Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0272 

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

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, March 20, 2009 

MASS LAYOFFS IN FEBRUARY 2009 

Employers took 2,769 mass layoff actions in February that resulted in the separation of 295,477 

workers, 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 mass layoff events in February 

increased by 542 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims increased by 

57,575. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 1,100, and the associated initial 

claims increased by 112,439. In February, 1,235 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing 

sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 152,618 initial claims. Over the month, mass layoff events in 

manufacturing increased by 497, and initial claims increased by 50,041. (See table 1.) Layoff events 

for all industries and for the manufacturing sector rose to their highest levels on record, with data 

available back to 1995. 

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Events

Total

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

 March 2004-February 2009

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Claims

Total

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

 March 2004-February 2009

During the 15 months from December 2007 through February 2009, the total number of mass layoff 

events (seasonally adjusted) was 28,481, and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was 

2,927,813. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.) 

The national unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in February 2009, seasonally adjusted, up from 7.6 

percent the prior month and from 4.8 percent a year earlier. In February, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 651,000 over the month and by 4,168,000 from a year earlier. 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

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

Year Initial claims

Temporary help services 1

 ................................... 12,477 2001 18,893 

Professional employer organizations 1

 ................ 6,452 2009 6,452 

Automobile manufacturing .................................. 4,491 2001 13,977 

Construction machinery manufacturing .............. 4,063 2009 4,063 

Motion picture and video production .................. 3,263 2002 5,844 

Payroll services .................................................... 3,154 2000 6,590 

School and employee bus transportation ............. 2,888 2008 4,254 

Department stores, except discount ..................... 2,648 2001 2,994 

Food service contractors ...................................... 2,580 2009 2,580 

Semiconductors and related device mfg. ............. 2,472 2009 2,472 

 1 See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.

Industry Initial claims February peak

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in February was 2,262 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the 

number of associated initial claims was 218,438. (See table 2.) Average weekly layoff events rose from 

254 in February 2008 to 566 in February 2009, and average weekly initial claimants increased from 

23,902 to 54,610. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See the 

Technical Note.) This year, both average weekly events and initial claimants reached their highest 

February levels in program history; data are available back to 1996. Thirteen of the 19 major industry 

sectors reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month of February—

mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; 

finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; professional and technical services; management of companies and enterprises; educational services; accommodation and food services; and other 

services, except public administration. 

The manufacturing sector accounted for 42 percent of all mass layoff events and 47 percent of initial claims filed in February 2009; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 28 percent of events and 36 

percent of initial claims. This February, the number of manufacturing claimants was greatest in transportation equipment (22,440) and machinery (14,921). (See table 3.) The administrative and waste 

services industry accounted for 10 percent of mass layoff events and 11 percent of associated initial 

claims during the month. The six-digit NAICS industry with the largest number of initial claims was 

temporary help services (12,477). (See table A.) 

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Of the 4 census regions, the West registered the highest number of initial claims in February due to 

mass layoffs (65,792), followed by the Midwest (64,973), the South (55,542), and the Northeast 

(32,131). (See table 5.) Average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the 

year in all 4 regions, with the Midwest (+11,055) and the West (+8,012) experiencing the largest 

increases. In 2009, the Northeast, Midwest, and South regions reported their highest February levels of 

average weekly initial claims in program history. 
3

Of the 9 geographic divisions, the Pacific (54,411) had the highest number of initial claims due to 

mass layoffs in February, followed by the East North Central (52,690) and the Middle Atlantic (24,387). 

(See table 5.) All divisions experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims, led by 

the East North Central (+8,789) and the Pacific (+5,918). This year, 8 of the 9 divisions reached February program highs in terms of average weekly initial claims—New England, Middle Atlantic, East 

North Central, West North Central, South Atlantic, East South Central, West South Central, and 

Mountain. 

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

with 45,557. The states with the next highest number of mass layoff initial claims were Illinois 

(19,469), Pennsylvania (11,683), and Wisconsin (9,988). (See table 6.) In 2009, 30 states reached program highs in average weekly initial claims for the month of February—Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, 

Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, 

Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. 

Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia registered over-the-year increases in average weekly 

initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by California (+4,840), Illinois (+3,598), and Wisconsin 

(+1,878). Louisiana and Mississippi were the only states to experience over-the-year decreases. 

Note

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

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

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

lasting more than 30 days (referred to as “extended mass layoffs”). The quarterly release provides more 

information on the industry classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of 

the 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 March 2009 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, April 23. 
Technical Note 

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

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job 

cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment 

insurance database. Each month, states report on employers 

which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during 

a consecutive 5-week period. These employers then are 

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these 

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

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report 

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

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly 

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday 

through Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect into 

consideration. 

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 

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

funding. Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were 

not available. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

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

1-800-877-8339. 

Definitions 

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include 

those covered by state unemployment insurance laws. 

Information on employers is obtained from the Quarterly 

Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which 

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

Industry. Employers are classified according to the 

2007 version of the North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS). For temporary help services and for professional employer organizations industries, monthly MLSrelated statistics generally reflect layoffs related to underlying 

client companies in other industries. An individual layoff 

action at a client company can be small, but when initial 

claimants associated with many such layoffs are assigned to a 

temporary help services or professional employer organizations firm, a mass layoff event may be triggered. 

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

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a 

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or 

period of eligibility. 

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for 

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an employer 

during a 5-week period, regardless of duration. 

Seasonal adjustment 

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS 

began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS 

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

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

and manufacturing sectors. 

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and 

removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring 

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

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

seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental 

changes in time series, particularly those associated with 

general economic expansions and contractions. 

The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-

ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis. 

Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly 

estimates, including those for the current month, in developing seasonal adjustment factors. Revisions to the most recent 

5 years of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a year 

with the issuance of December data. Before the data are 

seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments are made to the 

original data to adjust them for differences in the number of 

weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly 

unemployment insurance claims are aggregated to form 

monthly data, a particular month's value could be calculated 

with 5 weeks of data in 1 year and 4 weeks in another. The 

effects of these differences could seriously distort the 

seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal 

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

ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the 

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

seasonally adjusted

2005

March ........................................................... 1,204 129,993 1,056 119,466 368 52,667 

April .............................................................. 1,244 134,425 1,111 123,958 396 60,052 

May .............................................................. 1,264 137,475 1,121 124,468 397 54,998 

June ............................................................. 1,196 126,416 1,082 117,568 367 58,003 

July .............................................................. 1,241 130,331 1,094 117,510 354 46,056 

August .......................................................... 1,143 125,536 1,000 113,465 342 47,255 

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

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

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

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

2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009

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

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

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 2005 to February 2009,

not seasonally adjusted

2005

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009

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

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

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

2008 2008 2009 2009 2008 2008 2009 2009

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 1,669 2,275 2,227 2,769 183,038 226,117 237,902 295,477 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,532 2,100 2,070 2,628 172,013 212,559 225,490 281,500 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 526 871 738 1,235 67,235 105,402 102,577 152,618 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 1,269 3,377 3,806 2,262 119,508 351,305 388,813 218,438 

Total, private ........................................................ 1,232 3,278 3,709 2,215 116,852 343,963 380,158 213,548 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 54 46 76 42 3,265 3,743 4,865 2,793 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,178 3,232 3,633 2,173 113,587 340,220 375,293 210,755 

 Mining .............................................................. 5 43 50 35 335 4,191 4,538 3,379 

 Utilities ............................................................. ( 2 ) 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 355 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 193 544 388 199 13,335 40,579 27,762 14,040 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 361 1,378 1,461 945 42,527 172,529 172,757 103,588 

 Food ............................................................ 46 77 84 57 3,916 7,797 8,083 5,379 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 9 12 6 8 795 1,222 511 606 

 Textile mills .................................................. 10 44 35 19 1,373 4,725 4,322 1,833 

 Textile product mills ..................................... 5 7 19 8 615 672 2,811 769 

 Apparel ........................................................ ( 2 ) 22 33 16 ( 2 ) 2,479 3,189 1,545 

 Leather and allied products ......................... – 4 6 ( 2 ) – 800 504 ( 2 )

 Wood products ............................................ 50 86 104 57 5,576 8,465 9,870 5,348 

 Paper ........................................................... 7 34 38 34 711 4,384 3,977 3,129 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 11 20 38 21 714 1,904 4,187 1,758 

 Petroleum and coal products ....................... ( 2 ) 12 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,124 515 ( 2 )

 Chemicals .................................................... 6 23 26 20 368 2,046 1,883 1,806 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 15 136 110 48 1,081 14,215 11,156 4,878 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 25 89 56 40 1,836 9,104 4,441 2,788 

 Primary metals ............................................. 13 83 98 59 1,480 8,558 9,660 6,523 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 17 145 151 99 1,155 12,576 13,746 8,735 

 Machinery .................................................... 15 75 121 106 1,129 7,531 14,120 14,921 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 15 53 76 78 1,204 5,245 6,747 7,439 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 17 51 53 35 5,327 9,049 5,807 5,399 

 Transportation equipment ............................ 66 352 316 171 12,189 64,336 57,173 22,440 

 Furniture and related products .................... 18 37 48 44 2,043 4,764 6,928 6,333 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 10 16 35 20 638 1,533 3,127 1,607 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 17 60 86 62 1,248 5,374 7,612 4,243 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 123 142 329 193 11,662 12,104 33,622 17,538 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 53 196 236 80 7,318 22,751 25,081 7,864 

 Information ....................................................... 28 71 69 72 4,229 9,138 9,405 8,476 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 46 40 88 74 3,397 2,998 7,683 5,685 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 5 16 26 17 261 1,382 1,870 1,083 

 Professional and technical services ................ 34 76 87 82 2,756 6,280 7,032 7,895 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 3 17 ( 2 ) 14 181 2,433 ( 2 ) 990 

 Administrative and waste services .................. 197 348 473 235 17,799 31,069 46,646 23,566 

 Educational services ........................................ 5 11 14 ( 2 ) 374 634 1,952 ( 2 )

 Health care and social assistance ................... 19 36 41 33 1,407 2,626 4,279 2,032 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 6 23 49 10 330 1,503 4,421 655 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 78 199 197 95 6,121 22,312 17,360 8,080 

 Other services, except public administration ... ( 2 ) 24 25 18 ( 2 ) 1,821 2,155 1,083 

 Unclassified .................................................... – 2 1 – – 141 49 –

Government ......................................................... 37 99 97 47 2,656 7,342 8,655 4,890 

 Federal ............................................................ 3 10 13 7 249 1,011 1,302 533 

 State ................................................................ 11 19 25 17 819 1,296 2,155 1,804 

 Local ................................................................ 23 70 59 23 1,588 5,035 5,198 2,553 

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

 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

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

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2007

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 1,110 199,250 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 1,421 259,234 43.2 74.5 

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

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

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

Third Quarter ............................. 3,279 336,262 3,025 317,310 1,018 173,077 33.7 54.5 

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

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

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

Fourth Quarter ........................... 5,049 530,889 4,593 495,798 1,814 347,151 39.5 70.0 

2008

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

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

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

First Quarter ............................... 4,005 388,552 3,737 367,925 1,340 259,084 35.9 70.4 

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

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

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

Second Quarter ......................... 4,446 457,023 3,925 413,003 1,756 339,184 44.7 82.1 

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

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

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

Third Quarter ............................. 4,610 469,967 4,232 441,669 1,582 300,337 37.4 68.0 

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

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

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

Fourth Quarter ........................... 8,076 814,678 7,538 772,430 2,p 3,140 2,p 463,715 p

 41.7 p 60.0 

2009

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

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

 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

February December January February February December January February

2008 2008 2009 2009 2008 2008 2009 2009

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,269 3,377 3,806 2,262 119,508 351,305 388,813 218,438 

Northeast .......................................................... 212 491 787 348 21,554 44,901 77,142 32,131 

 New England ................................................ 35 70 97 78 3,999 7,024 8,414 7,744 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 177 421 690 270 17,555 37,877 68,728 24,387 

South ................................................................ 305 815 1,052 624 29,835 94,307 115,630 55,542 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 176 362 574 295 13,912 33,456 58,892 23,842 

 East South Central ....................................... 64 296 279 172 8,907 42,388 32,215 17,840 

 West South Central ...................................... 65 157 199 157 7,016 18,463 24,523 13,860 

Midwest ............................................................ 232 1,278 1,024 561 25,941 146,155 114,195 64,973 

 East North Central ........................................ 184 961 821 434 21,916 108,017 93,852 52,690 

 West North Central ....................................... 48 317 203 127 4,025 38,138 20,343 12,283 

West ................................................................. 520 793 943 729 42,178 65,942 81,846 65,792 

 Mountain ....................................................... 47 139 149 128 3,754 12,780 12,657 11,381 

 Pacific ........................................................... 473 654 794 601 38,424 53,162 69,189 54,411 

 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

2008 2008 2009 2009 2008 2008 2009 2009

 Total 1

 .............................................. 1,269 3,377 3,806 2,262 119,508 351,305 388,813 218,438 

Alabama ............................................. 17 88 100 33 2,549 14,160 10,588 4,690 

Alaska ................................................. – ( 2 ) 10 7 – ( 2 ) 788 557 

Arizona ............................................... ( 2 ) 13 24 23 ( 2 ) 1,213 1,941 2,185 

Arkansas ............................................. 3 25 13 6 364 2,517 1,462 1,156 

California ............................................ 416 546 651 515 32,747 43,265 54,153 45,557 

Colorado ............................................. 4 24 24 15 326 2,023 1,814 1,237 

Connecticut ......................................... ( 2 ) 10 14 12 ( 2 ) 799 1,349 824 

Delaware ............................................ ( 2 ) 8 5 4 ( 2 ) 817 1,052 484 

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

Florida ................................................. 102 104 235 155 6,572 6,931 19,301 9,779 

Georgia ............................................... 26 83 137 45 2,428 8,508 16,654 3,830 

Hawaii ................................................. 9 15 14 15 786 1,650 998 1,211 

Idaho ................................................... 7 25 21 10 497 2,347 1,746 591 

Illinois .................................................. 52 202 130 115 6,344 25,885 13,443 19,469 

Indiana ................................................ 24 156 117 59 3,709 16,762 10,734 6,776 

Iowa .................................................... 16 82 64 33 1,885 10,005 7,353 4,374 

Kansas ................................................ 3 38 21 18 192 7,949 2,447 1,582 

Kentucky ............................................. 24 131 80 78 4,219 21,570 12,492 8,794 

Louisiana ............................................ 13 17 29 19 2,640 2,430 3,396 1,498 

Maine .................................................. 4 7 18 4 245 530 1,618 348 

Maryland ............................................. 5 15 31 11 377 1,002 2,535 800 

Massachusetts .................................... 9 38 33 32 698 4,289 2,782 2,873 

Michigan ............................................. 32 248 229 79 4,379 24,508 26,453 7,392 

Minnesota ........................................... 5 67 41 24 361 7,374 3,289 1,777 

Mississippi .......................................... 10 27 25 8 897 2,399 2,353 458 

Missouri .............................................. 19 107 62 38 1,127 10,625 5,239 3,538 

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

 ) 8 14 11 ( 2 ) 630 1,491 753 

Nebraska ............................................ 5 12 5 7 460 1,334 1,070 500 

Nevada ............................................... 23 41 33 43 1,909 4,303 2,805 3,881 

New Hampshire .................................. 3 4 7 9 351 255 465 1,020 

New Jersey ......................................... 35 80 90 47 3,439 6,910 7,179 3,777 

New Mexico ........................................ ( 2 ) 16 13 13 ( 2 ) 1,170 822 1,868 

New York ............................................ 42 111 279 82 5,912 10,511 31,893 8,927 

North Carolina .................................... 21 33 41 34 2,121 3,314 4,149 3,833 

North Dakota ...................................... – 8 ( 2 ) 3 – 666 ( 2 ) 207 

Ohio .................................................... 42 224 199 91 4,387 27,836 27,971 9,065 

Oklahoma ........................................... ( 2 ) 20 21 19 ( 2 ) 3,210 2,772 1,437 

Oregon ................................................ 29 51 76 43 3,125 4,413 9,005 5,321 

Pennsylvania ...................................... 100 230 321 141 8,204 20,456 29,656 11,683 

Rhode Island ...................................... 9 7 17 9 1,448 820 1,526 1,291 

South Carolina .................................... 10 84 102 33 1,354 9,381 10,703 3,471 

South Dakota ...................................... – 3 6 4 – 185 530 305 

Tennessee .......................................... 13 50 74 53 1,242 4,259 6,782 3,898 

Texas .................................................. 47 95 136 113 3,870 10,306 16,893 9,769 

Utah .................................................... 7 12 19 11 525 1,094 1,978 753 

Vermont .............................................. 8 4 8 12 1,084 331 674 1,388 

Virginia ................................................ 8 27 15 8 742 2,782 3,313 786 

Washington ......................................... 19 40 43 21 1,766 3,663 4,245 1,765 

West Virginia ...................................... ( 2 ) 6 7 3 ( 2 ) 416 1,127 681 

Wisconsin ........................................... 34 131 146 90 3,097 13,026 15,251 9,988 

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

Puerto Rico ......................................... 23 16 29 28 2,113 1,285 2,992 2,282 

1

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

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State