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 09-0703
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
MASS LAYOFFS IN MAY 2009
Employers took 2,933 mass layoff actions in May that resulted in the separation of 312,880
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 May increased by 221 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 41,654.
Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 1,232 and associated initial claims increased by 132,322. Initial claims rose to its highest level on record, while events matched the peak
level from March 2009, with data available back to 1995. In May, 1,331 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 165,802 initial claims. Over the
year, manufacturing events and initial claims more than doubled. (See table 1.)
Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,
June 2004-May 2009
Events
3,500
Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,
June 2004-May 2009
Claims
350,000
3,000
300,000
2,500
250,000
Total
2,000
200,000
150,000
1,500
1,000
500
Total
Private nonfarm
100,000
Manufacturing
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
50,000
0
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
During the 18 months from December 2007 through May 2009, the total number of mass layoff
events (seasonally adjusted) was 37,059, and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was
3,811,307. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of
Economic Research.)
The national unemployment rate was 9.4 percent in May 2009, seasonally adjusted, up from 8.9
percent the prior month and from 5.5 percent a year earlier. In May, total nonfarm payroll employment
decreased by 345,000 over the month and by 5,366,000 from a year earlier.
2
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in May 2009,
not seasonally adjusted
May peak
Industry
Initial claims
Year
Initial claims
1
Temporary help services ...................................
Automobile manufacturing ..................................
Food service contractors ......................................
Professional employer organizations 1 ................
Child day care services ........................................
All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing .......
Motor vehicle power train components mfg. ......
Motion picture and video production ..................
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing .....
Department stores, except discount .....................
1
16,658
14,004
11,216
5,898
4,396
3,985
3,900
3,602
3,570
3,379
2002
2009
2009
2009
2008
2009
2009
1999
2009
2009
16,992
14,004
11,216
5,898
4,541
3,985
3,900
8,985
3,570
3,379
See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in May was 2,738, and the number of associated initial claims
was 289,628. (See table 2.) Over the year, increases were recorded in both the number of mass layoff
events (+1,186) and initial claims (+130,157). This year, both average weekly events and initial
claimants reached their highest May levels in program history; data are available back to 1995.
(Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.)
Eleven of the 19 major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial
claimants for the month of May—mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade;
finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; management of companies and enterprises;
administrative and waste services; health care and social assistance; and accommodation and food
services. Government also reported a program high in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the
month of May.
The manufacturing sector accounted for 37 percent of all mass layoff events and 43 percent of
initial claims filed in May 2009; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 25 percent of events and 32
percent of initial claims. This May, the number of manufacturing claimants was greatest in transportation equipment (46,816) and machinery (12,472). (See table 3.) The administrative and waste
services sector accounted for 11 percent of mass layoff events and associated initial claims during the
month.
Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims, 7 reached their
May peak: automobile manufacturing; light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing; motor vehicle
power train components manufacturing; all other motor vehicle parts manufacturing; department stores,
except discount; professional employer organizations; and food service contractors. The industry with
the largest number of initial claims was temporary help services (16,658). (See table A.)
3
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Of the 4 census regions, the Midwest registered the highest number of initial claims in May due to
mass layoffs (105,264), followed by the South (72,375) and the West (70,576). (See table 5.) Initial
claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the year in all 4 regions, with the Midwest (+59,802)
and the South (+29,543) experiencing the largest increases. In 2009, all regions except the West reported their highest May levels of average weekly initial claims in program history.
Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (84,281) had the highest number of initial
claims due to mass layoffs in May, followed by the Pacific (57,286) and the Middle Atlantic (35,548).
(See table 5.) All divisions experienced over-the-year increases in initial claims, led by the East North
Central (+47,949), the South Atlantic (+18,356), and the Pacific (+17,276). This year, 6 of the 9 divisions—all except New England, West South Central, and Pacific—reached May program highs in terms
of average weekly initial claims.
California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in May
with 47,091. The states with the next highest number of mass layoff initial claims were Michigan
(26,344), Pennsylvania (20,392), and Illinois (19,717). (See table 6.) Forty-four states and the District
of Columbia registered over-the-year increases in initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by
Michigan (+18,205), California (+13,006), Illinois (+11,659), and Pennsylvania (+11,417). In 2009, 30
states reached program highs in average weekly initial claims for the month of May—Alaska, Arizona,
Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan,
Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and
Wyoming.
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 June 2009 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, 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:
1-800-877-8339.
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).
Industry. Employers are classified according to the
2007 version of the North American Industry Classification
System (NAICS). For temporary help and professional
employer organization industries, monthly MLS-related
statistics generally reflect layoffs related to underlying client
companies in other industries. An individual layoff action at
a client company can be small, but when initial claimants
associated with many such layoffs are assigned to a temporary help or professional employer organization firm, a
mass layoff event may trigger.
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.
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 1 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 2005 to May 2009,
seasonally adjusted
Total
Date
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
2005
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,196
1,241
1,143
2,250
1,109
1,162
1,263
126,416
130,331
125,536
296,913
111,202
113,502
136,751
1,082
1,094
1,000
2,035
991
1,027
1,135
117,568
117,510
113,465
252,291
102,111
102,058
125,700
367
354
342
420
320
325
358
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 ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
2,227
2,769
2,933
2,712
2,933
237,902
295,477
299,388
271,226
312,880
2,070
2,628
2,751
2,519
2,736
225,490
281,500
283,989
256,111
296,108
738
1,235
1,259
1,111
1,331
102,577
152,618
155,909
135,252
165,802
Events
Initial
claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, June 2005 to May 2009,
not seasonally adjusted
Total
Date
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
2005
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,157
1,981
645
1,662
905
1,254
2,323
120,463
244,216
67,582
213,281
91,941
116,127
254,258
941
1,745
598
1,505
757
1,079
2,168
103,307
222,377
63,484
179,042
80,694
102,182
242,753
216
856
188
318
249
363
706
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 ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
3,806
2,262
2,191
2,547
2,738
388,813
218,438
228,387
256,930
289,628
3,633
2,173
2,107
2,385
2,572
375,293
210,755
221,397
243,321
274,047
1,461
945
940
887
1,005
172,757
103,588
114,747
100,872
123,683
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
2008
March
2009
April
2009
May
2009
May
2008
March
2009
April
2009
May
2009
1,701
1,563
538
2,933
2,751
1,259
2,712
2,519
1,111
2,933
2,736
1,331
180,558
170,538
75,520
299,388
283,989
155,909
271,226
256,111
135,252
312,880
296,108
165,802
Total ............................................................
1,552
2,191
2,547
2,738
159,471
228,387
256,930
289,628
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 .......................
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 ......................
1,467
29
1,438
5
4
167
388
48
5
6
8
14
(2)
24
11
9
(2)
9
21
14
9
29
25
14
13
101
20
5
2,140
33
2,107
31
3
166
940
63
9
29
6
9
(2)
62
27
23
(2)
21
60
46
71
88
110
68
47
155
24
19
2,464
79
2,385
39
(2)
194
887
81
(2)
16
9
19
(2)
39
26
25
(2)
21
51
34
70
97
100
69
43
148
21
14
2,599
27
2,572
32
4
255
1,005
65
7
13
8
17
(2)
43
30
34
(2)
23
52
35
77
100
118
60
37
238
24
17
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
3,758
1,250
1,845
21,667
3,285
445
223,981
2,584
221,397
3,751
234
11,612
114,747
6,077
1,305
3,108
554
883
(2)
5,799
2,749
2,124
(2)
1,746
6,151
4,095
8,681
8,186
18,081
8,130
6,476
26,012
3,020
1,354
250,548
7,227
243,321
3,267
(2)
13,490
100,872
8,371
(2)
2,409
765
1,610
(2)
3,437
2,584
2,275
(2)
1,453
6,393
3,192
8,636
7,698
18,614
5,770
5,169
19,246
1,783
1,118
276,113
2,066
274,047
3,057
466
19,684
123,683
7,211
607
1,059
775
1,360
(2)
4,219
3,854
3,521
(2)
2,146
5,187
2,388
8,785
9,483
12,472
5,732
3,506
46,816
2,568
1,402
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 ....................................................
21
109
99
56
38
6
66
4
192
6
85
32
122
38
–
59
178
91
75
57
16
81
10
227
8
24
17
115
9
–
55
153
231
75
67
13
97
10
300
(2)
49
47
134
23
1
64
202
89
67
71
14
83
12
310
10
87
37
189
41
–
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
–
4,696
19,491
8,809
8,559
4,469
980
7,191
923
18,762
467
1,820
1,259
13,090
537
–
4,343
16,211
28,962
7,934
6,220
1,078
10,085
854
25,498
(2)
3,343
4,074
13,168
2,168
86
6,022
18,360
7,835
9,132
6,374
985
7,030
1,329
32,973
758
8,402
2,676
21,484
3,797
–
Government .........................................................
Federal ............................................................
State ................................................................
Local ................................................................
85
16
14
55
51
5
11
35
83
6
20
57
139
37
25
77
6,961
1,656
867
4,438
4,406
470
1,066
2,870
6,382
461
1,631
4,290
13,515
4,585
2,185
6,745
Seasonally adjusted
Total ...............................................................
Total, private nonfarm ........................................
Manufacturing ..................................................
Not seasonally adjusted
1
1
2
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.
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2007 to May 2009,
not seasonally adjusted
Private nonfarm
Total mass layoffs
Date
Mass layoffs
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
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
January ......................................
February ....................................
March .........................................
3,806
2,262
2,191
388,813
218,438
228,387
3,633
2,173
2,107
375,293
210,755
221,397
First Quarter ...............................
8,259
835,638
7,913
807,445
April ............................................
May ............................................
2,547
2,738
256,930
289,628
2,385
2,572
243,321
274,047
Extended mass layoffs
lasting more than 30 days
Realization rates 1
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
1,421
259,234
43.2
74.5
1,018
173,077
33.7
54.5
1,814
347,151
39.5
70.0
1,340
259,292
35.9
70.5
1,756
339,574
44.7
82.2
1,582
303,774
37.4
68.8
3,585
762,737
47.6
98.7
Events
2007
2008
2009
1
The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm
2,p
3,489
2,p
542,023
p
44.1
p
67.1
data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the
mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization
number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards
rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants
by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated
associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days.
with such events increases by 25-40 percent.
2
These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more
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
May
2008
March
2009
April
2009
May
2009
May
2008
March
2009
April
2009
May
2009
United States 1 .........................................
1,552
2,191
2,547
2,738
159,471
228,387
256,930
289,628
Northeast ..........................................................
New England ................................................
Middle Atlantic ..............................................
266
32
234
317
68
249
504
88
416
451
67
384
25,619
3,218
22,401
29,493
7,021
22,472
56,253
9,192
47,061
41,413
5,865
35,548
South ................................................................
South Atlantic ...............................................
East South Central .......................................
West South Central ......................................
402
199
116
87
589
276
158
155
655
368
160
127
742
370
171
201
42,832
15,761
16,810
10,261
61,432
27,819
15,629
17,984
62,714
33,338
16,166
13,210
72,375
34,117
18,081
20,177
Midwest ............................................................
East North Central ........................................
West North Central .......................................
390
312
78
607
466
141
608
482
126
826
649
177
45,462
36,332
9,130
81,957
64,595
17,362
72,383
60,241
12,142
105,264
84,281
20,983
West .................................................................
Mountain .......................................................
Pacific ...........................................................
494
62
432
678
109
569
780
125
655
719
135
584
45,558
5,548
40,010
55,505
10,991
44,514
65,580
11,993
53,587
70,576
13,290
57,286
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
2008
March
2009
April
2009
May
2009
May
2008
March
2009
April
2009
May
2009
Total 1 ..............................................
1,552
2,191
2,547
2,738
159,471
228,387
256,930
289,628
Alabama .............................................
Alaska .................................................
Arizona ...............................................
Arkansas .............................................
California ............................................
Colorado .............................................
Connecticut .........................................
Delaware ............................................
District of Columbia ............................
Florida .................................................
Georgia ...............................................
Hawaii .................................................
Idaho ...................................................
35
(2)
9
7
382
8
11
3
(2)
125
32
11
12
45
(2)
22
10
498
13
11
4
(2)
107
46
5
16
27
5
41
12
567
19
11
11
(2)
152
50
10
10
40
12
28
18
487
15
17
3
(2)
181
56
8
9
4,044
(2)
872
648
34,085
930
924
203
(2)
8,841
3,170
1,118
1,131
4,985
(2)
2,483
806
38,130
1,578
928
509
(2)
8,594
4,152
376
1,664
2,745
828
4,985
1,057
43,675
1,696
884
988
(2)
11,010
6,006
934
754
4,037
1,230
2,484
2,319
47,091
1,762
1,389
172
(2)
12,446
5,187
900
680
Illinois ..................................................
Indiana ................................................
Iowa ....................................................
Kansas ................................................
Kentucky .............................................
Louisiana ............................................
Maine ..................................................
Maryland .............................................
Massachusetts ....................................
Michigan .............................................
Minnesota ...........................................
Mississippi ..........................................
Missouri ..............................................
59
44
12
12
39
22
4
9
85
10
18
35
105
80
30
7
83
27
6
12
38
74
35
15
46
135
86
31
31
85
35
7
10
23
180
38
9
54
8,058
4,943
3,033
893
8,666
3,101
–
109
68
38
19
72
16
9
8
25
87
30
12
42
318
946
8,139
1,075
1,682
3,298
18,096
10,781
6,140
2,259
7,861
1,411
835
531
2,422
11,121
3,665
745
3,430
17,550
9,659
2,636
737
9,194
2,670
493
1,115
3,770
7,139
3,103
1,350
4,719
19,717
10,416
4,379
3,551
9,894
3,160
644
1,201
2,281
26,344
4,224
726
6,336
Montana ..............................................
Nebraska ............................................
Nevada ...............................................
New Hampshire ..................................
New Jersey .........................................
New Mexico ........................................
New York ............................................
North Carolina ....................................
North Dakota ......................................
Ohio ....................................................
Oklahoma ...........................................
Oregon ................................................
Pennsylvania ......................................
6
5
14
5
38
9
95
9
(2)
67
3
24
101
7
(2)
27
9
39
9
70
44
4
93
17
42
140
4
4
26
10
66
14
182
28
(2)
115
14
43
168
7
13
52
7
45
13
112
33
8
145
13
41
227
437
413
1,057
384
3,813
690
9,613
1,163
(2)
7,621
624
3,449
8,975
667
(2)
2,351
1,213
3,217
858
6,974
6,277
1,259
13,067
1,483
4,118
12,281
335
390
2,123
848
7,334
909
24,349
2,582
(2)
14,791
2,464
5,554
15,378
856
1,306
5,297
526
4,394
1,089
10,762
5,351
869
16,920
1,772
4,775
20,392
Rhode Island ......................................
South Carolina ....................................
South Dakota ......................................
Tennessee ..........................................
Texas ..................................................
Utah ....................................................
Vermont ..............................................
Virginia ................................................
Washington .........................................
West Virginia ......................................
Wisconsin ...........................................
Wyoming .............................................
3
11
(2)
24
55
4
4
11
13
3
57
9
48
5
29
112
14
5
14
23
4
109
(2)
8
60
(2)
35
74
10
15
42
30
12
108
(2)
7
31
(2)
37
135
10
6
49
36
5
103
(2)
243
809
(2)
2,418
5,888
431
721
904
1,211
277
7,571
889
6,157
323
2,038
14,284
1,313
734
1,229
1,833
301
11,530
(2)
1,649
6,482
(2)
2,877
7,019
1,055
1,548
4,052
2,596
1,028
11,102
(2)
563
3,021
(2)
3,424
12,926
1,020
462
6,168
3,290
429
10,884
(2)
Puerto Rico .........................................
17
22
13
23
2,626
2,035
1,321
2,830
–
1
See footnote 1, table 3.
2
Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
–
–
NOTE: Dash represents zero.