1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902

USDL 08-0260

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

News

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212

United States

Department 

of Labor

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

February 2003-January 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,

February 2003-January 2008

2008

MASS LAYOFFS IN JANUARY 2008

In January, employers took 1,438 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 144,111, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events in

January 2008 increased by 5 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims increased

Effective with this news release, the Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program has switched the

basis for their industry classification from the 2002 North American Industry Classification

System (NAICS) to the 2007 NAICS. The change in classification resulted in minor definitional

changes within manufacturing; telecommunications; financial activities; and professional, scientific,

and technical services. Several industry titles and descriptions also were updated. For more

information on the impact of the change to the 2007 NAICS on the MLS program’s data, see

http://www.bls.gov/mls/mls2007naics.htm.

For additional information on the 2007 NAICS, see http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/

naics.html.

Changes to Mass Layoff Data
2

Industry

Initial claims

January peak

Year

Initial claims

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

by 2,361. The number of initial claims due to mass layoffs have increased for five consecutive months. In

January, 427 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in

55,488 initial claims. Over the month, mass layoff activity in manufacturing decreased by 35 events, and

initial claims decreased by 2,620. (See table 1.)

The national unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in January, seasonally adjusted, down from 5.0 percent

in the prior month and up from 4.6 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by

17,000 in January from the previous month and increased by 994,000 from a year earlier.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

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

accounted for 30 percent of all such claims in January. The industry with the highest number of initial claims

was temporary help services with 12,509, followed by school and employee bus transportation (7,444),

automobile manufacturing (4,575), and professional employer organizations (3,705). Together, these four

industries accounted for 18 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs during the month. (See table A.)

The manufacturing sector accounted for 30 percent of all mass layoff events and 35 percent of all related

initial claims filed in January; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 32 percent of events and 40 percent of

initial claims. In January 2008, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (17,920), followed by food manufacturing (5,024) and wood product manufacturing

(4,780). (See table 3.)

Administrative and waste services accounted for 14 percent of mass layoff events and 13 percent of

initial claims in January, primarily from administrative and support services. Construction comprised 12 percent of events and 9 percent of initial claims, primarily from specialty trade contractors and from heavy and

civil engineering construction. Transportation and warehousing made up 8 percent of all mass layoff events

and related initial claims, mainly from transit and ground passenger transportation. Seven percent of all mass

layoff events and 8 percent of related initial claims filed were from retail trade, largely from general merchandise stores.

Temporary help services.......................................... 12,509 1998 26,224

School and employee bus transportation.................. 7,444 2005 14,526

Automobile manufacturing........................................ 4,575 2001 21,093

Professional employer organizations ......................... 3,705 2005 5,258

Discount department stores ..................................... 3,560 2004 6,063

Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing ............. 3,191 2001 8,450

Highway, street, and bridge construction ................. 2,858 2000 9,680

Motion picture and video production....................... 2,844 1998 12,038

Wood kitchen cabinet and countertop

 manufacturing....................................................... 2,602 2008 2,602

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ................ 2,354 1999 5,859
3

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of mass layoff events in January 2008, at 1,647, was

up by 240 from a year earlier, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 19,519 to 154,503.

(See table 2.) The largest over-the-year increases in initial claims for all layoff events were reported in

administrative and support services (+3,799) and transit and ground passenger transportation (+2,799).

The largest over-the-year decrease in mass layoff initial claims was reported in transportation equipment

manufacturing (-4,395). The average weekly numbers of events and initial claimants for the United States

were at their highest levels (412 and 38,626, respectively) for the month of January since 2005.

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Among the 4 census regions, the highest number of initial claims in January 2008 due to mass layoffs was

in the West (46,556). Temporary help services accounted for 13 percent of all mass layoff initial claims in

that region during the month. The Midwest had the second largest number of initial claims among the regions,

42,229, followed by the Northeast with 32,949 and the South with 32,769. (See table 5.)

The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year in all four of the regions. The

Northeast (+7,486) experienced the largest increase; the South reported the smallest over-the-year increase

(+2,899). Seven of the 9 geographic divisions had over-the-year increases in the numbers of initial claims

associated with mass layoffs, with the largest increases in the Middle Atlantic (+8,779) and Pacific (+5,068)

divisions. The division with the largest over-the-year decrease was the West South Central (-2,198).

California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in January

(38,715), reflecting layoffs in administrative and support services. Other states with large numbers of

mass layoff-related claims were New York (18,636), Alabama (10,160), Pennsylvania (9,644), Ohio

(9,352), and Illinois (9,106). (See table 6.)

Twenty-three states reported over-the-year increases in initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by

Alabama (+8,368), New York (+7,958), and California (+5,155). For Alabama, the largest over-the-year

increases in initial claims occurred in transportation equipment manufacturing, wood product manufacturing,

and administrative and support services. For New York, transit and ground passenger transportation had the

largest over-the-year increase. In California, general merchandise stores registered the largest increase in

claims over the year. States with the largest over-the-year decreases in mass layoff claims were Kentucky

(-3,782), Louisiana (-1,152), and Texas (-1,007).

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 employers, 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

nature of the layoff and the location of the employer, and on the demographics of the laid-off workers. Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months in

a quarter will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 30 days. (See table 4.) See

the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.

______________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in February 2008 is scheduled to be released on Friday, March 21.
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, February 2004 to January 2008,

seasonally adjusted

2004

February ......................................................... 1,300 133,526 1,151 120,918 366 39,682 

March ............................................................. 1,364 139,304 1,228 130,123 398 58,980 

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 

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, February 2004 to January 2008,

not seasonally adjusted

2004

February ....................................................... 941 84,201 832 76,577 240 23,043 

March ............................................................ 920 92,554 847 87,782 258 34,686 

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 

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

January November December January January November December January

2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2008

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 1,254 1,329 1,433 1,438 128,223 139,671 141,750 144,111 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,118 1,215 1,315 1,317 117,824 131,390 133,024 134,347 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 391 414 462 427 52,858 56,965 58,108 55,488 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 1,407 1,799 2,167 1,647 134,984 198,220 224,214 154,503 

Total, private ........................................................ 1,344 1,729 2,102 1,592 129,715 191,917 219,227 148,901 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 81 136 31 72 5,240 10,733 2,329 4,710 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,263 1,593 2,071 1,520 124,475 181,184 216,898 144,191 

 Mining .............................................................. 10 11 28 8 769 928 2,136 550 

 Utilities ............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 225 ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 194 324 461 198 12,426 28,277 35,564 13,532 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 456 514 699 488 53,615 75,413 91,754 54,418 

 Food ............................................................ 59 62 68 57 4,525 6,642 10,267 5,024 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 6 9 7 7 456 746 640 531 

 Textile mills .................................................. 16 27 12 13 1,703 5,381 2,281 1,258 

 Textile product mills3

 .................................... 9 5 8 8 1,132 608 848 950 

 Apparel3

 ....................................................... 12 10 16 17 1,020 625 1,311 1,630 

 Leather and allied products ......................... ( 2 ) 4 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 376 435 ( 2 )

 Wood products ............................................ 46 69 59 46 4,342 8,094 5,698 4,780 

 Paper ........................................................... 7 9 5 6 572 696 571 469 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 13 11 11 11 1,110 763 830 766 

 Petroleum and coal products ....................... ( 2 ) 8 12 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 624 1,163 ( 2 )

 Chemicals .................................................... 9 6 12 10 771 668 995 898 

 Plastics and rubber products3

 ...................... 22 27 57 37 1,513 2,568 5,069 2,855 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 28 24 61 38 2,059 2,493 5,979 2,602 

 Primary metals ............................................. 13 27 37 16 1,687 2,955 4,022 1,491 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 32 24 55 40 2,581 2,341 5,252 3,144 

 Machinery3

 ................................................... 24 40 37 23 2,309 6,289 6,864 2,901 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 15 13 21 18 1,351 987 1,559 1,222 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 8 15 16 7 514 5,418 1,495 784 

 Transportation equipment3

 .......................... 104 93 171 86 22,315 23,323 31,910 17,920 

 Furniture and related products3

 ................... 23 23 19 34 2,948 3,164 2,868 4,127 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing3

 ..................... 6 8 11 9 454 652 1,697 721 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 22 40 24 30 1,603 3,095 1,762 2,848 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 112 93 103 119 9,587 8,199 8,839 12,839 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 88 82 150 124 9,275 7,499 15,573 13,031 

 Information ....................................................... 32 28 51 43 6,296 5,386 8,770 4,668 

 Finance and insurance3

 ................................... 29 43 36 50 2,197 3,898 2,311 4,285 

 Real estate and rental and leasing3

 ................. 6 7 6 8 307 539 322 462 

 Professional and technical services3

 ............... 28 51 50 41 3,088 7,435 5,303 3,829 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 448 ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services3 ................. 172 217 218 232 16,699 22,050 19,367 20,639 

 Educational services ........................................ 5 – 8 7 647 – 487 851 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 14 24 31 27 776 2,522 2,484 1,767 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 26 36 20 38 1,897 3,543 1,238 2,445 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 56 107 158 88 4,124 10,865 18,717 6,064 

 Other services, except public administration ... 8 10 19 13 772 1,062 1,598 1,381 

 Unclassified .................................................... 2 1 – – 104 57 – –

Government ......................................................... 63 70 65 55 5,269 6,303 4,987 5,602 

 Federal ............................................................ 21 19 10 13 2,311 1,928 841 1,106 

 State ................................................................ 15 20 12 9 1,272 1,786 1,016 804 

 Local ................................................................ 27 31 43 33 1,686 2,589 3,130 3,692 

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 January 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 r

 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 r

 199,295 35.4 r 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 r

 258,812 43.2 r 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 r

 1,019 r 172,508 r 33.7 r 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 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards

mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated

rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days. r = revised.

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

data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

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

January November December January January November December January

2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2008

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,407 1,799 2,167 1,647 134,984 198,220 224,214 154,503 

Northeast ......................................................... 299 355 392 349 25,463 34,766 36,859 32,949 

 New England ............................................... 41 38 56 30 3,349 3,754 5,777 2,056 

 Middle Atlantic ............................................. 258 317 336 319 22,114 31,012 31,082 30,893 

South ............................................................... 283 350 388 324 29,870 42,139 47,505 32,769 

 South Atlantic .............................................. 163 180 192 157 14,996 19,924 18,797 15,997 

 East South Central ...................................... 71 91 120 129 9,489 9,831 18,538 13,585 

 West South Central ..................................... 49 79 76 38 5,385 12,384 10,170 3,187 

Midwest ........................................................... 373 483 884 416 38,412 62,163 97,346 42,229 

 East North Central ....................................... 295 389 667 324 31,681 51,952 74,374 33,964 

 West North Central ...................................... 78 94 217 92 6,731 10,211 22,972 8,265 

West ................................................................ 452 611 503 558 41,239 59,152 42,504 46,556 

 Mountain ...................................................... 46 76 67 44 3,508 6,893 4,968 3,757 

 Pacific .......................................................... 406 535 436 514 37,731 52,259 37,536 42,799 

 Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: 

NOTE: The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: 

the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Mass- Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North 

achusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North 

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 

District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and

Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

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

January November December January January November December January

2007 2007 2007 2008 2007 2007 2007 2008

 Total 1

 ................................................ 1,407 1,799 2,167 1,647 134,984 198,220 224,214 154,503 

Alabama ............................................... 19 29 33 82 1,792 2,917 3,677 10,160 

Alaska ................................................... ( 2 ) 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 780 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Arizona ................................................. 4 3 4 4 409 197 263 290 

Arkansas ............................................... ( 2 ) 12 8 4 ( 2 ) 2,678 680 293 

California .............................................. 366 455 370 468 33,560 44,127 30,590 38,715 

Colorado ............................................... 11 14 12 7 818 1,244 767 654 

Connecticut ........................................... 8 3 10 ( 2 ) 819 232 854 ( 2 )

Delaware .............................................. ( 2 ) 3 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 356 241 ( 2 )

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

Florida ................................................... 60 73 62 70 3,537 4,499 5,088 5,366 

Georgia ................................................. 48 39 36 51 4,802 7,500 3,111 4,718 

Hawaii ................................................... 5 5 12 3 562 390 1,161 217 

Idaho ..................................................... 10 21 12 7 646 2,101 844 496 

Illinois .................................................... 48 67 140 68 5,524 7,704 15,012 9,106 

Indiana .................................................. 38 52 64 34 3,388 7,638 7,654 2,955 

Iowa ...................................................... 15 23 52 26 1,772 2,503 6,337 3,163 

Kansas .................................................. 11 ( 2 ) 27 8 689 ( 2 ) 3,441 490 

Kentucky ............................................... 27 34 62 28 6,086 4,747 12,727 2,304 

Louisiana .............................................. 7 6 15 7 1,891 1,672 1,274 739 

Maine .................................................... 7 6 4 ( 2 ) 495 467 278 ( 2 )

Maryland ............................................... 11 11 29 9 1,000 1,446 2,628 708 

Massachusetts ...................................... 16 18 22 11 1,235 1,495 2,131 791 

Michigan ............................................... 88 92 213 86 7,914 15,578 25,005 7,004 

Minnesota ............................................. 15 41 46 19 1,474 4,315 4,386 1,751 

Mississippi ............................................ 3 12 9 6 236 839 640 324 

Missouri ................................................ 34 19 77 37 2,593 2,312 7,517 2,664 

Montana ................................................ 5 8 4 6 452 760 264 579 

Nebraska .............................................. ( 2 ) 4 9 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 402 864 ( 2 )

Nevada ................................................. 7 18 19 15 547 1,713 1,370 1,151 

New Hampshire .................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 560 ( 2 )

New Jersey ........................................... 38 50 93 35 2,737 6,234 8,389 2,613 

New Mexico .......................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 7 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 702 473 

New York .............................................. 113 82 72 152 10,678 7,658 6,700 18,636 

North Carolina ...................................... 10 4 7 3 1,013 457 789 350 

North Dakota ........................................ ( 2 ) 4 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 444 356 ( 2 )

Ohio ...................................................... 61 68 149 71 8,883 7,369 14,909 9,352 

Oklahoma ............................................. 7 6 13 4 436 1,198 1,732 317 

Oregon .................................................. 20 37 32 28 2,006 3,866 3,763 2,769 

Pennsylvania ........................................ 107 185 171 132 8,699 17,120 15,993 9,644 

Rhode Island ........................................ 7 – 10 9 489 – 1,465 562 

South Carolina ...................................... 14 28 29 12 1,466 3,038 4,236 1,991 

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

Tennessee ............................................ 22 16 16 13 1,375 1,328 1,494 797 

Texas .................................................... 33 55 40 23 2,845 6,836 6,484 1,838 

Utah ...................................................... 7 9 8 ( 2 ) 494 658 706 ( 2 )

Vermont ................................................ ( 2 ) 10 4 4 ( 2 ) 1,500 489 248 

Virginia .................................................. 17 18 21 8 1,706 2,384 2,390 1,027 

Washington ........................................... 14 30 21 14 1,528 3,096 1,940 1,047 

West Virginia ........................................ – 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 244 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Wisconsin ............................................. 60 110 101 65 5,972 13,663 11,794 5,547 

Wyoming ............................................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Puerto Rico ........................................... 12 15 3 10 1,257 1,385 279 1,120 

1

 See footnote 1, table 3. NOTE: Dash represents zero. 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State