4,399 2,745 3,575 3,385 1,458 Texas ................... 95 70 90 15,523 12,601 18,236 28,831 19,957 20,536 Utah .................... 13 5 ( 2 ) 6,305 1,350 ( 2 ) 1,866 744 ( 2 ) Vermont ................. 5 ( 2 ) - 836 ( 2 ) - 630 ( 2 ) - Virginia ................ 28 27 20 4,327 4,329 5,193 4,811 4,498 2,880 Washington .............. 51 66 49 14,931 16,068 10,579 12,280 10,713 7,308 West Virginia ........... 10 8 6 936 1,489 1,028 947 1,189 708 Wisconsin ............... 34 115 49 5,759 22,889 7,985 6,946 22,302 8,483 Wyoming ................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 ) Puerto Rico ............. 15 3 12 2,089 769 2,091 2,670 664 1,343 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. p = preliminary. r = revised. NOTE: Dash represents zero.