News
United States
Department
of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Washington, D.C. 20212
Technical information:
(202) 691-6392
http://www.bls.gov/mls/
USDL 09-0185
Media contact:
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
(202) 691-5902
MASS LAYOFFS IN JANUARY 2009
Employers took 2,227 mass layoff actions in January that resulted in the separation of 237,902
workers, 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 mass layoff events in January
decreased by 48 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims increased by
11,785. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 751, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 88,834. In January, 738 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 102,577 initial claims. Over the month, mass layoff
events in manufacturing decreased by 133, and initial claims decreased by 2,825. (See table 1.)
Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,
February 2004-January 2009
Events
3,000
Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,
February 2004-January 2009
Claims
300,000
2,500
250,000
200,000
2,000
Total
Total
150,000
1,500
100,000
1,000
Manufacturing
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Private nonfarm
50,000
500
0
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
During the 14 months from December 2007 through January 2009, the total number of mass layoff
events (seasonally adjusted) was 25,712, and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was
2,632,336. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)
The national unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in January 2009, seasonally adjusted, up from 7.2
percent the prior month and from 4.9 percent a year earlier. In January, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 598,000 over the month and by 3,500,000 from a year earlier.
2
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in January 2009
Industry
Initial claims
Temporary help services ......................................
School and employee bus transportation .............
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing .....
Professional employer organizations ...................
Automobile manufacturing ..................................
Hotels and motels, except casino hotels ..............
Motion picture and video production ..................
Discount department stores .................................
All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing .......
All other plastics product manufacturing ............
25,467
12,071
11,404
11,345
7,770
6,592
6,020
5,561
5,397
4,478
January peak
Year
Initial claims
1998
2005
2009
2009
2001
2009
1998
2004
2009
2009
26,224
14,526
11,404
11,345
21,093
6,592
12,038
6,063
5,397
4,478
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in January was 3,806 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the
number of associated initial claims was 388,813. (See table 2.) Average weekly layoff events rose from
412 in January 2008 to 761 in January 2009, and average weekly initial claimants more than doubled
from 38,626 to 77,763. This year, both average weekly events and initial claimants reached their highest
January levels in program history (with data available back to 1996). Eleven major industry sectors
reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month of January—mining;
manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real
estate and rental and leasing; administrative and waste services; educational services; health care and
social assistance; and accommodation and food services.
The manufacturing sector accounted for 38 percent of all mass layoff events and 44 percent of
initial claims filed in January 2009; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 30 percent of events and 35
percent of initial claims. This January, the number of manufacturing claimants was greatest in transportation equipment (57,173) and machinery (14,120). (See table 3.) The administrative and waste services industry accounted for 12 percent of mass layoff events and associated initial claims during the
month.
The six-digit NAICS industry with the largest number of initial claims was temporary help services
(25,467). Among the 10 industries with the highest levels of initial claims, 5 reached program highs for
the month of January—all other plastics product manufacturing; light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing; all other motor vehicle parts manufacturing; professional employer organizations; and hotels and
motels, except casino hotels. (See table A.)
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Of the 4 census regions, the South registered the highest number of initial claims in January due to
mass layoffs (115,630), followed by the Midwest (114,195), the West (81,846), and the Northeast
(77,142). (See table 5.) Average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the
year in all 4 regions, with the South (+14,934) and the Midwest (+12,282) experiencing the largest
3
increases. In 2009, the Northeast, Midwest, and the South regions reported their highest January levels
of average weekly initial claims in program history.
Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (93,852) had the highest number of initial
claims due to mass layoffs in January, followed by the Pacific (69,189) and the Middle Atlantic
(68,728). (See table 5.) All divisions experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly initial
claims, led by the East North Central (+10,279) and the South Atlantic (+7,779). This year, 6 of the 9
divisions reached January program highs in terms of average weekly initial claims—New England,
Middle Atlantic, East North Central, South Atlantic, West South Central, and Mountain.
California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in January
with 54,153. The states with the next highest number of mass layoff initial claims were New York
(31,893), Pennsylvania (29,656), and Ohio (27,971). (See table 6.) In 2009, 18 states reached program
highs in average weekly initial claims for the month of January—Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho,
Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia. Forty-eight states registered over-the-year
increases in average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by Michigan (+3,540),
Pennsylvania (+3,520), and Ohio (+3,256).
Note
The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in a
given month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. For private nonfarm establishments, information
on the length of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs
lasting more than 30 days (referred to as "extended mass layoffs"). The quarterly release provides more
information on the industry classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of
the laid-off workers. Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of
the figures for the 3 months in a quarter will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more
than 30 days. (See table 4.) See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.
______________________________
The report on Mass Layoffs in February 2009 is scheduled to be released on Friday,
March 20.
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, February 2005 to January 2009,
seasonally adjusted
Total
Date
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
2005
February ......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ..............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,087
1,204
1,244
1,264
1,196
1,241
1,143
2,250
1,109
1,162
1,263
117,129
129,993
134,425
137,475
126,416
130,331
125,536
296,913
111,202
113,502
136,751
964
1,056
1,111
1,121
1,082
1,094
1,000
2,035
991
1,027
1,135
106,399
119,466
123,958
124,468
117,568
117,510
113,465
252,291
102,111
102,058
125,700
350
368
396
397
367
354
342
420
320
325
358
42,747
52,667
60,052
54,998
58,003
46,056
47,255
55,974
43,387
41,493
46,940
2006
January ........................................................
February ......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ..............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,112
960
1,078
1,198
1,132
1,156
1,204
1,278
1,167
1,195
1,209
1,201
111,601
104,045
118,270
123,674
116,808
124,955
123,172
136,289
124,083
121,439
131,459
133,311
986
872
976
1,062
1,013
1,044
1,077
1,117
1,054
1,081
1,096
1,100
102,359
96,317
109,842
113,849
106,743
115,491
113,324
125,064
115,451
112,777
122,136
124,019
293
317
320
366
312
356
381
376
390
401
402
369
35,390
41,810
48,026
50,747
42,958
45,280
50,109
60,524
46,470
53,597
57,084
51,113
2007
January ........................................................
February ......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ..............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,261
1,240
1,261
1,281
1,200
1,256
1,288
1,262
1,279
1,346
1,352
1,469
129,190
134,524
129,480
130,263
119,259
132,078
131,556
125,334
125,527
133,514
143,419
145,916
1,116
1,130
1,151
1,145
1,097
1,138
1,182
1,162
1,183
1,224
1,233
1,354
118,890
126,105
120,923
119,683
111,585
122,726
123,322
117,557
118,917
124,666
134,445
136,914
406
404
407
381
368
356
405
331
440
436
408
447
55,341
58,861
52,356
45,654
48,682
41,135
53,318
36,577
54,006
57,527
56,330
56,152
2008
January ........................................................
February ......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ..............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,476
1,669
1,585
1,344
1,701
1,717
1,535
1,887
2,290
2,204
2,333
2,275
149,068
183,038
161,497
135,352
180,558
174,748
152,499
188,951
240,721
230,330
225,639
226,117
1,350
1,532
1,471
1,215
1,563
1,561
1,390
1,735
2,114
2,042
2,185
2,100
139,076
172,013
151,550
125,074
170,538
162,071
141,239
178,479
226,492
216,095
213,288
212,559
435
526
483
487
538
555
455
626
643
687
868
871
56,579
67,235
65,252
63,247
75,520
79,744
57,648
80,913
86,617
92,256
100,643
105,402
2009
January ........................................................
2,227
237,902
2,070
225,490
738
102,577
Events
Initial
claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, February 2005 to January 2009,
not seasonally adjusted
Total
Date
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
2005
February ......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ..............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
810
806
1,373
986
1,157
1,981
645
1,662
905
1,254
2,323
74,644
88,937
158,582
101,358
120,463
244,216
67,582
213,281
91,941
116,127
254,258
722
733
1,263
891
941
1,745
598
1,505
757
1,079
2,168
68,372
83,793
148,133
93,332
103,307
222,377
63,484
179,042
80,694
102,182
242,753
230
246
395
249
216
856
188
318
249
363
706
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 ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ..............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,647
1,269
1,089
1,272
1,552
1,622
1,891
1,427
1,292
2,125
2,574
3,377
154,503
119,508
114,541
130,810
159,471
166,742
200,382
139,999
129,586
221,784
241,589
351,305
1,520
1,178
1,039
1,172
1,438
1,315
1,687
1,343
1,202
1,917
2,389
3,232
144,191
113,587
110,147
121,625
150,462
140,916
186,018
133,146
122,505
205,553
226,657
340,220
488
361
333
394
388
309
760
414
361
689
997
1,378
54,418
42,527
43,740
48,188
51,698
42,097
108,733
51,912
46,391
100,457
107,620
172,529
2009
January ........................................................
3,806
388,813
3,633
375,293
1,461
172,757
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
January
2008
November
2008
December
2008
January
2009
1,476
1,350
435
2,333
2,185
868
2,275
2,100
871
2,227
2,070
738
Total ............................................................
1,647
2,574
3,377
Total, private .......................................................
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting .........
Total, private nonfarm .......................................
Mining ..............................................................
Utilities .............................................................
Construction ....................................................
Manufacturing .................................................
Food ............................................................
Beverage and tobacco products .................
Textile mills .................................................
Textile product mills ....................................
Apparel ........................................................
Leather and allied products .........................
Wood products ............................................
Paper ...........................................................
Printing and related support activities .........
Petroleum and coal products ......................
2,502
113
2,389
22
3
382
997
71
9
19
10
16
3
93
28
14
11
3,278
46
3,232
43
6
544
1,378
77
12
44
7
22
4
86
34
20
12
Chemicals ...................................................
Plastics and rubber products .......................
Nonmetallic mineral products ......................
Primary metals ............................................
Fabricated metal products ...........................
Machinery ....................................................
Computer and electronic products ..............
Electrical equipment and appliances ...........
Transportation equipment ...........................
Furniture and related products ....................
Miscellaneous manufacturing ......................
1,592
72
1,520
8
(2)
198
488
57
7
13
8
17
(2)
46
6
11
(2)
10
37
38
16
40
23
18
7
86
34
9
20
74
55
74
104
62
40
27
190
55
22
23
136
89
83
145
75
53
51
352
37
16
Wholesale trade ..............................................
Retail trade ......................................................
Transportation and warehousing .....................
Information ......................................................
Finance and insurance ....................................
Real estate and rental and leasing ..................
Professional and technical services ................
Management of companies and enterprises ...
Administrative and waste services ..................
Educational services .......................................
Health care and social assistance ...................
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .................
Accommodation and food services .................
Other services, except public administration ...
Unclassified ....................................................
30
119
124
43
50
8
41
(2)
232
7
27
38
88
13
–
65
155
99
48
48
18
66
10
280
5
33
33
115
10
–
Government ........................................................
Federal ............................................................
State ................................................................
Local ................................................................
55
13
9
33
72
11
21
40
January
2008
November
2008
December
2008
January
2009
149,068
139,076
56,579
225,639
213,288
100,643
226,117
212,559
105,402
3,806
154,503
241,589
351,305
388,813
3,709
76
3,633
50
(2)
388
1,461
84
6
35
19
33
6
104
38
38
8
235,560
8,903
226,657
2,004
332
29,775
107,620
7,123
620
2,558
669
1,783
270
9,439
2,645
1,527
929
343,963
3,743
340,220
4,191
355
40,579
172,529
7,797
1,222
4,725
672
2,479
800
8,465
4,384
1,904
1,124
380,158
4,865
375,293
4,538
(2)
27,762
172,757
8,083
511
4,322
2,811
3,189
504
9,870
3,977
4,187
515
26
110
56
98
151
121
76
53
316
48
35
148,901
4,710
144,191
550
(2)
13,532
54,418
5,024
531
1,258
950
1,630
(2)
4,780
469
766
(2)
898
2,855
2,602
1,491
3,144
2,901
1,222
784
17,920
4,127
721
2,042
7,013
4,937
7,813
8,905
9,019
3,592
2,891
25,042
6,716
2,087
2,046
14,215
9,104
8,558
12,576
7,531
5,245
9,049
64,336
4,764
1,533
1,883
11,156
4,441
9,660
13,746
14,120
6,747
5,807
57,173
6,928
3,127
60
142
196
71
40
16
76
17
348
11
36
23
199
24
2
86
329
236
69
88
26
87
(2)
473
14
41
49
197
25
1
2,848
12,839
13,031
4,668
4,285
462
3,829
(2)
20,639
851
1,767
2,445
6,064
1,381
–
4,779
13,429
7,749
5,390
3,591
1,084
6,695
656
26,341
365
2,775
2,642
10,682
748
–
5,374
12,104
22,751
9,138
2,998
1,382
6,280
2,433
31,069
634
2,626
1,503
22,312
1,821
141
7,612
33,622
25,081
9,405
7,683
1,870
7,032
(2)
46,646
1,952
4,279
4,421
17,360
2,155
49
99
10
19
70
97
13
25
59
5,602
1,106
804
3,692
6,029
860
1,797
3,372
7,342
1,011
1,296
5,035
8,655
1,302
2,155
5,198
Seasonally adjusted
Total ..............................................................
Total, private nonfarm .......................................
Manufacturing .................................................
237,902
225,490
102,577
Not seasonally adjusted
1
1
Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
2
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2007 to January 2009,
not seasonally adjusted
Private nonfarm
Total mass layoffs
Date
Mass layoffs
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
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 ............................................
June ...........................................
1,272
1,552
1,622
130,810
159,471
166,742
1,172
1,438
1,315
121,625
150,462
140,916
Second Quarter .........................
4,446
457,023
3,925
413,003
July ............................................
August ........................................
September .................................
1,891
1,427
1,292
200,382
139,999
129,586
1,687
1,343
1,202
186,018
133,146
122,505
Third Quarter .............................
4,610
469,967
4,232
441,669
October ......................................
November ..................................
December ..................................
2,125
2,574
3,377
221,784
241,589
351,305
1,917
2,389
3,232
205,553
226,657
340,220
Fourth Quarter ...........................
8,076
814,678
7,538
772,430
3,806
388,813
3,633
375,293
Extended mass layoffs
lasting more than 30 days
Realization rates 1
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
1,110
199,250
35.4
61.3
1,421
259,234
43.2
74.5
1,018
173,077
33.7
54.5
1,814
r
347,151
39.5
70.0
1,340
r
259,084
35.9
r
70.4
1,756
r
339,184
44.7
r
82.1
1,582
r
300,337
r
37.4
r
68.0
p
41.7
p
60.0
2007
2008
r
2,p
3,140
2,p
463,715
2009
January ......................................
1
The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm
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.
r
= revised.
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
p
= preliminary.
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
January
2008
November
2008
December
2008
January
2009
United States 1 .........................................
1,647
2,574
3,377
3,806
Northeast ..........................................................
New England ................................................
Middle Atlantic ..............................................
349
30
319
314
40
274
491
70
421
South ................................................................
South Atlantic ...............................................
East South Central .......................................
West South Central ......................................
324
157
129
38
616
304
196
116
Midwest ............................................................
East North Central ........................................
West North Central .......................................
416
324
92
West .................................................................
Mountain .......................................................
Pacific ...........................................................
558
44
514
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,
January
2008
November
2008
December
2008
January
2009
154,503
241,589
351,305
388,813
787
97
690
32,949
2,056
30,893
28,791
3,505
25,286
44,901
7,024
37,877
77,142
8,414
68,728
815
362
296
157
1,052
574
279
199
32,769
15,997
13,585
3,187
56,608
25,648
19,725
11,235
94,307
33,456
42,388
18,463
115,630
58,892
32,215
24,523
824
645
179
1,278
961
317
1,024
821
203
42,229
33,964
8,265
85,730
65,287
20,443
146,155
108,017
38,138
114,195
93,852
20,343
820
126
694
793
139
654
943
149
794
46,556
3,757
42,799
70,460
11,050
59,410
65,942
12,780
53,162
81,846
12,657
69,189
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
January
2008
November
2008
December
2008
January
2009
Total 1 ..............................................
1,647
2,574
3,377
3,806
Alabama .............................................
Alaska .................................................
Arizona ...............................................
Arkansas .............................................
California ............................................
Colorado .............................................
Connecticut .........................................
Delaware ............................................
District of Columbia ............................
Florida .................................................
Georgia ...............................................
Hawaii .................................................
Idaho ...................................................
82
(2)
4
4
468
7
(2)
(2)
(2)
70
51
3
7
48
(2)
20
21
580
15
3
6
(2)
151
51
9
27
88
(2)
13
25
546
24
10
8
(2)
104
83
15
25
Illinois ..................................................
Indiana ................................................
Iowa ....................................................
Kansas ................................................
Kentucky .............................................
Louisiana ............................................
Maine ..................................................
Maryland .............................................
Massachusetts ....................................
Michigan .............................................
Minnesota ...........................................
Mississippi ..........................................
Missouri ..............................................
68
34
26
8
28
7
(2)
9
11
86
19
6
37
126
111
49
14
78
13
4
7
18
157
60
34
44
Montana ..............................................
Nebraska ............................................
Nevada ...............................................
New Hampshire ..................................
New Jersey .........................................
New Mexico ........................................
New York ............................................
North Carolina ....................................
North Dakota ......................................
Ohio ....................................................
Oklahoma ...........................................
Oregon ................................................
Pennsylvania ......................................
6
(2)
15
(2)
35
4
152
3
(2)
71
4
28
132
Rhode Island ......................................
South Carolina ....................................
South Dakota ......................................
Tennessee ..........................................
Texas ..................................................
Utah ....................................................
Vermont ..............................................
Virginia ................................................
Washington .........................................
West Virginia ......................................
Wisconsin ...........................................
Wyoming .............................................
9
12
Puerto Rico .........................................
1
2
–
13
23
(2)
4
8
14
(2)
65
–
10
November
2008
December
2008
154,503
241,589
351,305
388,813
100
10
24
13
651
24
14
5
(2)
235
137
14
21
10,160
(2)
290
293
38,715
654
(2)
(2)
(2)
5,366
4,718
217
496
5,289
(2)
1,603
2,026
47,690
1,162
186
415
(2)
10,582
4,970
641
2,298
14,160
(2)
1,213
2,517
43,265
2,023
799
817
(2)
6,931
8,508
1,650
2,347
10,588
788
1,941
1,462
54,153
1,814
1,349
1,052
(2)
19,301
16,654
998
1,746
202
156
82
38
131
17
7
15
38
248
67
27
107
130
117
64
21
80
29
18
31
33
229
41
25
62
9,106
2,955
3,163
490
2,304
739
(2)
708
791
7,004
1,751
324
2,664
11,564
13,420
8,213
1,321
9,210
1,093
451
828
1,459
14,657
5,442
2,736
3,087
25,885
16,762
10,005
7,949
21,570
2,430
530
1,002
4,289
24,508
7,374
2,399
10,625
13,443
10,734
7,353
2,447
12,492
3,396
1,618
2,535
2,782
26,453
3,289
2,353
5,239
11
4
33
4
46
9
79
34
5
120
18
60
149
8
12
41
4
80
16
111
33
8
224
20
51
230
14
5
33
7
90
13
279
41
(2)
199
21
76
321
579
(2)
1,151
(2)
2,613
473
18,636
350
(2)
9,352
317
2,769
9,644
1,226
450
2,992
311
5,665
554
7,366
3,410
1,631
11,680
1,708
7,259
12,255
630
1,334
4,303
255
6,910
1,170
10,511
3,314
666
27,836
3,210
4,413
20,456
1,491
1,070
2,805
465
7,179
822
31,893
4,149
(2)
27,971
2,772
9,005
29,656
–
7
84
3
50
95
12
4
27
40
6
131
17
102
6
74
136
19
8
15
43
7
146
(2)
562
1,991
–
820
9,381
185
4,259
10,306
1,094
331
2,782
3,663
416
13,026
1,526
10,703
530
6,782
16,893
1,978
674
3,313
4,245
1,127
15,251
(2)
29
1,120
36
3
36
64
10
11
16
44
(2)
131
(2)
14
See footnote 1, table 3.
Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
–
16
January
2008
–
797
1,838
(2)
248
1,027
1,047
(2)
5,547
–
3,916
299
2,490
6,408
1,161
1,098
1,316
3,724
(2)
13,966
(2)
1,686
–
1,285
January
2009
2,992