News
United States
Department
of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Technical information:
(202) 691-6392
http://www.bls.gov/mls/
Media contact:
(202) 691-5902
Washington, D.C. 20212
USDL 08-0831
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Friday, June 20, 2008
MASS LAYOFFS IN MAY 2008
In May, employers took 1,626 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings
for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer;
the number of workers involved totaled 171,387, on a seasonally adjusted basis. Layoff events and
associated initial claimants were the highest for the month of May since 2003. The number of mass
layoff events in May 2008 increased sharply by 318 from the prior month, while the number of
associated initial claims rose by 37,473. In May, 528 mass layoff events were reported in the
manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 72,058 initial claims. Over the month, mass
layoff events in manufacturing increased by 45 and initial claims increased by 11,506. (See table 1.)
Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,
June 2003-May 2008
Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,
June 2003-May 2008
Events
Claims
3,000
300,000
2,500
250,000
2,000
200,000
Total
Total
1,500
1,000
150,000
100,000
Private nonfarm
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
500
Manufacturing
50,000
0
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
From January through May 2008, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 7,615, and
initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 783,942, were considerably higher than in January-May 2007
(6,325 and 650,605, respectively).
2
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in May 2008
May peak
Industry
Initial claims
Year
Initial claims
Temporary help services ................................................................................................................................................
8,389
2002
16,992
Food service contractors ................................................................................................................................................
7,376
2008
7,376
Motion picture and video production ..............................................................................................................................
6,874
1999
8,985
School and employee bus transportation .........................................................................................................................
6,323
2008
6,323
Heavy duty truck manufacturing ......................................................................................................................................
5,053
2008
5,053
Child day care services ................................................................................................................................................
4,541
2008
4,541
Professional employer organizations ...............................................................................................................................
4,085
2008
4,085
Other social advocacy organizations ...............................................................................................................................
2,919
2008
2,919
Automobile manufacturing ..............................................................................................................................................
2,763
2003
7,851
All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing ...................................................................................................................
2,333
2008
2,333
The national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in May, seasonally adjusted, up from 5.0 percent
in the prior month and up from 4.5 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased
by 49,000 in May from the previous month, but increased by 236,000 from a year earlier.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in May was 1,552 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the number
of associated initial claims was 159,471. (See table 2.) Average weekly layoff events rose from 231 in
May 2007 to 310 in May 2008, while average weekly initial claimants increased from 21,454 to 31,894.
Both the average weekly number of events and claims reached the highest levels for the month of May
since 2003.
The largest over-the-year increases in May 2008 average weekly initial claims associated with
mass layoffs occurred in transportation equipment manufacturing (+1,766) and in transit and ground
passenger transportation (+1,176). The largest decreases occurred in general merchandise stores (-256)
and in textile mills (-126).
The manufacturing sector accounted for 25 percent of all mass layoff events and 32 percent of
initial claims filed in May; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 24 percent of events and 31 percent of
initial claims. In May 2008, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation
equipment manufacturing (21,667), followed by food manufacturing (4,800). (See table 3.)
Administrative and waste services accounted for 12 percent of mass layoff events and 10 percent of
associated initial claims in May, primarily from temporary help services.
The six-digit NAICS industry with the highest number of initial claims was temporary help services
with 8,389, followed by food service contractors (7,376) and motion picture and video production
(6,874). Among the 10 industries with the highest levels of initial claims, 7 of the 10 reached program
highs in 2008 for the month of May (with data available back to 1995). (See table A.)
3
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Of the 4 census regions, the highest number of initial claims in May due to mass layoffs was in the
West (45,558). The Midwest had the second largest number of initial claims among the regions
(45,462), followed by the South with 42,832 and the Northeast with 25,619. (See table 5.)
All 4 regions experienced over-the- year increases in average weekly initial claims—the Midwest
(+3,156), the South (+2,944), the West (+2,365), and the Northeast (+1,976). Eight of the 9 divisions
had over-the- year increases in average weekly initial claims, led by the East North Central (+3,334).
California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in May with
34,085, largely due to layoffs in motion picture and sound recording industries and in administrative and
support services. The next highest states reporting mass layoff initial claims were New York (9,613),
Pennsylvania (8,975), Florida (8,841), and Kentucky (8,666). (See table 6.)
Forty states reported over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims associated with mass
layoffs, led by California (+1,422), New York (+1,333), Illinois (+843), and Florida (+752). States with
the largest over-the-year decreases in average weekly claims were Missouri (-705) and Virginia (-162).
In 2008, six states reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claims for the month of
May (with data available back to 1995)—Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Ohio.
______________________________
The report on Mass Layoffs in June 2008 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 23.
Technical Note
The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federalstate program that uses a standardized automated approach to
identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job
cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment
insurance database. Each month, states report on employers
which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during
a consecutive 5-week period. These employers then are
contacted by the state agency to determine whether these
separations lasted 31 days or longer, and, if so, other
information concerning the layoff is collected. States report
on layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quarterly basis.
A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly
unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday
through Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are
included for the particular month, except if the first day of the
month falls on Saturday. In this case, the week is included in
the prior month's tabulations. This means that some months
will contain 4 weeks and others, 5 weeks, the number of
weeks in a given month may be different from year to year,
and the number of weeks in a year may vary. Therefore,
analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year change in not
seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect into
consideration.
The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after
it had been terminated in November 1992 due to lack of
funding. Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were
not available.
Information in this release will be made available to
sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone:
202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800877-8339.
Definitions
Employer. Employers in the MLS program include those
covered by state unemployment insurance laws. Information
on employers is obtained from the Quarterly Census of
Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which is
administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of unem-
ployment to initiate a request either for a determination of
entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a
subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or
period of eligibility.
Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for
unemployment insurance benefits filed against an employer
during a 5-week period, regardless of duration.
Seasonal adjustment
Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS
began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS
series. The six series are the numbers of mass layoff events
and mass layoff initial claims for the total, private nonfarm,
and manufacturing sectors.
Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and
removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring
seasonal events such as changes in the weather, holidays, and
the beginning and ending of the school year. The use of
seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental
changes in time series, particularly those associated with
general economic expansions and contractions.
The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis.
Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly
estimates, including those for the current month, in
developing seasonal adjustment factors. Revisions to the
most recent 5 years of seasonally adjusted data will be made
once a year with the issuance of December data. Before the
data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments are made to
the original data to adjust them for differences in the number
of weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly
unemployment insurance claims are aggregated to form
monthly data, a particular month's value could be calculated
with 5 weeks of data in one year and 4 weeks in another. The
effects of these differences could seriously distort the
seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal
adjustment process. These effects are modeled in the X-12ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the
final seasonally adjusted series.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, June 2004 to May 2008,
seasonally adjusted
Total
Date
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
2004
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,400
1,329
1,426
1,285
1,283
1,320
1,148
141,168
137,805
128,759
127,833
132,766
130,873
111,060
1,231
1,178
1,233
1,154
1,169
1,174
991
128,245
126,301
113,809
116,843
123,471
119,029
99,784
371
376
343
336
363
380
287
47,243
50,799
36,539
45,690
47,046
45,416
31,935
2005
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,475
1,146
1,207
1,252
1,248
1,196
1,250
1,144
2,248
1,101
1,176
1,261
160,725
121,455
131,271
136,752
136,420
127,084
132,445
125,686
297,544
110,035
114,965
134,461
1,346
1,020
1,066
1,125
1,104
1,078
1,103
1,000
2,028
982
1,042
1,132
151,028
110,480
120,945
126,550
123,495
118,012
119,566
113,762
251,185
100,934
103,535
123,418
382
353
372
401
398
368
357
341
417
321
332
360
61,324
43,568
53,673
60,681
54,999
58,300
46,602
47,598
55,304
43,230
42,071
46,863
2006
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,107
1,031
1,084
1,171
1,124
1,146
1,179
1,270
1,173
1,191
1,232
1,194
110,800
109,798
119,049
121,580
117,115
123,827
121,017
135,400
123,767
121,827
133,803
131,062
988
940
983
1,043
1,005
1,030
1,051
1,107
1,056
1,076
1,121
1,092
101,494
101,828
110,668
112,175
107,181
114,080
111,336
124,427
114,677
113,123
124,559
121,796
283
322
323
368
314
352
372
377
385
399
414
374
34,037
43,147
48,119
49,568
43,087
44,869
48,534
60,906
45,767
53,601
58,385
51,408
2007
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,254
1,352
1,277
1,243
1,199
1,238
1,247
1,228
1,307
1,347
1,329
1,433
128,223
143,837
130,981
126,977
120,587
129,858
127,687
121,886
128,487
136,124
139,671
141,750
1,118
1,238
1,169
1,116
1,096
1,116
1,140
1,128
1,204
1,224
1,215
1,315
117,824
135,066
122,488
116,926
113,069
120,165
119,614
114,628
121,294
127,163
131,390
133,024
391
416
412
382
370
351
392
335
430
430
414
462
52,858
61,749
52,606
43,930
48,910
40,670
51,333
36,518
53,432
57,695
56,965
58,108
2008
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
1,438
1,672
1,571
1,308
1,626
144,111
177,374
157,156
133,914
171,387
1,317
1,539
1,460
1,186
1,496
134,347
166,782
147,537
124,053
161,912
427
529
482
483
528
55,488
66,913
64,088
60,552
72,058
Events
Initial
claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, June 2004 to May 2008,
not seasonally adjusted
Total
Date
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
2004
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,379
2,094
809
708
1,242
1,399
1,614
134,588
253,929
69,033
68,972
127,918
130,423
161,271
1,077
1,860
745
637
1,101
1,201
1,487
110,804
234,877
63,876
63,102
117,375
115,549
152,092
222
885
194
189
372
412
436
27,307
145,895
17,698
25,808
48,265
44,243
50,726
2005
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
2,564
810
806
1,373
986
1,157
1,981
645
1,662
905
1,254
2,323
263,952
74,644
88,937
158,582
101,358
120,463
244,216
67,582
213,281
91,941
116,127
254,258
2,421
722
733
1,263
891
941
1,745
598
1,505
757
1,079
2,168
253,409
68,372
83,793
148,133
93,332
103,307
222,377
63,484
179,042
80,694
102,182
242,753
823
230
246
395
249
216
856
188
318
249
363
706
108,985
24,931
33,030
59,129
30,424
32,783
136,210
22,531
47,497
37,276
41,442
96,382
2006
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,245
719
921
1,140
872
1,489
1,511
708
865
964
1,315
2,249
117,946
66,555
111,838
121,589
84,809
164,761
166,857
72,844
87,699
98,804
136,186
254,503
1,123
658
856
1,038
794
1,224
1,335
656
785
820
1,172
2,126
108,701
62,208
106,177
112,964
78,663
140,687
154,342
69,054
81,274
88,133
125,009
244,783
331
210
285
296
192
319
648
203
296
311
455
735
35,097
24,892
44,688
39,538
23,570
41,095
96,152
28,494
39,076
46,737
58,473
105,462
2007
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,407
935
1,082
1,219
923
1,599
1,599
963
717
1,083
1,799
2,167
134,984
86,696
123,974
127,444
85,816
172,810
175,419
93,458
67,385
108,455
198,220
224,214
1,263
861
1,015
1,115
856
1,318
1,450
908
667
929
1,593
2,071
124,475
82,097
118,431
118,040
81,153
148,669
164,939
88,345
64,026
97,716
181,184
216,898
456
273
367
309
224
313
684
220
246
338
514
699
53,615
36,170
49,886
35,229
26,527
36,571
101,390
23,361
29,381
50,918
75,413
91,754
2008
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
1,647
1,269
1,089
1,272
1,552
154,503
119,508
114,541
130,810
159,471
1,520
1,178
1,039
1,172
1,438
144,191
113,587
110,147
121,625
150,462
488
361
333
394
388
54,418
42,527
43,740
48,188
51,698
Events
Initial
claimants
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
Initial claimants for
unemployment insurance
Mass layoff events
Industry
May
2007
March
2008
April
2008
May
2008
May
2007
March
2008
April
2008
May
2008
1,199
1,096
370
1,571
1,460
482
1,308
1,186
483
1,626
1,496
528
120,587
113,069
48,910
157,156
147,537
64,088
133,914
124,053
60,552
171,387
161,912
72,058
Total ............................................................
923
1,089
1,272
1,552
85,816
114,541
130,810
159,471
Total, private .......................................................
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting .........
Total, private nonfarm .......................................
Mining ..............................................................
Utilities .............................................................
Construction ....................................................
Manufacturing .................................................
Food ............................................................
Beverage and tobacco products .................
Textile mills .................................................
Textile product mills 3 ..................................
3
Apparel ......................................................
Leather and allied products .........................
Wood products ............................................
Paper ...........................................................
Printing and related support activities .........
Petroleum and coal products ......................
880
24
856
(2)
5
91
224
34
(2)
9
1,063
24
1,039
(2)
2
( )
119
333
58
6
14
111,984
1,837
110,147
(2)
2
( )
7,891
43,740
7,705
540
2,745
(2)
8
–
30
9
9
(2)
3
27
15
10
20
1,467
29
1,438
5
4
167
388
48
5
6
8
14
(2)
24
11
9
(2)
9
21
14
9
29
82,760
1,607
81,153
(2)
439
6,230
26,527
2,579
(2)
920
(2)
5
–
20
8
7
(2)
6
11
7
13
10
1,234
62
1,172
(2)
2
( )
112
394
66
4
10
5
10
(2)
33
7
11
(2)
8
28
14
14
22
(2)
562
–
1,823
680
551
(2)
377
810
583
963
699
(2)
544
–
2,419
827
736
(2)
140
2,201
1,224
873
1,878
127,631
6,006
121,625
(2)
2
( )
8,106
48,188
7,085
422
1,065
700
872
(2)
3,973
419
1,136
(2)
621
2,522
1,251
1,386
1,612
152,510
2,048
150,462
458
475
12,411
51,698
4,800
273
520
580
1,171
(2)
2,455
1,091
833
(2)
696
1,793
1,175
1,217
2,596
16
11
7
40
11
5
15
10
9
72
11
4
19
15
13
89
18
3
25
14
13
101
20
5
1,430
758
1,622
10,268
1,063
613
2,447
917
2,692
14,318
842
301
2,393
1,544
1,153
17,617
1,746
395
3,758
1,250
1,845
21,667
3,285
445
Wholesale trade ..............................................
Retail trade ......................................................
Transportation and warehousing ....................
Information ......................................................
Finance and insurance 3..................................
Real estate and rental and leasing 3................
3
Professional and technical services ...............
Management of companies and enterprises ...
Administrative and waste services 3.................
Educational services .......................................
Health care and social assistance ..................
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .................
Accommodation and food services .................
Other services, except public administration ..
Unclassified ....................................................
10
87
31
23
33
4
41
2
( )
119
4
54
20
87
20
–
22
94
92
35
46
5
24
2
( )
130
6
20
8
90
10
–
26
95
108
33
43
7
59
2
( )
168
5
16
28
68
5
–
21
109
99
56
38
6
66
4
192
6
85
32
122
38
–
1,021
7,827
2,782
4,355
2,414
344
3,168
2
( )
9,762
204
4,684
1,166
8,401
1,684
–
1,624
9,788
10,629
4,316
3,692
552
3,225
2
( )
10,076
1,191
1,347
492
10,328
906
–
2,649
7,933
12,228
3,446
2,978
864
7,282
2
( )
16,831
464
1,016
2,078
6,743
310
–
1,513
10,090
11,176
9,251
2,666
407
6,924
383
16,175
383
7,643
1,993
13,212
3,604
–
Government ........................................................
Federal ............................................................
State ................................................................
Local ................................................................
43
8
7
28
26
7
7
12
38
7
10
21
85
16
14
55
3,056
634
594
1,828
2,557
569
618
1,370
3,179
490
748
1,941
6,961
1,656
867
4,438
Seasonally adjusted
Total ..............................................................
Total, private nonfarm .......................................
Manufacturing .................................................
Not seasonally adjusted
1
Chemicals ...................................................
Plastics and rubber products 3.....................
Nonmetallic mineral products ......................
Primary metals ............................................
Fabricated metal products ..........................
Machinery 3..................................................
Computer and electronic products ..............
Electrical equipment and appliances ..........
Transportation equipment 3..........................
Furniture and related products 3...................
Miscellaneous manufacturing 3....................
1
Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
3
Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years
2
due to a change in NAICS versions.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2006 to May 2008,
not seasonally adjusted
Private nonfarm
Total mass layoffs
Date
Mass layoffs
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
April ............................................
May ............................................
June ...........................................
1,140
872
1,489
121,589
84,809
164,761
1,038
794
1,224
112,964
78,663
140,687
Second Quarter .........................
3,501
371,159
3,056
332,314
July ............................................
August ........................................
September .................................
1,511
708
865
166,857
72,844
87,699
1,335
656
785
154,342
69,054
81,274
Third Quarter .............................
3,084
327,400
2,776
304,670
October ......................................
November ..................................
December ..................................
964
1,315
2,249
98,804
136,186
254,503
820
1,172
2,126
88,133
125,009
244,783
Fourth Quarter ...........................
4,528
489,493
4,118
457,925
January ......................................
February ....................................
March .........................................
1,407
935
1,082
134,984
86,696
123,974
1,263
861
1,015
124,475
82,097
118,431
First Quarter ...............................
3,424
345,654
3,139
325,003
April ............................................
May ............................................
June ...........................................
1,219
923
1,599
127,444
85,816
172,810
1,115
856
1,318
118,040
81,153
148,669
Second Quarter .........................
3,741
386,070
3,289
347,862
July ............................................
August ........................................
September .................................
1,599
963
717
175,419
93,458
67,385
1,450
908
667
164,939
88,345
64,026
Third Quarter .............................
3,279
336,262
3,025
317,310
October ......................................
November ..................................
December ..................................
1,083
1,799
2,167
108,455
198,220
224,214
929
1,593
2,071
97,716
181,184
216,898
Fourth Quarter ...........................
5,049
530,889
4,593
495,798
January ......................................
February ....................................
March .........................................
1,647
1,269
1,089
154,503
119,508
114,541
1,520
1,178
1,039
144,191
113,587
110,147
First Quarter ...............................
4,005
388,552
3,737
367,925
April ............................................
May ............................................
1,272
1,552
130,810
159,471
1,172
1,438
121,625
150,462
Extended mass layoffs
lasting more than 30 days
Realization rates 1
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
1,353
264,927
44.3
79.7
929
161,764
33.5
53.1
1,640
330,901
39.8
72.3
1,110
199,250
35.4
61.3
1,421
259,082
43.2
74.5
1,019
173,518
33.7
54.7
1,814
346,030
39.5
69.8
Events
2006
2007
2008
1
The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm
2,p
1,111
2,p
165,933
p
29.7
p
45.1
number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards
mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization
by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated
rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants
with such events increases by 25-40 percent.
p
= preliminary.
associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days.
2
These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more
data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the
Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,
not seasonally adjusted
Initial claimants for
unemployment insurance
Mass layoff events
Census region and division
May
2007
March
2008
April
2008
May
2008
May
2007
March
2008
April
2008
May
2008
United States 1 .........................................
923
1,089
1,272
1,552
85,816
114,541
130,810
159,471
Northeast ..........................................................
New England ................................................
Middle Atlantic ..............................................
150
25
125
180
14
166
244
59
185
266
32
234
12,593
1,887
10,706
21,202
1,014
20,188
24,621
6,506
18,115
25,619
3,218
22,401
South ................................................................
South Atlantic ...............................................
East South Central .......................................
West South Central ......................................
222
113
55
54
245
139
53
53
256
139
59
58
402
199
116
87
22,490
9,597
7,748
5,145
28,097
14,166
6,680
7,251
27,299
11,989
8,783
6,527
42,832
15,761
16,810
10,261
Midwest ............................................................
East North Central ........................................
West North Central .......................................
217
153
64
287
224
63
330
267
63
390
312
78
23,747
15,731
8,016
34,885
27,847
7,038
37,169
31,172
5,997
45,462
36,332
9,130
West .................................................................
Mountain .......................................................
Pacific ...........................................................
334
29
305
377
43
334
442
67
375
494
62
432
26,986
2,309
24,677
30,357
4,001
26,356
41,721
7,701
34,020
45,558
5,548
40,010
1
See footnote 1, table 3.
NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that
comprise the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut,
Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and
Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia,
Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama,
Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas,
Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas,
Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota;
Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon,
and Washington.
Table 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
not seasonally adjusted
Initial claimants for
unemployment insurance
Mass layoff events
State
May
March
April
May
May
March
April
May
2007
2008
2008
2008
2007
2008
2008
2008
Total 1 ...............................................
923
1,089
1,272
1,552
85,816
114,541
130,810
159,471
Alabama ...............................................
Alaska ..................................................
Arizona .................................................
Arkansas ..............................................
California ..............................................
Colorado ..............................................
Connecticut ..........................................
Delaware ..............................................
District of Columbia ..............................
Florida ..................................................
Georgia ................................................
Hawaii ..................................................
Idaho ....................................................
14
(2)
6
5
270
3
6
11
(2)
9
5
296
6
(2)
4
21
4
30
3
321
5
7
3
35
(2)
9
7
382
8
11
3
(2)
125
32
11
12
1,379
(2)
524
432
21,582
276
521
927
(2)
808
867
21,812
533
(2)
298
2,789
499
4,424
330
28,172
455
535
920
4,044
(2)
872
648
34,085
930
924
203
(2)
8,841
3,170
1,118
1,131
Illinois ...................................................
Indiana .................................................
Iowa .....................................................
Kansas .................................................
Kentucky ..............................................
Louisiana .............................................
Maine ...................................................
Maryland ..............................................
Massachusetts .....................................
Michigan ..............................................
Minnesota ............................................
Mississippi ...........................................
Missouri ...............................................
30
18
5
10
19
8
(2)
5
9
46
9
9
35
59
44
12
12
39
22
Montana ...............................................
Nebraska .............................................
Nevada ................................................
New Hampshire ...................................
New Jersey ..........................................
New Mexico .........................................
New York .............................................
North Carolina ......................................
North Dakota ........................................
Ohio .....................................................
Oklahoma ............................................
Oregon .................................................
Pennsylvania .......................................
6
( )
6
(2)
31
3
29
8
(2)
34
5
15
65
(2)
6
7
3
34
5
29
16
Rhode Island ........................................
South Carolina .....................................
South Dakota .......................................
Tennessee ...........................................
Texas ...................................................
Utah .....................................................
Vermont ...............................................
Virginia .................................................
Washington ..........................................
West Virginia ........................................
Wisconsin ............................................
Wyoming ..............................................
(2)
6
(2)
13
36
(2)
5
12
15
4
17
(2)
9
36
(2)
(2)
14
12
3
53
Puerto Rico ..........................................
12
1
2
–
(2)
60
21
3
(2)
2
–
25
(2)
–
–
–
–
5,145
3,302
304
1,187
4,130
2,606
1,583
206
6,694
3,870
1,051
1,069
4,555
411
4,646
4,031
1,474
359
4,651
396
184
531
1,936
11,156
1,148
773
2,205
8,058
4,943
3,033
893
8,666
3,101
4
9
85
10
18
35
3,074
1,416
481
613
4,593
878
(2)
426
649
4,520
1,090
461
5,459
3
3
16
5
34
4
64
6
(2)
67
(2)
20
87
6
5
14
5
38
9
95
9
(2)
67
3
24
101
419
(2)
429
(2)
2,936
312
2,358
547
(2)
3,350
428
1,528
5,412
(2)
412
522
167
4,007
685
3,436
1,367
212
453
1,558
451
3,070
316
7,539
555
(2)
6,951
(2)
1,563
7,506
437
413
1,057
384
3,813
690
9,613
1,163
(2)
7,621
624
3,449
8,975
11
22
(2)
8
48
5
15
6
25
(2)
48
(2)
3
11
(2)
24
55
4
4
11
13
3
57
(2)
473
(2)
1,315
3,407
(2)
317
1,370
1,206
243
809
(2)
2,418
5,888
431
721
904
1,211
277
7,571
–
1,641
2,563
(2)
570
5,594
464
1,759
494
2,203
(2)
4,388
(2)
17
17
344
1,437
2,626
63
20
4
12
65
29
5
3
51
27
11
8
26
6
47
40
13
5
21
5
3
6
18
65
15
9
24
–
(2)
5
41
9
7
28
–
52
6
21
103
–
4
See footnote 1, table 3.
Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
–
(2)
4,066
2,641
251
(2)
–
–
–
(2)
433
3,980
617
493
3,799
–
6,236
868
3,275
12,745
–
3,371
(2)
978
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
303
1,659
(2)
705
5,105
(2)
(2)
1,808
913
428
7,067
–
318
946
8,139
1,075
1,682
3,298
–