1

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

March 2003-February 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,

March 2003-February 2008

2008

MASS LAYOFFS IN FEBRUARY 2008

In February, employers took 1,672 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 177,374, on a seasonally adjusted basis. February layoff events and associated

initial claimants were the highest since September 2005 (which reflected the impact of Hurricane Katrina) and

were the highest for the month of February since 2003. The number of mass layoff events in February 2008

increased by 234 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims increased by 33,263. In

February, 529 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in

66,913 initial claims. Over the month, mass layoff activity in manufacturing increased by 102 events, and

initial claims increased by 11,425. (See table 1.)

The national unemployment rate was 4.8 percent in February, seasonally adjusted, essentially unchanged

from 4.9 percent the prior month and up from 4.5 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment

decreased by 63,000 in February from the previous month, but increased by 860,000 from a year earlier.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in February, at 1,269 on a not seasonally adjusted basis, was up by

334 from a year earlier. The number of associated initial claims increased by 32,812 over the year to

119,508, due, in part, to a calendar effect. (See table 2.) (February 2008 contained 5 weeks compared

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 08-0384

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

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, March 21, 2008

N

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

ews United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

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

Industry Initial claims

February peak

Year

Initial claims

Temporary help services ..................................................... 8,858 2001 18,893

Professional employer organizations................................... 5,151 2008 5,151

Automobile manufacturing .................................................. 4,265 2001 13,977

School and employee bus transportation ........................... 4,254 2008 4,254

Household refrigerator and home freezer manufacturing ... 3,839 2008 3,839

Motion picture and video production ................................ 3,428 2002 5,844

Highway, street, and bridge construction .......................... 2,437 2003 3,316

Food service contractors..................................................... 2,430 2008 2,430

Discount department stores ................................................ 2,019 2004 2,669

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ............................ 1,782 2000 12,516

with 4 weeks in February 2007. The seasonal adjustment process adjusts for this effect.) The average

weekly number of events in February 2007 compared with February 2008 increased from 234 to 254, and

the average weekly initial claimants increased from 21,674 to 23,902. Both weekly averages reached the

highest levels for the month of February since 2003.

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

layoffs occurred in administrative and support services (+1,259), electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing (+995), and motion picture and sound recording industries (+366). The largest decreases occurred

in transportation equipment manufacturing (-1,190), machinery manufacturing (-511), and construction of

buildings (-386).

The manufacturing sector accounted for 28 percent of all mass layoff events and 36 percent of all related initial claims filed in February; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 29 percent of events and 42 percent of initial claims. In February 2008, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (12,189, largely in automobile manufacturing), followed by wood product

manufacturing (5,576), and electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing (5,327). (See table 3.)

Administrative and waste services accounted for 16 percent of mass layoff events and 15 percent of

initial claims in February, primarily from temporary help services. Construction comprised 15 percent of

events and 11 percent of initial claims, primarily from highway, street, and bridge construction. Retail trade

made up 10 percent of all mass layoff events and associated initial claims, mainly from discount department

stores.

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

accounted for 32 percent of all such claims in February. The industry with the highest number of initial

claims was temporary help services with 8,858, followed by professional employer organizations (5,151),

automobile manufacturing (4,265), and school and employee bus transportation (4,254). Together, these

four industries accounted for 19 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs during the month. (See

table A.)

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

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

in the West, 42,178. Administrative and support services accounted for 19 percent of all mass layoff initial
3

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

regions, 29,835, followed by the Midwest with 25,941 and the Northeast with 21,554. (See table 5.)

The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year in 3 of the 4 regions and 8 of the

9 divisions, due, in part, to a calendar effect. However, only 2 of the 4 regions experienced over-the-year

increases in average weekly initial claims—the West (+2,443) and the South (+1,505). Six of the 9 divisions

had over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims, led by the Pacific (+2,150).

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

(32,747), followed by Pennsylvania (8,204), Florida (6,572), Illinois (6,344), and New York (5,912).

These five states accounted for 56 percent of all mass layoff events and 50 percent of all initial claims for

unemployment insurance in February. (See table 6.)

The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year in 35 states and the District of

Columbia, due, in part, to a calendar effect. Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia reported overthe-year increases in average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by California (+1,597)

and Florida (+660). For both California and Florida, the largest increases in initial claims occurred in administrative and support services. States with the largest over-the-year decreases in average weekly claims were

Pennsylvania (-1,091), Wisconsin (-889), Michigan (-751), and Virginia (-721).

The report on Mass Layoffs in March 2008 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, April 23.

_____________________________
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, March 2004 to February 2008,

seasonally adjusted

2004

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 

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

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, March 2004 to February 2008,

not seasonally adjusted

2004

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 

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

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

February December January February February December January February

2007 2007 2008 2008 2007 2007 2008 2008

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 1,352 1,433 1,438 1,672 143,837 141,750 144,111 177,374 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,238 1,315 1,317 1,539 135,066 133,024 134,347 166,782 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 416 462 427 529 61,749 58,108 55,488 66,913 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 935 2,167 1,647 1,269 86,696 224,214 154,503 119,508 

Total, private ........................................................ 913 2,102 1,592 1,232 85,170 219,227 148,901 116,852 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 52 31 72 54 3,073 2,329 4,710 3,265 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 861 2,071 1,520 1,178 82,097 216,898 144,191 113,587 

 Mining .............................................................. ( 2 ) 28 8 5 ( 2 ) 2,136 550 335 

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

 Construction .................................................... 203 461 198 193 13,191 35,564 13,532 13,335 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 273 699 488 361 36,170 91,754 54,418 42,527 

 Food ............................................................ 40 68 57 46 4,188 10,267 5,024 3,916 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 4 7 7 9 280 640 531 795 

 Textile mills .................................................. 6 12 13 10 998 2,281 1,258 1,373 

 Textile product mills3 ................................... 4 8 8 5 383 848 950 615 

 Apparel 3 ....................................................... 5 16 17 ( 2

 ) 286 1,311 1,630 ( 2 )

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

 Wood products ............................................ 47 59 46 50 4,497 5,698 4,780 5,576 

 Paper ........................................................... 7 5 6 7 397 571 469 711 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 4 11 11 11 358 830 766 714 

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

 Chemicals .................................................... 4 12 10 6 348 995 898 368 

 Plastics and rubber products 3 ..................... 9 57 37 15 469 5,069 2,855 1,081 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 24 61 38 25 1,624 5,979 2,602 1,836 

 Primary metals ............................................. 13 37 16 13 1,411 4,022 1,491 1,480 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 14 55 40 17 1,315 5,252 3,144 1,155 

 Machinery3 ................................................... 17 37 23 15 2,946 6,864 2,901 1,129 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 9 21 18 15 667 1,559 1,222 1,204 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 4 16 7 17 281 1,495 784 5,327 

 Transportation equipment3 .......................... 43 171 86 66 14,510 31,910 17,920 12,189 

 Furniture and related products 3

 ................... 15 19 34 18 994 2,868 4,127 2,043 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing3 .................... ( 2

 ) 11 9 10 ( 2 ) 1,697 721 638 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 5 24 30 17 278 1,762 2,848 1,248 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 71 103 119 123 5,869 8,839 12,839 11,662 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 40 150 124 53 4,254 15,573 13,031 7,318 

 Information ....................................................... 24 51 43 28 2,966 8,770 4,668 4,229 

 Finance and insurance3

 ................................... 21 36 50 46 1,511 2,311 4,285 3,397 

 Real estate and rental and leasing3

 ................ 4 6 8 5 275 322 462 261 

 Professional and technical services 3 ............... 25 50 41 34 2,403 5,303 3,829 2,756 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) 448 ( 2 ) 181 

 Administrative and waste services3

 ................. 114 218 232 197 9,156 19,367 20,639 17,799 

 Educational services ........................................ 4 8 7 5 322 487 851 374 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 18 31 27 19 1,099 2,484 1,767 1,407 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 5 20 38 6 289 1,238 2,445 330 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 42 158 88 78 3,555 18,717 6,064 6,121 

 Other services, except public administration ... 5 19 13 ( 2 ) 310 1,598 1,381 ( 2 )

 Unclassified .................................................... 1 – – – 71 – – –

Government ......................................................... 22 65 55 37 1,526 4,987 5,602 2,656 

 Federal ............................................................ 5 10 13 3 339 841 1,106 249 

 State ................................................................ 6 12 9 11 482 1,016 804 819 

 Local ................................................................ 11 43 33 23 705 3,130 3,692 1,588 

 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 February 2008,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants

2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 35.2 p 47.3 

2008

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

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

 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

February December January February February December January February

2007 2007 2008 2008 2007 2007 2008 2008

 United States 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 935 2,167 1,647 1,269 86,696 224,214 154,503 119,508 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 179 392 349 212 18,272 36,859 32,949 21,554 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 56 30 35 2,602 5,777 2,056 3,999 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 154 336 319 177 15,670 31,082 30,893 17,555 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 168 388 324 305 17,850 47,505 32,769 29,835 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 84 192 157 176 9,938 18,797 15,997 13,912 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 42 120 129 64 4,336 18,538 13,585 8,907 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 42 76 38 65 3,576 10,170 3,187 7,016 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 239 884 416 232 26,603 97,346 42,229 25,941 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 198 667 324 184 23,364 74,374 33,964 21,916 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 217 92 48 3,239 22,972 8,265 4,025 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 349 503 558 520 23,971 42,504 46,556 42,178 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 67 44 47 1,833 4,968 3,757 3,754 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 324 436 514 473 22,138 37,536 42,799 38,424 

 

 

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

February December January February February December January February

2007 2007 2008 2008 2007 2007 2008 2008

– – – – – – – –

 Total 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 935 2,167 1,647 1,269 86,696 224,214 154,503 119,508 

– – – – – – – –

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 33 82 17 1,757 3,677 10,160 2,549 

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

 ) ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 263 290 ( 2 )

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

 ) 8 4 3 ( 2 ) 680 293 364 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 299 370 468 416 19,809 30,590 38,715 32,747 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 12 7 4 ( 2 ) 767 654 326 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 10 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 309 854 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 241 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 39 62 70 102 2,616 5,088 5,366 6,572 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 36 51 26 1,831 3,111 4,718 2,428 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 12 3 9 – 1,161 217 786 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 12 7 7 615 844 496 497 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 140 68 52 4,684 15,012 9,106 6,344 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 64 34 24 1,963 7,654 2,955 3,709 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 52 26 16 1,469 6,337 3,163 1,885 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 27 8 3 215 3,441 490 192 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 62 28 24 1,333 12,727 2,304 4,219 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 15 7 13 492 1,274 739 2,640 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 ( 2

 ) 4 303 278 ( 2 ) 245 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 29 9 5 747 2,628 708 377 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 22 11 9 442 2,131 791 698 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 38 213 86 32 6,507 25,005 7,004 4,379 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 46 19 5 615 4,386 1,751 361 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 9 6 10 254 640 324 897 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 77 37 19 801 7,517 2,664 1,127 

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

 ) 4 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 264 579 ( 2 )

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 9 ( 2

 ) 5 – 864 ( 2 ) 460 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 19 15 23 638 1,370 1,151 1,909 

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

 ) 6 ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) 560 ( 2 ) 351 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 93 35 35 2,558 8,389 2,613 3,439 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 7 4 ( 2

 ) 229 702 473 ( 2 )

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 72 152 42 2,184 6,700 18,636 5,912 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 7 3 21 518 789 350 2,121 

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

 ) 5 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 356 ( 2 ) –

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 149 71 42 4,175 14,909 9,352 4,387 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 13 4 ( 2

 ) 1,377 1,732 317 ( 2 )

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 32 28 29 1,264 3,763 2,769 3,125 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 107 171 132 100 10,928 15,993 9,644 8,204 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 10 9 9 1,249 1,465 562 1,448 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 29 12 10 641 4,236 1,991 1,354 

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

 ) – – – ( 2 ) – –

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 16 13 13 992 1,494 797 1,242 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 40 23 47 1,656 6,484 1,838 3,870 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 8 ( 2

 ) 7 – 706 ( 2 ) 525 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 4 8 240 489 248 1,084 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 21 8 8 3,476 2,390 1,027 742 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 21 14 19 1,065 1,940 1,047 1,766 

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

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

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 101 65 34 6,035 11,794 5,547 3,097 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 3 10 23 535 279 1,120 2,113 

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

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

State