1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 03-917

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

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

MASS LAYOFFS IN NOVEMBER 2003

Employers initiated 1,438 mass layoff actions in November 2003, as measured by new filings for

unemployment insurance benefits during the month, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the

number of workers involved totaled 138,543. (See table 1.) The number of layoff events and initial claims

were sharply lower than a year ago, with the number of initial claims at the lowest level for November since

1997. (November 2003 contained 4 weeks for possible mass layoffs, compared with 5 weeks in each

November of the prior 2 years.)

Fewer mass-layoff initial claims were filed against employers in temporary help services, payroll services,

farm labor, and highway, street, and bridge construction in November 2003 compared with November 2002.

From January through November 2003, both the total number of events, at 17,034, and the number of initial

claims, at 1,696,293, were lower than the January-November period a year ago (17,803 events and

1,980,893 initial claims).

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. 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 shortterm 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 1.) See the Technical Note for more

detailed definitions.

Industry Distribution

Highway, street, and bridge construction, with 11,242 initial claimants, and temporary help services, with

7,002 initial claimants, together accounted for 13 percent of all initial claims in November. (See table A.)

The 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial claims accounted for 28 percent of the

total.

The manufacturing sector recorded 28 percent of all mass layoff events and 35 percent of all initial claims

filed in November. A year ago, manufacturing reported 33 percent of events and 39 percent of initial claims.
2

Table A. Industries with the largest mass-layoff initial claims in November 2003 p

Industry

Initial claims

November peak

Year

Initial claims

Highway, street, and bridge construction ............... 2001 14,805

Temporary help services........................................ 2000 19,023

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders .............. 3,524 1999 11,613

Food service contractors....................................... 2,962 2001 4,214

Supermarkets and other grocery stores ................. 2,460 2003 2,460

AC, refrigeration, and forced air heating ................ 2,385 2001 3,028

Wired telecommunications carrier .......................... 2,383 2003 2,383

Motion picture and video production..................... 2,188 2000 8,664

Frozen fruit and vegetable mfg. .............................. 2,029 2002 3,290

Industrial building construction ............................... 2,005 2002 3,306

p=preliminary.

Within manufacturing, the number of claimants was highest in transportation equipment (9,696) and food

processing (8,410). (See table 2.)

Construction accounted for 18 percent of events and 15 percent of initial claims filed in November, with

layoffs mostly in highway, street, and bridge construction. Administrative and waste services accounted for

11 percent of events and 10 percent of initial claims during the month, mainly in temporary help services.

Ten percent of the events and 7 percent of the initial claims were from the agriculture, forestry, fishing and

hunting sector, largely among farm labor contractors and crew leaders. An additional 5 percent of all layoff

events and initial claims filed during November were from accommodation and food services, primarily among

food service contractors.

Government establishments accounted for 4 percent of events and 3 percent of initial claims filed during

the month, particularly in educational services.

Compared with November 2002, the largest decreases in initial claims were reported in administrative

and support services (-15,568) and professional and technical services (-7,404). The largest over-the-year

increase in initial claims was in food and beverage stores (+701).

Geographic Distribution

Among the four regions, the highest number of initial claims in November due to mass layoffs was reported in the Midwest, 46,298. (See table 3.) Heavy and civil engineering construction, transportation

equipment manufacturing, and administrative and support services accounted for 43 percent of all initial

claims in that region during the month. The West region was next, with 43,329 initial claims, followed by

the South, with 27,438, and the Northeast, with 21,478.

The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs declined over the year in all four of the regions, with the

largest decrease in the West (-43,623). The only other November in which all four regions had over-theyear declines was in 1997. This November also marked the first time that each of the nine geographic divisions had over-the-year decreases in the number of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the

largest decreases in the Pacific (-36,615) and East North Central (-12,228).

7,002

11,242
3

Among the states, California recorded the largest number of initial claims filed in mass layoff events this

November, 32,200, mostly in administrative and support services and in agriculture and forestry support

activities. Wisconsin reported 10,111 initial claims, followed by Pennsylvania (7,563) and Ohio (6,464).

These four states accounted for 46 percent of all layoff events and 41 percent of initial claims for unemployment insurance. (See table 4.)

California registered the largest over-the-year decrease in the number of initial claims (-30,564), followed

by Texas (-8,176). The largest over-the-year increase occurred in Michigan (+3,855).

From January through November, California reported 441,620 initial claims, 26 percent of the national

total. The states with the next highest numbers of initial claims were Pennsylvania (101,166), Ohio (92,171),

Texas (84,556), and New York (84,135).

______________________________

Mass Layoffs in December 2003 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, January 22, 2004.
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 establishments which have at least 50 initial claims

filed against them during a consecutive 5-week period. These

establishments 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, and the number of

weeks in a given month may be different from year to year. Therefore,

analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year change 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

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 establishment during a 5-week

period, regardless of duration.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2001 to November 2003

Date

Total mass layoffs Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants

2001

October ..................................................................... 1,831 215,483 

November ................................................................. 2,721 295,956 

December ................................................................. 2,440 268,893 

Fourth Quarter .......................................................... 6,992 780,332 2,697 502,502 38.6 64.4 

2002

January ..................................................................... 2,146 263,777 

February ................................................................... 1,382 138,808 

March ........................................................................ 1,460 161,316 

First Quarter .............................................................. 4,988 563,901 1,750 316,489 35.1 56.1 

April ........................................................................... 1,506 165,814 

May ........................................................................... 1,723 179,799 

June .......................................................................... 1,584 162,189 

Second Quarter ........................................................ 4,813 507,802 1,905 353,017 39.6 69.5 

July ........................................................................... 2,042 245,294 

August ....................................................................... 1,248 128,103 

September ................................................................ 1,062 124,522 

Third Quarter ............................................................ 4,352 497,919 1,383 284,629 31.8 57.2 

October ..................................................................... 1,497 171,100 

November ................................................................. 2,153 240,171 

December ................................................................. 2,474 264,158 

Fourth Quarter .......................................................... 6,124 675,429 2,257 421,570 36.9 62.4 

2003

January ..................................................................... 2,315 225,430 

February ................................................................... 1,363 124,965 

March ........................................................................ 1,207 113,026 

First Quarter .............................................................. 4,885 463,421 1,700 333,197 34.8 71.9 

April ........................................................................... 1,581 161,412 

May ........................................................................... 1,703 174,204 

June .......................................................................... 1,691 157,552 

Second Quarter ........................................................ 4,975 493,168 2,131 415,316 42.8 84.2 

July ........................................................................... 2,087 226,435 

August ....................................................................... 1,258 133,839 

September ................................................................ 868 82,647 

Third Quarter ............................................................ 4,213 442,921 2, p1,375 2, p181,793 p32.6 p41.0

October p

 ................................................................... 1,523 158,240 

November p

 ............................................................... 1,438 138,543 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of total mass layoff data on these layoffs become avaliable. Recent experience suggests

events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization rate that the number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised

is the percentage of total mass-layoff initial claimants associated with upwards by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants

layoffs lasting more than 30 days. associated with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

 2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will increase as more p = preliminary.
Table 2. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

Industry

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

November September October November November September October November

2002 2003 2003p2003p2002 2003 2003p2003p

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,153 868 1,523 1,438 240,171 82,647 158,240 138,543 

Total, private ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,092 799 1,453 1,380 234,104 76,296 150,713 133,818 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 232 43 188 146 17,867 2,382 13,007 10,294 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 4 5 8 1,477 259 343 568 

 Utilities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 246 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 308 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 321 82 143 263 30,604 5,205 11,422 20,999 

 Manufacturing..................................................................................................................................................................... 719 271 438 408 92,712 31,428 53,741 48,419 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 101 44 96 70 12,066 4,145 10,034 8,410 

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 ( 2 ) 16 9 733 ( 2 ) 1,237 938 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 21 9 13 5,065 3,510 1,533 1,178 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 ( 2 ) 8 8 655 ( 2 ) 881 483 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 10 25 14 2,257 1,212 2,592 1,269 

 Leather and allied products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 645 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 61 11 15 29 7,934 969 1,163 3,852 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 10 12 12 2,116 834 1,049 856 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 ( 2 ) 11 8 1,212 ( 2 ) 998 570 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 902 – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 9 7 10 928 602 546 908 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 10 16 27 2,974 886 1,390 2,085 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 5 13 21 3,144 420 1,193 2,089 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45 24 29 22 5,502 2,011 3,444 2,470 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 62 5 23 31 5,897 826 2,093 2,696 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 60 21 35 28 11,280 2,073 7,212 4,642 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 26 26 19 5,911 4,820 2,361 1,468 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 9 11 12 2,636 1,142 2,493 2,671 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 84 31 55 51 14,322 4,825 10,229 9,696 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 11 15 10 4,986 1,254 1,995 856 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 10 11 8 1,547 662 883 891 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 22 22 23 3,907 1,808 1,760 2,421 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 96 69 115 76 9,094 5,789 21,870 6,877 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 55 20 37 42 8,094 1,723 3,003 4,127 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 58 26 52 37 6,884 5,791 7,755 5,918 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 35 35 19 3,655 2,371 2,541 1,485 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 5 12 8 1,231 382 718 432 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 29 30 33 10,579 3,730 2,447 3,175 

 Management of companies and enterprises ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 503 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 259 109 233 163 29,522 9,606 21,380 13,925 

 Educational services.................................................................................................................. 4 8 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 267 634 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 38 13 37 28 3,390 945 2,407 2,243 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 19 28 26 3,323 1,237 2,039 1,920 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 92 37 62 75 9,277 2,623 5,176 7,348 

 Other services, except public administration..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 3 7 15 1,289 183 459 1,081 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2 1 5 2 183 50 343 1,646 

Government ..................................................................................................................................................................... 61 69 70 58 6,067 6,351 7,527 4,725 

 Federal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 13 20 9 828 1,910 1,649 820 

 State ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 14 16 22 2,195 1,417 1,383 1,917 

 Local ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 42 34 27 3,044 3,024 4,495 1,988 

 

1

 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. NOTE: Industry data reflect the North American Industry

 

2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Classification System (NAICS), 2002. Dash represents zero.

 

p

 = preliminary.
Table 3. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division

Census region and division

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

November September October November November September October November

2002 2003 2003p

2003p2002 2003 2003p2003p

 United States1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,153 868 1,523 1,438 240,171 82,647 158,240 138,543 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 291 107 184 210 33,692 12,115 17,061 21,478 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 53 19 16 29 5,785 4,559 1,157 2,282 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 238 88 168 181 27,907 7,556 15,904 19,196 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 460 196 278 265 53,960 19,287 29,371 27,438 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 208 96 134 135 25,125 8,698 13,270 13,822 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 74 31 44 35 8,103 4,144 5,310 4,212 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 178 69 100 95 20,732 6,445 10,791 9,404 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 531 165 325 426 65,567 16,868 43,432 46,298 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 373 125 264 313 43,915 12,646 27,841 31,687 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 158 40 61 113 21,652 4,222 15,591 14,611 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 871 400 736 537 86,952 34,377 68,376 43,329 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 95 30 47 51 11,614 2,568 4,038 4,606 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 776 370 689 486 75,338 31,809 64,338 38,723 

 

 

1

 See footnote 1, table 2. Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central:

 

 

p

 = preliminary. Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, 

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

the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, 

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 

Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, 

Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
Table 4. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

State

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

November September October November November September October November

2002 2003 2003p2003p2002 2003 2003p2003p

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,153 868 1,523 1,438 240,171 82,647 158,240 138,543 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 8 13 10 2,549 1,164 1,671 1,384 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 3 3 6 662 185 295 561 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 4 8 4 572 423 700 257 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 3 6 3 853 268 1,140 777 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 663 345 616 420 62,764 29,429 57,322 32,200 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 6 8 7 2,090 439 581 549 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4 3 4 706 291 200 312 

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

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

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

 ) – – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 67 43 66 55 4,617 2,555 4,608 3,533 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 19 23 18 3,092 2,130 2,838 1,771 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3 6 ( 2

 ) 317 196 462 ( 2 ) 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 6 10 11 3,202 463 1,203 1,408 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 105 41 74 57 13,657 4,510 7,890 5,785 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 13 22 42 5,762 983 2,118 4,269 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 9 18 29 3,282 1,108 3,680 3,464 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 6 6 6 2,226 547 738 696 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 16 23 14 2,674 2,259 3,136 1,649 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 4 12 23 2,836 231 1,045 1,773 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 – 3 4 534 – 180 306 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) 4 9 1,100 ( 2 ) 256 843 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 10 9 17 2,910 1,047 713 1,373 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 18 42 48 1,203 1,861 4,263 5,058 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 50 7 17 44 5,096 511 2,845 3,849 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 ( 2

 ) 4 3 660 ( 2 ) 200 165 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 47 13 18 22 9,219 1,307 8,165 5,651 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 ( 2

 ) 5 5 1,363 ( 2 ) 360 428 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 5 ( 2

 ) 7 1,264 749 ( 2 ) 412 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 12 10 14 3,099 879 835 1,156 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 531 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 8 27 43 6,482 691 2,906 5,985 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 4 206 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 212 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 82 38 44 59 10,518 3,384 3,855 5,648 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 11 19 23 3,541 897 2,039 3,635 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 – – 4 565 – – 474 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 84 29 66 75 7,749 2,979 7,316 6,464 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 5 12 3 2,419 359 1,614 406 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 53 5 39 26 5,958 375 3,784 3,058 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 107 42 97 79 10,907 3,481 9,143 7,563 

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

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 39 5 7 7 6,384 1,548 706 547 

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

 ) – – – ( 2 ) 

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 5 4 8 2,220 608 303 1,014 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 121 57 70 66 14,624 5,587 6,992 6,448 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 – ( 2

 ) 6 919 – ( 2 ) 596 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) 957 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 14 14 16 5,718 1,321 1,376 2,644 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 14 25 32 5,637 1,624 2,475 2,751 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) – 5 439 ( 2 ) – 556 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 120 24 60 91 15,544 2,313 6,254 10,111 

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

 ) – 3 – ( 2 ) – 216 –

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 7 7 – 399 573 567 –

 1 See footnote 1, table 2. p = preliminary.

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