1

MASS LAYOFFS IN MARCH 2008

In March, employers took 1,571 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for

unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of

Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer; the number of

workers involved totaled 157,156, on a seasonally adjusted basis. March layoff events and associated initial

claimants were the highest for the month of March since 2003. The number of mass layoff events in March

2008 decreased by 101 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims decreased by

20,218. However, the seasonally adjusted figures for February 2008 mass layoff events and initial claims

were inflated due to an unusual calendar effect. (See the box note on page 3 of this news release.) In

March, 482 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in

64,088 initial claims. Over the month, mass layoff activity in manufacturing decreased by 47 events, and

initial claims decreased by 2,825. (See table 1.)

The national unemployment rate was 5.1 percent in March, seasonally adjusted, up from 4.8 percent in

the prior month and from 4.4 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by

80,000 in March from the previous month, but increased by 536,000 from a year earlier.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in March 2008 was 1,089 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the

number of associated initial claims was 114,541. (See table 2.) The average weekly number of events in

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 08-0557

http://www.bls.gov/mls/

For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, April 23, 2008

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

April 2003-March 2008

2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

2008

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

April 2003-March 2008

2008

N

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

ews United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

Industry

Initial claims

March peak

Year

Initial claims

Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in March 2008

March 2008 was 272 compared with 216 in March 2007. The average weekly initial claimants increased

from 24,795 to 28,635. The weekly average number of events reached the highest level for the month of

March since 2003, while the weekly average number of initial claims reached its highest level for the month

since 2002. (The weekly averages of events and claims are calculated by dividing the total events and claims

for the month by the number of weeks in the month—4 in March 2008 versus 5 in March 2007.)

The largest over-the-year increases in March 2008 average weekly initial claims associated with mass

layoffs occurred in transit and ground passenger transportation (+1,275), food manufacturing (+709), and

food services and drinking places (+350). The largest decreases occurred in administrative and support

services (-502), transportation equipment manufacturing (-300), and computer and electronic products

manufacturing (-283).

The manufacturing sector accounted for 31 percent of all mass layoff events and 38 percent of all related

initial claims filed in March; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 34 percent of events and 40 percent of

initial claims. In March 2008, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation equipment

manufacturing (14,318, largely in light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing), followed by food manufacturing

(7,705, mainly in frozen fruit and vegetable manufacturing). (See table 3.)

Transportation and warehousing accounted for 8 percent of mass layoff events and 9 percent of initial

claims in March, primarily from school and employee bus transportation. Accommodation and food services

comprised 8 percent of events and 9 percent of initial claims, primarily from food service contractors. Administrative and waste services made up 12 percent of all mass layoff events and 9 percent of associated

initial claims, mainly from temporary help services.

The 10 industries reporting the highest numbers of mass layoff initial claims, not seasonally adjusted,

accounted for 34 percent of all such claims in March. The industry with the highest number of initial claims

was school and employee bus transportation with 8,073, followed by food service contractors (6,504),

temporary help services (5,056), and motion picture and video production (3,324). (See table A.)

School and employee bus transportation................. 8,073 2008 8,073

Food service contractors........................................ 6,504 2007 7,636

Temporary help services......................................... 5,056 2002 14,338

Motion picture and video production...................... 3,324 2005 7,192

Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing ............ 3,068 2008 3,068

Discount department stores .................................... 2,711 2007 3,670

Heavy duty truck manufacturing.............................. 2,683 1996 2,781

Automobile manufacturing....................................... 2,599 1996 15,411

Professional employer organizations ........................ 2,464 2002 2,987

Household refrigerator and home freezer

 manufacturing .................................................... ( 1) 2001 2,279

1 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
3

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in March due to mass layoffs was in

the Midwest, 34,885. Transportation equipment manufacturing accounted for 31 percent of all mass layoff

initial claims in that region during the month. The West had the second largest number of initial claims among

the regions, 30,357, followed by the South with 28,097 and the Northeast with 21,202. (See table 5.)

Three of the 4 regions experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims—the

Northeast (+2,378), the Midwest (+2,039), and the South (+62). Six of the 9 divisions had over-the-year

increases in average weekly initial claims, led by the Middle Atlantic (+2,454).

California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in March (21,812),

followed by Pennsylvania (12,745), Wisconsin (7,067), Illinois (6,694), and Ohio (6,236). These five states

accounted for 51 percent of all mass layoff events and 42 percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance in March. (See table 6.)

Thirty states reported over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims associated with mass

layoffs, led by Pennsylvania (+2,227), Ohio (+670), and Wisconsin (+650). For Pennsylvania, the largest

increase in initial claims occurred in food manufacturing. States with the largest over-the-year decreases in

average weekly claims were California (-1,181), Mississippi (-762), and North Carolina (-455).

______________________________

 The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the First Quarter of 2008 is scheduled to be released on

Thursday, May 15. The report on Mass Layoffs in April 2008 is scheduled to be released on Thursday,

May 22.

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) monthly data can encompass either 4 or 5 weeks of

events and claims, based on where the first day of the month falls. During months with 5

weeks, more data are collected. The seasonal adjustment procedure typically adjusts the data

for differences in the number of weeks in a month. This year, February was a 5-week month,

an event that occurs once every 28 years, and the seasonal adjustment program did not account

for this rare occurrence. Therefore, the seasonally adjusted data reflect an exaggerated downward movement from February to March in events and initial claims. See the Technical Note

for more information on the seasonal adjustment of MLS data.

Calendar Effect on Over-the-Month Change in Seasonally Adjusted Data
Technical Note

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state

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-theyear 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).

Initial claimant . A person who files any notice of

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination

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-12-

ARIMA 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-12-

ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the final

seasonally adjusted series.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2004 to March 2008,

seasonally adjusted

2004

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,360 139,185 1,193 124,432 351 37,760 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,224 114,810 1,059 100,854 339 39,045 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,400 141,168 1,231 128,245 371 47,243 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,329 137,805 1,178 126,301 376 50,799 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,426 128,759 1,233 113,809 343 36,539 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,285 127,833 1,154 116,843 336 45,690 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,283 132,766 1,169 123,471 363 47,046 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,320 130,873 1,174 119,029 380 45,416 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,148 111,060 991 99,784 287 31,935 

2005

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,475 160,725 1,346 151,028 382 61,324 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,146 121,455 1,020 110,480 353 43,568 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,207 131,271 1,066 120,945 372 53,673 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,252 136,752 1,125 126,550 401 60,681 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,248 136,420 1,104 123,495 398 54,999 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,196 127,084 1,078 118,012 368 58,300 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,250 132,445 1,103 119,566 357 46,602 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,144 125,686 1,000 113,762 341 47,598 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,248 297,544 2,028 251,185 417 55,304 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,101 110,035 982 100,934 321 43,230 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,176 114,965 1,042 103,535 332 42,071 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,261 134,461 1,132 123,418 360 46,863 

2006

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,107 110,800 988 101,494 283 34,037 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,031 109,798 940 101,828 322 43,147 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,084 119,049 983 110,668 323 48,119 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,171 121,580 1,043 112,175 368 49,568 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,124 117,115 1,005 107,181 314 43,087 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,146 123,827 1,030 114,080 352 44,869 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,179 121,017 1,051 111,336 372 48,534 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,270 135,400 1,107 124,427 377 60,906 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,173 123,767 1,056 114,677 385 45,767 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,191 121,827 1,076 113,123 399 53,601 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,232 133,803 1,121 124,559 414 58,385 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,194 131,062 1,092 121,796 374 51,408 

2007

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,254 128,223 1,118 117,824 391 52,858 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,352 143,837 1,238 135,066 416 61,749 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,277 130,981 1,169 122,488 412 52,606 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,243 126,977 1,116 116,926 382 43,930 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,199 120,587 1,096 113,069 370 48,910 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,238 129,858 1,116 120,165 351 40,670 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,247 127,687 1,140 119,614 392 51,333 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,228 121,886 1,128 114,628 335 36,518 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,307 128,487 1,204 121,294 430 53,432 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,347 136,124 1,224 127,163 430 57,695 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,329 139,671 1,215 131,390 414 56,965 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,433 141,750 1,315 133,024 462 58,108 

2008

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,438 144,111 1,317 134,347 427 55,488 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,672 177,374 1,539 166,782 529 66,913 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,571 157,156 1,460 147,537 482 64,088 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2004 to March 2008,

not seasonally adjusted

2004

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 343 36,172 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 988 87,501 878 78,786 219 22,141 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 222 27,307 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 885 145,895 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 809 69,033 745 63,876 194 17,698 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 708 68,972 637 63,102 189 25,808 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 372 48,265 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 412 44,243 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 436 50,726 

2005

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 823 108,985 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 810 74,644 722 68,372 230 24,931 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 806 88,937 733 83,793 246 33,030 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 395 59,129 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 986 101,358 891 93,332 249 30,424 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,157 120,463 941 103,307 216 32,783 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,981 244,216 1,745 222,377 856 136,210 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 645 67,582 598 63,484 188 22,531 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,662 213,281 1,505 179,042 318 47,497 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 905 91,941 757 80,694 249 37,276 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,254 116,127 1,079 102,182 363 41,442 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,323 254,258 2,168 242,753 706 96,382 

2006

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,245 117,946 1,123 108,701 331 35,097 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 719 66,555 658 62,208 210 24,892 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 921 111,838 856 106,177 285 44,688 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,140 121,589 1,038 112,964 296 39,538 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 872 84,809 794 78,663 192 23,570 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,489 164,761 1,224 140,687 319 41,095 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,511 166,857 1,335 154,342 648 96,152 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 708 72,844 656 69,054 203 28,494 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 865 87,699 785 81,274 296 39,076 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 964 98,804 820 88,133 311 46,737 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,315 136,186 1,172 125,009 455 58,473 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,249 254,503 2,126 244,783 735 105,462 

2007

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 456 53,615 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 935 86,696 861 82,097 273 36,170 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,082 123,974 1,015 118,431 367 49,886 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,219 127,444 1,115 118,040 309 35,229 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 923 85,816 856 81,153 224 26,527 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,599 172,810 1,318 148,669 313 36,571 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,599 175,419 1,450 164,939 684 101,390 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 963 93,458 908 88,345 220 23,361 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 717 67,385 667 64,026 246 29,381 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,083 108,455 929 97,716 338 50,918 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,799 198,220 1,593 181,184 514 75,413 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,167 224,214 2,071 216,898 699 91,754 

2008

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,647 154,503 1,520 144,191 488 54,418 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,269 119,508 1,178 113,587 361 42,527 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,089 114,541 1,039 110,147 333 43,740 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

March January February March March January February March

2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 1,277 1,438 1,672 1,571 130,981 144,111 177,374 157,156 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,169 1,317 1,539 1,460 122,488 134,347 166,782 147,537 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 412 427 529 482 52,606 55,488 66,913 64,088 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 1,082 1,647 1,269 1,089 123,974 154,503 119,508 114,541 

Total, private ........................................................ 1,046 1,592 1,232 1,063 120,544 148,901 116,852 111,984 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 31 72 54 24 2,113 4,710 3,265 1,837 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,015 1,520 1,178 1,039 118,431 144,191 113,587 110,147 

 Mining .............................................................. ( 2 ) 8 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 550 335 ( 2 )

 Utilities ............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Construction ..................................................... 107 198 193 119 7,815 13,532 13,335 7,891 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 367 488 361 333 49,886 54,418 42,527 43,740 

 Food ............................................................. 67 57 46 58 6,087 5,024 3,916 7,705 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 7 7 9 6 778 531 795 540 

 Textile mills .................................................. 16 13 10 14 1,882 1,258 1,373 2,745 

 Textile product mills 3

 .................................. 4 8 5 ( 2

 ) 350 950 615 ( 2 )

 Apparel 3....................................................... 15 17 ( 2

 ) 8 1,355 1,630 ( 2 ) 544 

 Leather and allied products ......................... – ( 2 ) – – – ( 2 ) – –

 Wood products ............................................. 30 46 50 30 2,674 4,780 5,576 2,419 

 Paper ........................................................... 10 6 7 9 779 469 711 827 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 8 11 11 9 637 766 714 736 

 Petroleum and coal products ....................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Chemicals .................................................... 5 10 6 3 310 898 368 140 

 Plastics and rubber products 3

...................... 18 37 15 27 1,682 2,855 1,081 2,201 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 16 38 25 15 1,483 2,602 1,836 1,224 

 Primary metals ............................................. 17 16 13 10 1,976 1,491 1,480 873 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 14 40 17 20 1,567 3,144 1,155 1,878 

 Machinery 3

................................................... 11 23 15 15 2,013 2,901 1,129 2,447 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 26 18 15 10 2,562 1,222 1,204 917 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 15 7 17 9 2,502 784 5,327 2,692 

 Transportation equipment 3

.......................... 68 86 66 72 19,397 17,920 12,189 14,318 

 Furniture and related products 3

................... 16 34 18 11 1,571 4,127 2,043 842 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing 3

..................... 4 9 10 4 281 721 638 301 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 17 30 17 22 1,828 2,848 1,248 1,624 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 93 119 123 94 11,407 12,839 11,662 9,788 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 55 124 53 92 5,896 13,031 7,318 10,629 

 Information ....................................................... 30 43 28 35 4,843 4,668 4,229 4,316 

 Finance and insurance 3

................................... 39 50 46 46 2,883 4,285 3,397 3,692 

 Real estate and rental and leasing 3

................. 7 8 5 5 400 462 261 552 

 Professional and technical services 3

............... 29 41 34 24 4,391 3,829 2,756 3,225 

 Management of companies and enterprises .... 5 ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) 324 ( 2 ) 181 ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services 3................. 140 232 197 130 15,153 20,639 17,799 10,076 

 Educational services ........................................ 4 7 5 6 192 851 374 1,191 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 16 27 19 20 1,160 1,767 1,407 1,347 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 10 38 6 8 680 2,445 330 492 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 86 88 78 90 10,895 6,064 6,121 10,328 

 Other services, except public administration ... 6 13 ( 2 ) 10 364 1,381 ( 2 ) 906 

 Unclassified .................................................... – – – – – – – –

Government ......................................................... 36 55 37 26 3,430 5,602 2,656 2,557 

 Federal ............................................................. 6 13 3 7 501 1,106 249 569 

 State ................................................................ 11 9 11 7 820 804 819 618 

 Local ................................................................ 19 33 23 12 2,109 3,692 1,588 1,370 

 1

 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. due to a change in NAICS versions.

 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 3

 Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years

Industry
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2006 to March 2008,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2006

January ...................................... 1,245 117,946 1,123 108,701 

February .................................... 719 66,555 658 62,208 

March ......................................... 921 111,838 856 106,177 

First Quarter ............................... 2,885 296,339 2,637 277,086 963 193,510 36.5 69.8 

April ............................................ 1,140 121,589 1,038 112,964 

May ............................................ 872 84,809 794 78,663 

June ........................................... 1,489 164,761 1,224 140,687 

Second Quarter ......................... 3,501 371,159 3,056 332,314 1,353 264,927 44.3 79.7 

July ............................................ 1,511 166,857 1,335 154,342 

August ........................................ 708 72,844 656 69,054 

September ................................. 865 87,699 785 81,274 

Third Quarter ............................. 3,084 327,400 2,776 304,670 929 161,764 33.5 53.1 

October ...................................... 964 98,804 820 88,133 

November .................................. 1,315 136,186 1,172 125,009 

December .................................. 2,249 254,503 2,126 244,783 

Fourth Quarter ........................... 4,528 489,493 4,118 457,925 1,640 330,901 39.8 72.3 

2007

January ...................................... 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 

February .................................... 935 86,696 861 82,097 

March ......................................... 1,082 123,974 1,015 118,431 

First Quarter ............................... 3,424 345,654 3,139 325,003 1,111 199,295 35.4 61.3 

April ............................................ 1,219 127,444 1,115 118,040 

May ............................................ 923 85,816 856 81,153 

June ........................................... 1,599 172,810 1,318 148,669 

Second Quarter ......................... 3,741 386,070 3,289 347,862 1,421 258,812 43.2 74.4 

July ............................................ 1,599 175,419 1,450 164,939 

August ........................................ 963 93,458 908 88,345 

September ................................. 717 67,385 667 64,026 

Third Quarter ............................. 3,279 336,262 3,025 317,310 1,019 172,508 33.7 54.4 

October ...................................... 1,083 108,455 929 97,716 

November .................................. 1,799 198,220 1,593 181,184 

December .................................. 2,167 224,214 2,071 216,898 

Fourth Quarter ........................... 5,049 530,889 4,593 495,798 2,p 1,619 2,p 234,612 p

 35.2 p 47.3 

2008

January ...................................... 1,647 154,503 1,520 144,191 

February .................................... 1,269 119,508 1,178 113,587 

March ......................................... 1,089 114,541 1,039 110,147 

First Quarter ............................... 4,005 388,552 3,737 367,925 

 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. with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

 2

 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more p = preliminary.

Mass layoffs

Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

Date
Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

March January February March March January February March

2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,082 1,647 1,269 1,089 123,974 154,503 119,508 114,541 

Northeast .......................................................... 137 349 212 180 14,613 32,949 21,554 21,202 

 New England ................................................ 17 30 35 14 1,650 2,056 3,999 1,014 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 120 319 177 166 12,963 30,893 17,555 20,188 

South ................................................................ 238 324 305 245 34,812 32,769 29,835 28,097 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 115 157 176 139 13,072 15,997 13,912 14,166 

 East South Central ....................................... 77 129 64 53 15,237 13,585 8,907 6,680 

 West South Central ...................................... 46 38 65 53 6,503 3,187 7,016 7,251 

Midwest ............................................................ 283 416 232 287 33,410 42,229 25,941 34,885 

 East North Central ........................................ 225 324 184 224 27,218 33,964 21,916 27,847 

 West North Central ....................................... 58 92 48 63 6,192 8,265 4,025 7,038 

West ................................................................. 424 558 520 377 41,139 46,556 42,178 30,357 

 Mountain ....................................................... 41 44 47 43 3,200 3,757 3,754 4,001 

 Pacific ........................................................... 383 514 473 334 37,939 42,799 38,424 26,356 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, 

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana,

comprise the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas,

Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota;

and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, 

Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon,

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington.

Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama,

Census region and division
Table 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

not seasonally adjusted

State Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

March January February March March January February March

2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008

– – – – – – – –

 Total 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,082 1,647 1,269 1,089 123,974 154,503 119,508 114,541 

– – – – – – – –

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 82 17 11 3,373 10,160 2,549 927 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 4 ( 2

 ) 9 362 290 ( 2 ) 808 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 3 5 ( 2 ) 293 364 867 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 333 468 416 296 33,172 38,715 32,747 21,812 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 7 4 6 458 654 326 533 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Delaware ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 4 – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 298 

District of Columbia ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 70 102 63 4,562 5,366 6,572 5,145 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 51 26 20 1,635 4,718 2,428 3,302 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3 9 4 323 217 786 304 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 7 7 12 537 496 497 1,187 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 68 52 51 8,754 9,106 6,344 6,694 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 34 24 27 1,927 2,955 3,709 3,870 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 26 16 11 1,285 3,163 1,885 1,051 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 8 3 8 930 490 192 1,069 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 28 24 26 6,623 2,304 4,219 4,555 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 7 13 6 446 739 2,640 411 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) 4 – 233 ( 2 ) 245 –

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 9 5 ( 2

 ) 462 708 377 ( 2 )

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 11 9 5 268 791 698 433 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 86 32 41 6,508 7,004 4,379 3,980 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 19 5 9 1,231 1,751 361 617 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 6 10 7 4,428 324 897 493 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 37 19 28 2,347 2,664 1,127 3,799 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 6 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 319 579 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) 5 6 218 ( 2 ) 460 412 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 15 23 7 842 1,151 1,909 522 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) 3 3 462 ( 2 ) 351 167 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 35 35 34 3,529 2,613 3,439 4,007 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 4 ( 2

 ) 5 548 473 ( 2 ) 685 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 40 152 42 29 4,636 18,636 5,912 3,436 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 3 21 16 3,986 350 2,121 1,367 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – –

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 71 42 52 4,444 9,352 4,387 6,236 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 ( 2

 ) 6 1,178 317 ( 2 ) 868 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 28 29 21 3,272 2,769 3,125 3,275 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45 132 100 103 4,798 9,644 8,204 12,745 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 9 9 4 ( 2 ) 562 1,448 303 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 12 10 17 1,210 1,991 1,354 1,659 

South Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – – ( 2 )

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 13 13 9 813 797 1,242 705 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 23 47 36 4,762 1,838 3,870 5,105 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 525 ( 2 )

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 8 ( 2

 ) 465 248 1,084 ( 2 )

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 8 8 14 1,091 1,027 742 1,808 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 14 19 12 1,172 1,047 1,766 913 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 428 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 58 65 34 53 5,585 5,547 3,097 7,067 

Wyoming ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) –

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 10 23 4 1,355 1,120 2,113 344 

 1 See footnote 1, table 3. NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.