USDL-10-0362
For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 • [email protected] • www.bls.gov/mls
Media contact:
(202) 691-5902 • [email protected]
MASS LAYOFFS – FEBRUARY 2010
Employers took 1,570 mass layoff actions in February that resulted in the separation of 155,718
workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during
the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons
from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in February fell by 191 from the prior month,
and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 26,543. Both events and initial claims have
decreased in 5 out of the last 6 months. In February, 376 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 43,100 initial claims. Both figures declined over the
month to their lowest levels since August 2007. (See table 1.)
Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,
March 2005-February 2010
Events
3,500
Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,
March 2005-February 2010
Claims
350,000
3,000
300,000
2,500
250,000
2,000
200,000
150,000
1,500
100,000
1,000
500
Total
Total
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
50,000
0
0
During the 27 months from December 2007 through February 2010, the total number of mass layoff
events (seasonally adjusted) was 55,309, and the associated number of initial claims was 5,580,819.
(December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic
Research.)
The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in February 2010, seasonally adjusted, unchanged from
the prior month but up from 8.2 percent a year earlier. In February, nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 36,000 over the month and by 3,297,000 from a year earlier.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The number of mass layoff events in February was 1,183 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the number
of associated initial claims was 102,818. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events decreased by
Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in February 2010,
not seasonally adjusted
February peak
Industry
Initial claims
Year
Initial claims
1
Temporary help services ..................................
6,152
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing .........
1
Professional employer organizations .................
School and employee bus transportation .............
Supermarkets and other grocery stores ..............
Managing offices ................................................
Food service contractors ...................................
Motion picture and video production ..................
Automobile manufacturing ..................................
Highway, street, and bridge construction ............
1
2
2001
18,893
( )
2010
( )
3,081
2,629
2,470
1,990
1,873
1,864
1,857
1,699
2009
2008
2010
2010
2009
2002
2001
2003
6,452
4,254
2,470
1,990
2,580
5,844
13,977
3,316
2
2
See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.
Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
1,079, and associated initial claims decreased by 115,620. (See table 2.) Fifteen of the 19 major industry sectors in the private economy reported over-the-year decreases in initial claimants, led by manufacturing (-72,860). (See table 3.)
The manufacturing sector accounted for 24 percent of all mass layoff events and 30 percent of initial
claims filed in February 2010. A year earlier, manufacturing made up 42 percent of events and 47 percent of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in February was greatest in transportation equipment, followed by food, machinery, and wood products. All 21 manufacturing subsectors experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by machinery (-12,455) and
transportation equipment (-12,336). (See table 3.)
The six-digit industry with the largest number of initial claims in February 2010 was temporary help
services. (See table A.) Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial
claims, light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing; supermarkets and other grocery stores; and
managing offices reached program highs for the month of February. (Data begin in April 1995.)
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
All regions and all divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims due to mass layoffs in
February. Among the 4 census regions, the Midwest (-43,845) and West (-35,488) registered the largest
over-the-year reductions in initial claims. Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (-5,914)
and the Pacific (-28,383) had the largest over-the-year declines in initial claims. (See table 5.)
California recorded the highest number of initial claims in February, followed by Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and New York. Forty-five states and the District of Columbia experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by California (-22,366), Illinois (-15,158), and Wisconsin (-6,914). (See
table 6.) In 2010, five states reached or matched February program lows for average weekly initial
-2-
claims: Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Dakota. (Average weekly analysis
mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.)
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 Mass Layoffs in March 2010 news release is scheduled to be released on Friday, April 23,
2010, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).
-3-
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; Federal Relay Service: (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, March 2006 to February 2010,
seasonally adjusted
Total
Date
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
2006
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,069
1,189
1,121
1,150
1,182
1,238
1,154
1,208
1,244
1,227
117,725
123,056
117,834
125,318
121,056
135,707
124,200
123,691
135,465
134,176
965
1,055
1,003
1,039
1,056
1,104
1,043
1,094
1,128
1,123
109,241
112,922
107,929
115,883
111,432
125,704
115,261
115,102
125,976
124,570
312
352
302
349
373
372
393
409
413
376
45,687
48,731
40,703
43,476
51,691
58,962
45,972
53,957
58,509
51,403
2007
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,264
1,191
1,225
1,268
1,172
1,241
1,274
1,247
1,255
1,370
1,415
1,569
130,834
121,289
126,391
129,098
118,648
131,394
130,331
126,108
123,632
137,108
148,952
155,095
1,113
1,075
1,113
1,135
1,070
1,125
1,169
1,158
1,160
1,248
1,289
1,448
119,874
112,607
117,760
118,175
111,103
122,123
122,381
118,575
116,744
128,387
139,665
145,666
404
374
386
362
345
338
403
323
436
449
424
483
55,217
54,581
48,298
43,205
44,391
37,931
55,973
34,902
51,814
58,360
58,543
60,368
2008
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
1,481
1,578
1,487
1,327
1,604
1,674
1,531
1,845
2,222
2,287
2,489
2,461
151,269
162,152
151,539
133,318
170,619
170,329
152,447
189,798
235,755
239,768
240,181
243,505
1,348
1,432
1,372
1,201
1,465
1,523
1,389
1,711
2,049
2,125
2,334
2,277
140,570
150,712
141,574
122,651
160,529
158,084
141,707
179,737
220,832
226,098
227,368
229,171
436
470
436
460
468
501
461
607
634
721
929
962
57,147
60,276
56,919
59,377
62,345
68,403
61,417
78,172
81,989
95,301
107,072
115,961
2009
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
2,279
2,737
2,913
2,663
2,794
2,598
2,039
2,480
2,326
2,055
1,813
1,726
251,807
289,162
295,970
263,162
306,788
260,596
196,578
238,911
221,639
205,502
163,823
153,127
2,115
2,592
2,715
2,461
2,589
2,371
1,818
2,244
2,109
1,856
1,650
1,542
238,990
274,040
279,671
247,329
289,012
241,864
176,542
218,425
204,462
187,880
151,810
138,747
764
1,186
1,202
1,033
1,183
1,072
565
798
783
594
485
433
109,124
141,264
146,381
125,093
145,166
135,844
66,918
87,201
90,440
65,801
54,858
44,072
2010
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
1,761
1,570
182,261
155,718
1,585
1,406
168,466
142,240
486
376
62,556
43,100
Events
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, March 2006 to February 2010,
not seasonally adjusted
Total
Date
Private nonfarm
Manufacturing
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
2006
March ...........................................................
April ..............................................................
May ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
921
1,140
872
1,489
1,511
708
865
964
1,315
2,249
111,838
121,589
84,809
164,761
166,857
72,844
87,699
98,804
136,186
254,503
856
1,038
794
1,224
1,335
656
785
820
1,172
2,126
106,177
112,964
78,663
140,687
154,342
69,054
81,274
88,133
125,009
244,783
285
296
192
319
648
203
296
311
455
735
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 ..............................................................
June .............................................................
July ...............................................................
August ..........................................................
September ...................................................
October ........................................................
November ....................................................
December ....................................................
3,806
2,262
2,191
2,547
2,738
2,519
3,054
1,428
1,371
1,934
1,870
2,310
388,813
218,438
228,387
256,930
289,628
256,357
336,654
125,024
123,177
193,904
164,496
214,648
3,633
2,173
2,107
2,385
2,572
2,051
2,659
1,334
1,258
1,678
1,679
2,166
375,293
210,755
221,397
243,321
274,047
216,063
296,589
117,193
115,141
172,883
150,751
203,655
1,461
945
940
887
1,005
674
1,133
436
448
566
517
615
172,757
103,588
114,747
100,872
123,683
85,726
154,208
41,151
51,126
69,655
55,053
64,540
2010
January ........................................................
February .......................................................
2,860
1,183
278,679
102,818
2,682
1,091
265,074
96,022
962
282
104,846
30,728
Events
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
Initial claimants for
unemployment insurance
Mass layoff events
Industry
February
2009
December
2009
January
2010
February
2010
February
2009
December
2009
2,737
2,592
1,186
1,726
1,542
433
1,761
1,585
486
Total 1 ......................................................................
2,262
2,310
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 ................................
2,215
42
2,173
35
2,219
53
2,166
34
6
485
615
63
5
14
3
19
5
40
12
14
10
10
35
59
34
54
53
23
19
106
28
9
23
62
44
56
99
89
37
33
175
48
10
67
259
212
84
47
(2)
71
15
326
18
46
35
163
20
–
(2)
27
128
51
40
32
9
33
6
191
4
31
16
61
8
1
121
8
37
76
55
8
12
35
January
2010
February
2010
1,570
1,406
376
289,162
274,040
141,264
153,127
138,747
44,072
2,860
1,183
218,438
2,739
57
2,682
20
1,128
37
1,091
5
–
166
282
45
6
5
5
4
213,548
2,793
210,755
3,379
(2)
27
10
12
(2)
5,348
3,129
1,758
(2)
9
10
12
9
12
20
18
12
45
16
(2)
1,806
4,878
2,788
6,523
8,735
14,921
7,439
5,399
22,440
6,333
1,607
768
3,487
4,990
3,456
4,387
6,827
1,429
2,191
13,537
4,617
888
2,058
5,466
3,131
5,734
9,256
12,322
4,239
3,360
23,150
5,088
1,170
5,310
28,109
23,788
12,581
3,681
(2)
2,032
655
8,080
1,083
–
3,858
12,300
17,909
7,042
2,357
763
3,746
545
21,653
755
2,653
1,734
23,507
1,171
153
(2)
6,390
1,462
30,020
2,460
3,019
2,860
12,838
1,458
–
(2)
1,754
10,802
5,372
3,753
2,671
622
2,292
1,990
13,594
242
2,118
1,419
5,044
552
108
4,890
533
1,804
2,553
7,718
921
2,560
4,237
10,084
698
3,278
6,108
4,577
631
947
2,999
Seasonally adjusted
Total ........................................................................
Total, private nonfarm .................................................
Manufacturing ...........................................................
182,261
168,466
62,556
155,718
142,240
43,100
214,648
278,679
102,818
206,930
3,275
203,655
2,807
444
35,718
64,540
6,447
396
2,242
300
1,661
324
3,218
850
1,659
866
268,595
3,521
265,074
1,561
98,241
2,219
96,022
761
–
12,200
30,728
4,031
407
431
557
265
Not seasonally adjusted
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 ...............................
(2)
199
945
57
8
19
8
16
(2)
57
34
21
(2)
20
48
40
59
99
106
78
35
171
44
20
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 ...............................................................
(2)
33
10
95
18
–
50
121
157
51
30
12
47
5
253
12
38
19
214
16
1
Government ..................................................................
Federal ......................................................................
State ..........................................................................
Local .........................................................................
47
7
17
23
91
11
26
54
1
2
62
193
80
72
74
17
82
14
235
Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
(2)
328
962
93
13
28
18
23
3
62
16
23
7
(2)
14,040
103,588
5,379
606
1,833
769
1,545
4,243
17,538
7,864
8,476
5,685
1,083
7,895
990
23,566
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
(2)
24,148
104,846
9,134
839
3,807
2,503
2,128
499
6,657
1,421
2,415
469
(2)
1,850
721
960
(2)
872
1,014
794
981
681
2,466
1,538
1,386
10,104
1,346
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2008 to February 2010,
not seasonally adjusted
Private nonfarm
Total mass layoffs
Date
Mass layoffs
Events
Initial
claimants
Events
Initial
claimants
Extended mass layoffs
lasting more than 30 days
Realization rates 1
Events
Initial
claimants
1,340
259,292
35.9
70.5
1,756
339,630
44.7
82.2
1,581
304,340
37.4
68.9
3,582
766,780
47.5
99.3
3,979
835,420
50.3
103.5
3,395
730,946
48.4
99.7
2,035
402,927
38.8
76.2
Events
Initial
claimants
2008
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 ............................................
June ...........................................
2,547
2,738
2,519
256,930
289,628
256,357
2,385
2,572
2,051
243,321
274,047
216,063
Second Quarter .........................
7,804
802,915
7,008
733,431
July ............................................
August ........................................
September .................................
3,054
1,428
1,371
336,654
125,024
123,177
2,659
1,334
1,258
296,589
117,193
115,141
Third Quarter .............................
5,853
584,855
5,251
528,923
October ......................................
November ..................................
December ..................................
1,934
1,870
2,310
193,904
164,496
214,648
1,678
1,679
2,166
172,883
150,751
203,655
Fourth Quarter ...........................
6,114
573,048
5,523
527,289
2,860
1,183
278,679
102,818
2,682
1,091
265,074
96,022
2009
2,p
2,043
2,p
292,696
p
37.0
p
55.5
2010
January ......................................
February ....................................
1
The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm
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.
2
These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more
with such events increases by 25-40 percent.
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
February
2009
December
2009
January
2010
February
2010
United States 1 .........................................
2,262
2,310
2,860
Northeast .........................................................
New England ................................................
Middle Atlantic ..............................................
348
78
270
461
71
390
South ................................................................
South Atlantic ...............................................
East South Central .......................................
West South Central ......................................
624
295
172
157
Midwest ............................................................
East North Central .......................................
West North Central ......................................
West .................................................................
Mountain ......................................................
Pacific ..........................................................
1
February
2009
December
2009
1,183
218,438
214,648
278,679
102,818
593
70
523
215
39
176
32,131
7,744
24,387
41,913
6,743
35,170
58,748
6,503
52,245
21,705
4,682
17,023
494
284
115
95
753
404
220
129
319
178
69
72
55,542
23,842
17,840
13,860
48,248
25,236
13,749
9,263
74,105
37,846
23,085
13,174
29,681
13,052
9,917
6,712
561
434
127
739
508
231
807
604
203
221
169
52
64,973
52,690
12,283
76,826
51,903
24,923
83,185
63,706
19,479
21,128
16,776
4,352
729
128
601
616
126
490
707
94
613
428
58
370
65,792
11,381
54,411
47,661
10,700
36,961
62,641
8,992
53,649
30,304
4,276
26,028
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
2010
February
2010
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
February
2009
December
2009
January
2010
February
2010
Total 1 ..............................................
2,262
2,310
2,860
1,183
218,438
214,648
278,679
102,818
Alabama ..............................................
Alaska .................................................
Arizona ................................................
Arkansas .............................................
California .............................................
Colorado .............................................
Connecticut .........................................
Delaware .............................................
District of Columbia .............................
Florida .................................................
Georgia ...............................................
Hawaii .................................................
Idaho ...................................................
33
7
23
6
515
15
12
4
93
9
17
9
533
13
6
4
17
3
8
4,690
557
2,185
1,156
45,557
1,237
824
484
1,758
267
700
(2)
141
83
9
11
(2)
87
34
(2)
9,779
3,830
1,211
591
4,592
650
817
581
30,229
1,941
890
266
301
7,715
5,244
637
1,099
11,204
713
1,502
1,433
46,474
1,301
406
287
(2)
155
45
15
10
36
7
9
7
412
24
8
5
4
96
56
7
16
(2)
9,909
8,861
735
1,068
(2)
5,523
2,708
Illinois ..................................................
Indiana ................................................
Iowa ....................................................
Kansas ................................................
Kentucky .............................................
Louisiana ............................................
Maine ..................................................
Maryland .............................................
Massachusetts ....................................
Michigan .............................................
Minnesota ...........................................
Mississippi ..........................................
Missouri ..............................................
115
59
33
18
78
19
4
11
32
79
24
8
38
142
57
51
28
44
22
3
16
28
119
45
12
86
112
59
54
27
76
18
8
29
27
144
36
11
74
40
22
13
19,469
6,776
4,374
1,582
8,794
1,498
348
800
2,873
7,392
1,777
458
3,538
17,639
6,256
6,087
4,878
5,013
1,641
204
1,251
2,990
10,913
3,690
1,000
8,373
11,615
6,470
6,647
2,432
8,044
1,566
789
2,586
2,341
16,035
3,614
735
5,567
4,311
1,907
1,122
Montana ..............................................
Nebraska ............................................
Nevada ...............................................
New Hampshire ..................................
New Jersey .........................................
New Mexico ........................................
New York ............................................
North Carolina .....................................
North Dakota .......................................
Ohio ....................................................
Oklahoma ...........................................
Oregon ................................................
Pennsylvania ......................................
11
7
43
9
47
13
82
34
3
91
19
43
141
12
12
36
11
67
12
126
18
7
91
10
29
197
9
7
26
12
87
8
236
27
4
145
17
35
200
753
500
3,881
1,020
3,777
1,868
8,927
3,833
207
9,065
1,437
5,321
11,683
896
1,166
3,677
867
6,716
954
12,704
1,455
595
8,888
893
2,617
15,750
1,012
548
2,463
962
7,506
560
28,309
2,072
595
14,121
1,666
3,730
16,430
( )
3,790
306
1,571
8,782
Rhode Island .......................................
South Carolina ....................................
South Dakota ......................................
Tennessee ..........................................
Texas ..................................................
Utah ....................................................
Vermont ..............................................
Virginia ................................................
Washington .........................................
West Virginia .......................................
Wisconsin ...........................................
Wyoming .............................................
9
33
4
53
113
11
12
8
21
3
90
6
45
13
67
713
4,780
1,696
7,274
1,545
886
(2)
23
56
16
15
40
35
4
99
(2)
40
85
10
4
49
27
(2)
3,144
6,148
1,256
1,079
3,903
2,828
321
8,207
(2)
3,102
8,509
1,086
309
6,570
1,997
(2)
144
( )
6
22
11
5
40
1,291
3,471
305
3,898
9,769
753
1,388
786
1,765
681
9,988
(2)
–
(2)
(2)
(2)
–
(2)
2,282
1,093
1,892
2,459
Puerto Rico .........................................
1
2
(2)
28
11
See footnote 1, table 3.
Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
19
2
( )
335
10
10
5
(2)
11
–
32
12
2
( )
7
8
32
13
5
24
4
2
( )
16
7
16
6
52
5
2
( )
35
3
19
108
7
11
–
15
56
2
21
February
2009
December
2009
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
January
2010
(2)
15,465
February
2010
2
( )
23,191
706
847
378
(2)
709
–
6,844
1,442
2
( )
724
646
3,694
1,456
282
1,667
258
2
( )
1,331
1,095
1,408
391
6,833
451
2
–
1,033
4,894
2
( )
483
1,704
769
509
3,074