For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Wednesday, September 23, 2009 USDL-09-1156 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 • mlsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/mls 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

(NOTE: This release was reissued on Friday, September 25, 2009, to correct the 

number of initial claims for the temporary help services industry mentioned in 

the last paragraph of the "Industry Distribution" section from 11,533 to 6,721. 

This correction did not affect any tables in the release.) 

MASS LAYOFFS – AUGUST 2009 

Employers took 2,690 mass layoff actions in August that resulted in the separation of 259,307 workers, 

seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, 

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a 

single employer. The number of mass layoff events in August increased by 533 from the prior month, 

and the number of associated initial claims increased by 52,516. Over the year, the number of mass 

layoff events increased by 803, and associated initial claims increased by 70,356. Year-to-date mass 

layoff events (21,184) and initial claims (2,162,202) both recorded program highs through August. In 

August, 900 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting 

in 93,892 initial claims. Over the month, the number of manufacturing events increased by 279, and 

associated initial claims increased by 21,626. (See table 1.) 

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Events

Total

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

 September 2004-August 2009

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Claims

Total

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

 September 2004-August 2009

During the 21 months from December 2007 through August 2009, the total number of mass layoff 

events (seasonally adjusted) was 44,669, and the number of initial claims filed (seasonally adjusted) in 

those events was 4,556,636. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National 

Bureau of Economic Research.) 
- 2 - 

Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in August 2009

Year Initial claims

Temporary help services .................................... 6,721 1999 11,533 

School and employee bus transportation ............. 5,850 2003 6,538 

Motion picture and video production .................. 4,275 2003 6,812 

Professional employer organizations ................... 3,692 2008 5,252 

Motorcycle, bicycle, and parts manufacturing ..... 2,518 2009 2,518 

Supermarkets and other grocery stores .............. 1,734 2001 2,357 

Warehouse clubs and supercenters ..................... 1,552 2009 1,552 

Discount department stores ................................ 1,538 2007 2,953 

Casino hotels ..................................................... 1,415 2009 1,415 

Commercial building construction ....................... 1,375 2008 1,579 

Industry Initial claims August peak

The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in August 2009, seasonally adjusted, up from 9.4 percent the prior month and up from 6.2 percent a year earlier. In August, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 216,000 over the month and by 5,830,000 from a year earlier. 

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

The number of mass layoff events in August was 1,428 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the number of 

associated initial claims was 125,024. (See table 2.) Average weekly layoff events rose from 285 in August 

2008 to 357 in August 2009, and average weekly initial claims increased from 28,000 to 31,256. Seven of the 

19 major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month 

of August: construction; wholesale trade; retail trade; management of companies and enterprises; educational 

services; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and accommodation and food services. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.) 

The manufacturing sector accounted for 31 percent of all mass layoff events and 33 percent of initial 

claims filed in August 2009. A year earlier, manufacturing made up 29 percent of events and 37 percent 

of initial claims. Within manufacturing, transportation equipment comprised the largest number of average weekly claims (2,269) despite experiencing the largest decrease in average weekly initial claims 

over the year (-1,688) among three-digit NAICS industries. (See table 3.) The administrative and waste 

services sector accounted for 14 percent of mass layoff events and 12 percent of initial claims, down 

from 15 and 14 percent, respectively, the previous August. Construction accounted for 11 percent of 

events and 10 percent of initial claims, an increase from 10 percent of events and 7 percent of claims in 

August 2008. 

 

Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims, 3 reached a series 

high for August: motorcycle, bicycle, and parts manufacturing; warehouse clubs and supercenters; and 

casino hotels. The industry with the largest number of initial claims was temporary help services 

(6,721). (See table A.) 
- 3 - 

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

Among the 4 census regions, the West registered the highest number of initial claims in August due to 

mass layoffs (36,897), followed by the Midwest (32,197) and the South (29,486). (See table 5.) Average 

weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the year in 3 of the 4 regions, with the 

Northeast experiencing the largest increase (+2,064). In 2009, the Northeast reported its highest August 

level of average weekly initial claims (6,611) in program history. 

Of the 9 geographic divisions, the Pacific (30,781) had the highest number of initial claims due to mass 

layoffs in August, followed by the East North Central (25,962) and the Middle Atlantic (23,491). (See 

table 5.) Seven of the 9 divisions experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims, 

led by the Middle Atlantic (+1,786). This year, the Middle Atlantic, Mountain, and South Atlantic 

divisions reached program highs for August in terms of average weekly initial claims.

California recorded the highest number of average weekly initial claims in August, with 6,521, even though 

it had the largest over-the-year decrease in average weekly claims (-704). The over-the-year decrease was 

largely due to a drop in claims from the administrative and support services industry. The states with the 

next highest number of average weekly initial claims were New York (2,851), Pennsylvania (2,481), and 

Florida (1,949). Thirty states and the District of Columbia experienced over-the-year in-creases in average 

weekly initial claims, led by Pennsylvania, New York, and Illinois. In 2009, eight states reached program 

highs in average weekly initial claims for the month of August: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, 

New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.

Note 

The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in a given 

month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. For private nonfarm establishments, information on the 

length of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs lasting 

more than 30 days (referred to as “extended mass layoffs”). The quarterly release provides more information on the industry classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of the laidoff workers. Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures 

for the 3 months in a quarter will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 30 days. 

(See table 4.) See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions. 

Mass Layoffs in September 2009 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, October 22, 2009, 

at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). 
Technical Note 

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federalstate program that uses a standardized automated approach to 

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job 

cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment 

insurance database. Each month, states report on employers 

which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during 

a consecutive 5-week period. These employers then are 

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these 

separations lasted 31 days or longer, and, if so, other 

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report 

on layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quarterly basis. 

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly 

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday 

through Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are 

included for the particular month, except if the first day of the 

month falls on Saturday. In this case, the week is included in 

the prior month's tabulations. This means that some months 

will contain 4 weeks and others, 5 weeks. The number of 

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

and the number of weeks in a year may vary. Therefore, 

analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year change in not 

seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect into 

consideration. 

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 

after it had been terminated in November 1992 due to lack of 

funding. Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were 

not available. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 

1-800-877-8339. 

Definitions 

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include 

those covered by state unemployment insurance laws. 

Information on employers is obtained from the Quarterly 

Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which 

is administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

Industry. Employers are classified according to the 

2007 version of the North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS). For temporary help and professional 

employer organization industries, monthly MLS-related 

statistics generally reflect layoffs related to underlying client 

companies in other industries. An individual layoff action at 

a client company can be small, but when initial claimants 

associated with many such layoffs are assigned to a temporary help or professional employer organization firm, a 

mass layoff event may trigger. 

Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of 

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a 

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or 

period of eligibility. 

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for 

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an employer 

during a 5-week period, regardless of duration. 

Seasonal adjustment 

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS 

began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS 

series. The six series are the numbers of mass layoff events 

and mass layoff initial claims for the total, private nonfarm, 

and manufacturing sectors. 

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and 

removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring 

seasonal events such as changes in the weather, holidays, and 

the beginning and ending of the school year. The use of 

seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental 

changes in time series, particularly those associated with 

general economic expansions and contractions. 

The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-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 1 year and 4 weeks in another. The 

effects of these differences could seriously distort the 

seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal 

adjustment process. These effects are modeled in the X-12-

ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the 

final seasonally adjusted series.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, September 2005 to August 2009,

seasonally adjusted

2005

September ................................................... 2,250 296,913 2,035 252,291 420 55,974 

October ........................................................ 1,109 111,202 991 102,111 320 43,387 

November .................................................... 1,162 113,502 1,027 102,058 325 41,493 

December .................................................... 1,263 136,751 1,135 125,700 358 46,940 

2006

January ........................................................ 1,112 111,601 986 102,359 293 35,390 

February ....................................................... 960 104,045 872 96,317 317 41,810 

March ........................................................... 1,078 118,270 976 109,842 320 48,026 

April .............................................................. 1,198 123,674 1,062 113,849 366 50,747 

May .............................................................. 1,132 116,808 1,013 106,743 312 42,958 

June ............................................................. 1,156 124,955 1,044 115,491 356 45,280 

July ............................................................... 1,204 123,172 1,077 113,324 381 50,109 

August .......................................................... 1,278 136,289 1,117 125,064 376 60,524 

September ................................................... 1,167 124,083 1,054 115,451 390 46,470 

October ........................................................ 1,195 121,439 1,081 112,777 401 53,597 

November .................................................... 1,209 131,459 1,096 122,136 402 57,084 

December .................................................... 1,201 133,311 1,100 124,019 369 51,113 

2007

January ........................................................ 1,261 129,190 1,116 118,890 406 55,341 

February ....................................................... 1,240 134,524 1,130 126,105 404 58,861 

March ........................................................... 1,261 129,480 1,151 120,923 407 52,356 

April .............................................................. 1,281 130,263 1,145 119,683 381 45,654 

May .............................................................. 1,200 119,259 1,097 111,585 368 48,682 

June ............................................................. 1,256 132,078 1,138 122,726 356 41,135 

July ............................................................... 1,288 131,556 1,182 123,322 405 53,318 

August .......................................................... 1,262 125,334 1,162 117,557 331 36,577 

September ................................................... 1,279 125,527 1,183 118,917 440 54,006 

October ........................................................ 1,346 133,514 1,224 124,666 436 57,527 

November .................................................... 1,352 143,419 1,233 134,445 408 56,330 

December .................................................... 1,469 145,916 1,354 136,914 447 56,152 

2008

January ........................................................ 1,476 149,068 1,350 139,076 435 56,579 

February ....................................................... 1,669 183,038 1,532 172,013 526 67,235 

March ........................................................... 1,585 161,497 1,471 151,550 483 65,252 

April .............................................................. 1,344 135,352 1,215 125,074 487 63,247 

May .............................................................. 1,701 180,558 1,563 170,538 538 75,520 

June ............................................................. 1,717 174,748 1,561 162,071 555 79,744 

July ............................................................... 1,535 152,499 1,390 141,239 455 57,648 

August .......................................................... 1,887 188,951 1,735 178,479 626 80,913 

September ................................................... 2,290 240,721 2,114 226,492 643 86,617 

October ........................................................ 2,204 230,330 2,042 216,095 687 92,256 

November .................................................... 2,333 225,639 2,185 213,288 868 100,643 

December .................................................... 2,275 226,117 2,100 212,559 871 105,402 

2009

January ........................................................ 2,227 237,902 2,070 225,490 738 102,577 

February ....................................................... 2,769 295,477 2,628 281,500 1,235 152,618 

March ........................................................... 2,933 299,388 2,751 283,989 1,259 155,909 

April .............................................................. 2,712 271,226 2,519 256,111 1,111 135,252 

May .............................................................. 2,933 312,880 2,736 296,108 1,331 165,802 

June ............................................................. 2,763 279,231 2,536 260,747 1,235 159,310 

July ............................................................... 2,157 206,791 1,928 185,718 621 72,266 

August .......................................................... 2,690 259,307 2,428 237,302 900 93,892 

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, September 2005 to August 2009,

not seasonally adjusted

2005

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 

April .............................................................. 1,272 130,810 1,172 121,625 394 48,188 

May .............................................................. 1,552 159,471 1,438 150,462 388 51,698 

June ............................................................. 1,622 166,742 1,315 140,916 309 42,097 

July ............................................................... 1,891 200,382 1,687 186,018 760 108,733 

August .......................................................... 1,427 139,999 1,343 133,146 414 51,912 

September ................................................... 1,292 129,586 1,202 122,505 361 46,391 

October ........................................................ 2,125 221,784 1,917 205,553 689 100,457 

November .................................................... 2,574 241,589 2,389 226,657 997 107,620 

December .................................................... 3,377 351,305 3,232 340,220 1,378 172,529 

2009

January ........................................................ 3,806 388,813 3,633 375,293 1,461 172,757 

February ....................................................... 2,262 218,438 2,173 210,755 945 103,588 

March ........................................................... 2,191 228,387 2,107 221,397 940 114,747 

April .............................................................. 2,547 256,930 2,385 243,321 887 100,872 

May .............................................................. 2,738 289,628 2,572 274,047 1,005 123,683 

June ............................................................. 2,519 256,357 2,051 216,063 674 85,726 

July ............................................................... 3,054 336,654 2,659 296,589 1,133 154,208 

August .......................................................... 1,428 125,024 1,334 117,193 436 41,151 

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

August June July August August June July August

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 1,887 2,763 2,157 2,690 188,951 279,231 206,791 259,307 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,735 2,536 1,928 2,428 178,479 260,747 185,718 237,302 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 626 1,235 621 900 80,913 159,310 72,266 93,892 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 1,427 2,519 3,054 1,428 139,999 256,357 336,654 125,024 

Total, private ........................................................ 1,373 2,101 2,752 1,356 134,871 219,548 304,108 118,920 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 30 50 93 22 1,725 3,485 7,519 1,727 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,343 2,051 2,659 1,334 133,146 216,063 296,589 117,193 

 Mining .............................................................. 3 15 22 9 207 1,147 1,816 603 

 Utilities ............................................................. ( 2 ) 4 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 246 446 ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 142 136 170 160 9,717 9,343 12,415 11,904 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 414 674 1,133 436 51,912 85,726 154,208 41,151 

 Food ............................................................ 40 48 67 41 3,510 4,395 8,076 3,632 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 8 ( 2 ) 8 5 630 ( 2 ) 624 937 

 Textile mills .................................................. 10 11 21 ( 2 ) 1,013 1,563 2,424 ( 2 )

 Textile product mills ..................................... 4 4 8 5 487 214 875 557 

 Apparel ........................................................ 10 16 26 15 981 1,683 2,926 1,317 

 Leather and allied products ......................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 306 ( 2 )

 Wood products ............................................ 35 29 42 19 2,980 2,435 3,453 1,423 

 Paper ........................................................... 3 13 17 8 516 968 1,439 576 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 10 18 16 9 938 1,552 1,950 714 

 Petroleum and coal products ....................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6 – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 373 –

 Chemicals .................................................... 5 13 19 10 268 1,013 1,722 843 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 30 35 74 17 3,625 3,697 9,776 1,532 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 8 25 29 18 1,161 1,645 3,044 1,147 

 Primary metals ............................................. 19 45 89 31 1,709 6,496 9,850 2,742 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 25 74 114 43 2,179 6,846 10,798 3,501 

 Machinery .................................................... 30 74 132 74 4,887 14,644 29,528 6,608 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 26 63 77 30 2,446 6,145 7,823 2,535 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 11 30 45 18 1,485 4,344 5,992 1,853 

 Transportation equipment ............................ 112 139 275 68 19,787 24,865 47,322 9,076 

 Furniture and related products .................... 20 24 35 13 2,566 2,337 3,311 941 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 5 9 29 6 520 644 2,596 577 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 27 50 78 34 1,765 4,858 6,201 2,714 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 142 155 161 111 12,674 15,318 17,388 10,173 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 100 184 131 101 9,077 23,792 11,279 9,131 

 Information ....................................................... 48 53 90 46 6,640 6,018 13,941 6,067 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 45 34 84 47 3,192 2,239 6,700 4,434 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 13 20 12 7 742 1,590 819 404 

 Professional and technical services ................ 45 53 95 32 4,458 4,503 10,555 2,302 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... ( 2 ) 8 14 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,164 2,289 ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services .................. 214 239 351 195 19,682 19,150 35,419 15,604 

 Educational services ........................................ 9 28 31 13 1,462 2,295 2,540 1,796 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 35 173 101 31 2,584 13,948 7,010 1,947 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 18 45 38 19 1,320 2,671 2,611 1,403 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 74 136 124 74 6,221 18,499 9,651 6,034 

 Other services, except public administration ... 9 42 19 13 1,185 3,424 1,212 1,076 

 Unclassified .................................................... – 2 2 – – 132 89 –

Government ......................................................... 54 418 302 72 5,128 36,809 32,546 6,104 

 Federal ............................................................ 8 15 10 14 800 1,124 845 1,381 

 State ................................................................ 13 38 39 19 1,464 2,821 3,297 1,717 

 Local ................................................................ 33 365 253 39 2,864 32,864 28,404 3,006 

 1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

Industry
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, July 2007 to August 2009,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2007

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 1,018 173,077 33.7 54.5 

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 1,814 347,151 39.5 70.0 

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 1,340 259,292 35.9 70.5 

April ............................................ 1,272 130,810 1,172 121,625 

May ............................................ 1,552 159,471 1,438 150,462 

June ........................................... 1,622 166,742 1,315 140,916 

Second Quarter ......................... 4,446 457,023 3,925 413,003 1,756 339,629 44.7 82.2 

July ............................................ 1,891 200,382 1,687 186,018 

August ........................................ 1,427 139,999 1,343 133,146 

September ................................. 1,292 129,586 1,202 122,505 

Third Quarter ............................. 4,610 469,967 4,232 441,669 1,582 304,316 37.4 68.9 

October ...................................... 2,125 221,784 1,917 205,553 

November .................................. 2,574 241,589 2,389 226,657 

December .................................. 3,377 351,305 3,232 340,220 

Fourth Quarter ........................... 8,076 814,678 7,538 772,430 3,582 765,019 47.5 99.0 

2009

January ...................................... 3,806 388,813 3,633 375,293 

February .................................... 2,262 218,438 2,173 210,755 

March ......................................... 2,191 228,387 2,107 221,397 

First Quarter ............................... 8,259 835,638 7,913 807,445 3,979 830,028 50.3 102.8 

April ............................................ 2,547 256,930 2,385 243,321 

May ............................................ 2,738 289,628 2,572 274,047 

June ........................................... 2,519 256,357 2,051 216,063 

Second Quarter ......................... 7,804 802,915 7,008 733,431 2,p 2,994 2,p 506,533 p

 42.7 p 69.1 

July ............................................ 3,054 336,654 2,659 296,589 

August ........................................ 1,428 125,024 1,334 117,193 

 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

August June July August August June July August

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,427 2,519 3,054 1,428 139,999 256,357 336,654 125,024 

Northeast .......................................................... 226 428 511 279 22,736 46,593 45,526 26,444 

 New England ................................................ 24 63 82 32 2,304 6,516 7,194 2,953 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 202 365 429 247 20,432 40,077 38,332 23,491 

South ................................................................ 362 620 725 342 38,188 61,962 71,648 29,486 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 212 354 389 204 20,313 31,988 34,220 17,732 

 East South Central ....................................... 90 128 213 57 11,179 16,589 25,153 4,820 

 West South Central ...................................... 60 138 123 81 6,696 13,385 12,275 6,934 

Midwest ............................................................ 307 592 805 350 33,238 76,301 117,188 32,197 

 East North Central ........................................ 254 469 635 273 26,689 59,347 94,516 25,962 

 West North Central ....................................... 53 123 170 77 6,549 16,954 22,672 6,235 

West ................................................................. 532 879 1,013 457 45,837 71,501 102,292 36,897 

 Mountain ....................................................... 50 90 112 63 4,688 7,184 11,241 6,116 

 Pacific ........................................................... 482 789 901 394 41,149 64,317 91,051 30,781 

 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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

August June July August August June July August

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

 Total 1

 .............................................. 1,427 2,519 3,054 1,428 139,999 256,357 336,654 125,024 

Alabama ............................................. 24 49 75 23 3,288 7,837 8,324 1,997 

Alaska ................................................. – 6 ( 2 ) 4 – 431 ( 2 ) 295 

Arizona ............................................... 7 27 35 10 488 2,137 3,469 977 

Arkansas ............................................. 8 8 11 4 613 583 1,033 260 

California ............................................ 439 714 812 340 36,120 56,138 82,085 26,082 

Colorado ............................................. 3 11 15 5 258 832 1,536 374 

Connecticut ......................................... 4 15 15 4 368 1,487 1,056 334 

Delaware ............................................ 3 8 5 ( 2 ) 694 882 347 ( 2 ) District of Columbia ............................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Florida ................................................. 126 182 192 104 9,849 15,785 14,929 7,795 

Georgia ............................................... 32 43 62 23 2,938 3,809 7,636 2,202 

Hawaii ................................................. 4 10 9 8 408 992 670 872 

Idaho ................................................... 10 5 8 9 1,120 342 759 1,305 

Illinois .................................................. 55 116 110 82 6,164 20,576 25,119 7,432 

Indiana ................................................ 40 45 87 30 4,359 4,643 10,131 3,182 

Iowa .................................................... 18 33 48 17 3,727 3,765 8,730 1,359 

Kansas ................................................ 4 15 22 14 291 4,071 2,088 945 

Kentucky ............................................. 34 49 97 22 5,487 6,240 14,128 2,006 

Louisiana ............................................ 10 26 21 18 851 3,005 1,768 1,698 

Maine .................................................. 3 3 4 ( 2 ) 217 280 256 ( 2 ) Maryland ............................................. 8 13 11 10 762 1,325 987 759 

Massachusetts .................................... 6 20 31 13 495 1,777 2,972 1,357 

Michigan ............................................. 48 121 185 43 3,669 12,218 23,929 3,593 

Minnesota ........................................... 5 26 31 13 334 2,318 3,229 948 

Mississippi .......................................... 15 11 14 5 908 895 803 349 

Missouri .............................................. 21 39 61 28 1,490 5,446 7,647 2,549 

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

 ) 6 5 3 ( 2 ) 476 481 258 

Nebraska ............................................ 3 3 4 ( 2 ) 271 658 418 ( 2 ) Nevada ............................................... 23 18 37 30 1,912 1,686 3,212 2,879 

New Hampshire .................................. 3 5 17 6 170 630 1,564 454 

New Jersey ......................................... 38 88 101 27 3,151 14,033 8,366 2,162 

New Mexico ........................................ 5 15 5 4 728 1,013 252 191 

New York ............................................ 94 83 126 106 10,760 7,681 11,886 11,405 

North Carolina .................................... 25 28 23 19 3,123 2,505 1,950 2,523 

North Dakota ...................................... ( 2 ) 6 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 640 560 ( 2 ) Ohio .................................................... 62 94 138 58 7,994 10,818 19,704 5,941 

Oklahoma ........................................... ( 2 ) 11 16 8 ( 2 ) 1,052 2,013 679 

Oregon ................................................ 28 43 49 21 3,741 5,525 5,492 1,691 

Pennsylvania ...................................... 70 194 202 114 6,521 18,363 18,080 9,924 

Rhode Island ...................................... 5 10 10 5 390 1,377 965 456 

South Carolina .................................... 12 38 59 20 2,232 4,087 5,359 2,133 

South Dakota ...................................... – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Tennessee .......................................... 17 19 27 7 1,496 1,617 1,898 468 

Texas .................................................. 40 93 75 51 5,124 8,745 7,461 4,297 

Utah .................................................... ( 2 ) 8 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 698 1,532 ( 2 ) Vermont .............................................. 3 10 5 ( 2 ) 664 965 381 ( 2 ) Virginia ................................................ 4 31 35 21 361 2,817 2,873 1,652 

Washington ......................................... 11 16 29 21 880 1,231 2,549 1,841 

West Virginia ...................................... ( 2 ) 8 ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) 583 ( 2 ) 272 

Wisconsin ........................................... 49 93 115 60 4,503 11,092 15,633 5,814 

Wyoming ............................................. ––––––––

Puerto Rico ......................................... 18 17 22 15 1,958 1,280 1,826 1,326 

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

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

State