1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-1117

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, June 23, 2005

MASS LAYOFFS IN MAY 2005

In May 2005, employers took 1,196 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 establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 128,771, on a seasonally adjusted basis. (See table 1.) The number of

layoff events fell by 78, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 8,066 from April. In the

manufacturing sector, 359 mass layoff events were reported during May 2005, seasonally adjusted, resulting

in 53,243 initial claims. Both figures were lower than a month earlier. (See table 1.)

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally 

adjusted, June 2000-May 2005

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

2001 

Note: Shaded area represents recession period.

2002 2003 2004 2005 

Manufacturing

Private nonfarm

Total

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally 

adjusted, June 2000-May 2005

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 

Private nonfarm

Total

Manufacturing

Note: Shaded area represents recession period.

From January through May 2005, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 6,249, and initial

claims (seasonally adjusted), at 665,130, were lower than in January-May 2004 (6,643 and 678,344, respectively).

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

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

accounted for 36,074 initial claims in May, 36 percent of the total. (See table A.) The two industries with

the highest number of initial claims were motion picture and video production with 5,578 and temporary help

services with 5,338. Together these two industries accounted for 11 percent of all initial claims in May.
2

Table A. Industries with the largest mass-layoff initial claims in May 2005 p

Industry

Initial claims

May peak

Year

Initial claims

Motion picture and video production..................... 5,578 1999 8,985

Temporary help services........................................ 5,338 2002 16,992

Food service contractors....................................... 5,180 1998 7,267

Automobile manufacturing...................................... 5,122 2003 7,851

School and employee bus transportation................ 4,122 2005 4,122

Child day care services ......................................... 3,353 2002 3,894

Professional employer organizations ...................... 2,260 2003 3,446

Light truck and utility vehicle mfg. .......................... 1,850 2005 1,850

Industrial building contruction................................. 1,688 2003 3,463

Other social advocacy organizations ...................... 1,583 2,500

p=preliminary.

2002

The manufacturing sector accounted for 25 percent of all mass layoff events and 30 percent of all initial

claims filed in May 2005. A year earlier, manufacturing comprised 22 percent of events and 25 percent of

initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in May 2005 was highest in transportation

equipment (10,906, mostly automotive-related), followed by food processing (5,057). (See table 3.)

Administrative and waste services accounted for 11 percent of events and 9 percent of initial claims filed

in May, with layoffs mainly from temporary help services. Eleven percent of all layoff events and 8 percent

of initial claims filed during the month were from construction, mostly among specialty trade contractors. Accommodation and food services accounted for 8 percent of events and initial claims in May, primarily from

food service contractors. Transportation and warehousing accounted for 7 percent of events and initial

claims during the month, largely from school and employee bus transportation. An additional 2 percent of

events and 6 percent of initial claims were from the information sector, mainly from motion picture and video

production.

Government establishments accounted for 7 percent of events and 6 percent of initial claims filed in May,

mostly in executive, legislative, and general government agencies and educational services.

Over the year, the number of layoff events was little changed, while the number of associated initial claims

rose by 13,857 (not seasonally adjusted). The largest increases in initial claims were reported in transportation equipment manufacturing (+7,995) and motion picture and video production (+4,209). The largest overthe-year decreases in initial claims were reported in textile product mills (-2,560) and in performing arts and

spectator sports (-1,054).

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

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

Midwest (30,688). (See table 5.) Transportation equipment manufacturing accounted for almost one-third

of the this total, with food services and drinking places and administrative and support services together

accounting for 16 percent of all mass-layoff initial claims in that region during the month. The West had the

next largest number of initial claims (28,771), followed by the South (22,693) and the Northeast (19,206).
3

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

The largest increase occurred in the Midwest (+8,394), followed by the Northeast (+7,294) and the West

(+3,142). The South had the only over-the-year decrease (-4,973). Six of the nine geographic divisions had

over-the-year increases in the number of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest in the East

North Central division (+6,420) and Middle Atlantic (+5,262). The largest over-the-year decreases occurred in the South Atlantic (-3,285) and East South Central (-2,166) divisions.

Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events

in May (22,741), mostly in motion picture and sound recording industries and in administrative and support

services. Michigan had the next highest, with 9,725 initial claims reported, followed by New York (8,875),

and Texas (6,229). These four states accounted for 44 percent of all mass layoff events and 47 percent of

initial claims for unemployment insurance. (See table 6.)

Michigan had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial claims (+6,356), followed by

New York (+5,527). The largest over-the-year decreases occurred in Florida (-1,960) and Illinois (-1,700).

From January to May, California reported 164,032 mass layoff initial claims, 24 percent of the national

total, the lowest proportion for a January-to-May period since 1996. The states with the next largest number

of claims over this period were Ohio (47,543), New York (45,666), and Michigan (42,479).

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 June 2005 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, July 26, 2005.
Technical Note

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state

program that uses a standardized, automated approach to

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job

cutbacks, using data from each state’s unemployment insurance

database. Each month, states report on establishments which

have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during a

consecutive 5-week period. These establishments then are

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these

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

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report on

layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quarterly basis.

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday through

Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are included for the

particular month, except if the first day of the month falls on

Saturday. In this case, the week is included in the prior month’s

tabulations. This means that some months will contain 4 weeks

and others, 5 weeks, 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

Initial claimant . A person who files any notice of

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or

period of eligibility.

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an

establishment during a 5-week period, regardless of duration.

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, June 2001 to May 2005,

seasonally adjusted

Initial Initial Initial

 claimants claimants claimants

2001

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,610 195,617 1,433 180,821 739 104,155 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,704 200,376 1,568 188,468 719 93,867 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,744 206,528 1,586 195,051 788 106,632 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,409 277,214 2,235 263,192 834 108,615 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,109 233,569 1,986 223,808 897 118,136 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,094 218,273 1,935 207,129 944 114,556 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,799 194,759 1,658 183,178 722 93,193 

2002

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,801 208,835 1,659 195,862 739 96,689 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,773 204,089 1,620 192,450 701 91,285 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,674 187,924 1,517 175,998 610 75,367 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,685 186,574 1,497 169,228 591 69,481 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,720 191,841 1,558 178,993 611 74,809 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,615 170,307 1,438 156,759 551 73,064 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,637 179,165 1,457 164,398 568 73,230 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,475 160,855 1,330 149,148 562 65,564 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,909 217,475 1,742 202,640 607 79,413 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,716 178,860 1,524 162,411 598 71,765 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,644 176,462 1,500 165,578 607 70,640 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,825 193,627 1,661 179,368 638 86,714 

2003

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,383 134,258 1,193 120,033 402 49,440 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,771 185,502 1,589 173,392 643 75,331 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,773 176,540 1,577 161,662 618 75,289 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,735 176,645 1,574 165,416 646 86,857 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,709 186,158 1,532 173,123 624 87,615 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,704 163,646 1,515 148,547 636 70,888 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,653 163,061 1,444 147,883 590 71,203 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,502 170,353 1,364 156,731 540 71,944 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,559 145,961 1,370 132,233 471 56,274 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,541 154,908 1,312 136,604 412 49,518 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,400 137,651 1,241 125,115 397 46,955 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,425 141,780 1,281 129,464 420 53,436 

2004

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,458 146,147 1,257 127,917 413 50,074 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,237 126,421 1,091 115,302 358 36,783 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,348 142,480 1,211 134,118 409 63,380 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,422 149,049 1,239 132,180 360 43,158 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,178 114,247 1,016 100,499 314 37,950 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,375 141,300 1,215 129,466 361 47,548 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,363 139,374 1,200 127,011 390 49,276 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,392 130,483 1,208 115,035 330 36,422 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,281 123,761 1,153 114,223 332 45,917 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,274 125,414 1,145 116,042 350 44,908 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,361 130,168 1,201 117,545 402 43,504 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,211 119,649 1,064 108,157 283 34,940 

2005

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,457 150,990 1,321 140,826 379 58,908 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,128 117,684 1,001 107,415 345 43,186 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,194 130,848 1,060 121,408 371 55,377 

Aprilp ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,274 136,837 1,142 126,807 395 63,121 

Mayp ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,196 128,771 1,060 117,036 359 53,243 

 

p

 = preliminary.

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, June 2001 to May 2005,

not seasonally adjusted

Initial Initial Initial 

claimants claimants claimants

2001

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,107 253,826 1,784 226,022 737 116,005 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,117 273,807 1,952 259,128 1,144 168,877 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,490 166,148 1,386 158,307 603 79,515 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,327 160,402 1,214 151,161 485 58,544 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,831 215,483 1,676 202,053 742 107,030 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,721 295,956 2,373 270,268 1,122 151,969 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,440 268,893 2,319 259,497 1,103 136,820 

2002

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,146 263,777 2,028 252,245 892 128,825 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,382 138,808 1,253 129,849 481 58,784 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,460 161,316 1,335 151,305 500 59,613 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,506 165,814 1,378 153,216 461 50,897 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,723 179,799 1,571 166,801 488 52,720 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,584 162,189 1,266 136,424 336 42,130 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,042 245,294 1,819 226,892 907 135,271 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,248 128,103 1,151 119,874 427 48,668 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,062 124,522 957 114,736 352 43,755 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,497 171,100 1,270 149,327 493 64,655 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,153 240,171 1,860 216,237 719 92,712 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,474 264,158 2,324 252,807 984 126,826 

2003

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,315 225,430 2,130 210,918 822 90,244 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,363 124,965 1,222 116,264 435 48,161 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,207 113,026 1,099 104,468 390 41,063 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,581 161,412 1,470 152,937 499 62,349 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,703 174,204 1,538 160,729 499 61,278 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,691 157,552 1,336 127,743 389 40,845 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,087 226,435 1,815 206,901 946 136,410 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,258 133,839 1,163 124,131 405 52,620 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 868 82,647 756 73,914 271 31,428 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,523 158,240 1,265 137,706 438 53,741 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,438 138,543 1,234 123,524 408 48,419 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,929 192,633 1,793 182,750 648 77,915 

2004

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,428 239,454 2,226 220,687 848 89,551 

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

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

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 343 36,172 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 988 87,501 878 78,786 219 22,141 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 222 27,307 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 885 145,895 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 809 69,033 745 63,876 194 17,698 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 708 68,972 637 63,102 189 25,808 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 372 48,265 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 412 44,243 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 436 50,726 

2005

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 823 108,985 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 810 74,644 722 68,372 230 24,931 

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

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

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

 

p

 = preliminary.

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

May March April May May March April May

2004 2005 2005p2005p2004 2005 2005p2005p

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ..................................................................................... 1,178 1,194 1,274 1,196 114,247 130,848 136,837 128,771 

 Total, private nonfarm ...................................................... 1,016 1,060 1,142 1,060 100,499 121,408 126,807 117,036 

 Manufacturing .................................................................... 314 371 395 359 37,950 55,377 63,121 53,243 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 988 806 1,373 986 87,501 88,937 158,582 101,358 

Total, private ..................................................................................................................................................................... 915 777 1,324 915 81,381 86,306 154,339 95,006 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37 44 61 24 2,595 2,513 6,206 1,674 

 Total, private nonfarm....................................................... 878 733 1,263 891 78,786 83,793 148,133 93,332 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 187 ( 2 ) 

 Utilities ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 277 ( 2 ) 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 76 91 126 104 5,424 6,648 9,652 7,885 

 Manufacturing..................................................................................................................................................................... 219 246 395 249 22,141 33,030 59,129 30,424 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 50 84 52 3,897 5,049 9,653 5,057 

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 5 9 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 308 660 ( 2 ) 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 8 15 5 1,099 1,162 2,912 507 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 4 6 4 2,820 337 626 260 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 9 14 14 1,382 1,351 1,346 1,007 

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 634 ( 2 ) –

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 17 17 15 389 1,361 3,252 2,191 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) 9 9 665 ( 2 ) 769 737 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 8 10 11 985 493 789 764 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – – – ( 2 ) – –

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 9 18 9 508 851 1,931 686 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 8 13 7 ( 2 ) 372 1,252 537 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 10 16 6 ( 2 ) 1,655 2,644 456 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 15 28 19 660 1,245 2,220 1,363 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 9 16 14 1,359 1,101 2,028 1,129 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 11 21 17 1,081 1,266 1,959 1,678 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 10 16 12 1,572 785 3,888 1,715 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 48 77 40 2,911 13,543 20,879 10,906 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 9 14 6 1,098 576 1,270 603 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 5 6 4 376 363 503 262 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 7 17 13 819 481 1,406 1,158 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 91 64 109 69 7,851 5,811 12,287 5,519 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 40 44 92 67 3,822 5,340 11,395 6,782 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 30 38 24 2,966 8,303 8,630 6,479 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 22 32 14 1,944 1,506 2,107 1,048 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2 ) 6 9 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 277 793 ( 2 ) 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 22 65 35 4,116 3,709 7,778 4,895 

 Management of companies and enterprises ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3 6 ( 2 ) 232 315 540 ( 2 ) 

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 119 89 206 113 9,839 6,572 19,862 9,384 

 Educational services.................................................................................................................. 4 ( 2 ) 4 6 309 ( 2 ) 260 460 

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 67 16 27 61 5,500 1,097 1,921 5,205 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 7 32 15 2,006 516 2,689 806 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 82 78 75 78 8,145 9,666 7,253 7,719 

 Other services, except public administration..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 ( 2 ) 21 32 3,112 ( 2 ) 1,838 3,290 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1 2 2 1 62 100 129 42 

Government ..................................................................................................................................................................... 73 29 49 71 6,120 2,631 4,243 6,352 

 Federal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 7 9 12 1,033 704 696 1,235 

 State ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 8 12 12 1,389 802 1,054 712 

 Local ..................................................................................................................................................................... 48 14 28 47 3,698 1,125 2,493 4,405 

 

1

 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. p = preliminary.

 

2

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

 

Industry
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2003 to May 2005,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2003

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,581 161,412 1,470 152,937 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,703 174,204 1,538 160,729 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,691 157,552 1,336 127,743 

Second Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,975 493,168 4,344 441,409 1,799 348,966 41.4 79.1 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,087 226,435 1,815 206,901 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,258 133,839 1,163 124,131 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 868 82,647 756 73,914 

Third Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,213 442,921 3,734 404,946 1,190 227,909 31.9 56.3 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,523 158,240 1,265 137,706 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,438 138,543 1,234 123,524 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,929 192,633 1,793 182,750 

Fourth Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,890 489,416 4,292 443,980 1,690 326,328 39.4 73.5 

2004

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,428 239,454 2,226 220,687 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 941 84,201 832 76,577 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 920 92,554 847 87,782 

First Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,289 416,209 3,905 385,046 1,339 238,392 34.3 61.9 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 988 87,501 878 78,786 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 

Second Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3,825 379,403 3,271 332,247 1,358 253,787 41.5 76.4 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 809 69,033 745 63,876 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 708 68,972 637 63,102 

Third Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3,611 391,934 3,242 361,855 886 148,180 27.3 41.0 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 

December ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 

Fourth Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,255 419,612 3,789 385,016 1,427 262,006 37.7 68.1 

2005

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 810 74,644 722 68,372 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 806 88,937 733 83,793 

First Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,180 427,533 3,876 405,574 2.p 989 2,p 127,950 p25.5 p31.5

April p

 .................................................................................................................................................................... 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 

May p .................................................................................................................................................................... 986 101,358 891 93,332 

 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

May March April May May March April May

2004 2005 2005p2005p2004 2005 2005p2005p

 United States1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 988 806 1,373 986 87,501 88,937 158,582 101,358 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 128 105 255 186 11,912 10,919 28,268 19,206 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 14 54 27 2,007 1,147 6,114 4,039 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 107 91 201 159 9,905 9,772 22,154 15,167 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 285 154 268 232 27,666 17,171 35,412 22,693 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 138 78 142 114 12,730 6,642 14,586 9,445 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 63 30 55 51 7,512 4,926 9,490 5,346 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 84 46 71 67 7,424 5,603 11,336 7,902 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 237 214 314 248 22,294 28,413 42,151 30,688 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 172 166 269 193 17,057 22,547 36,185 23,477 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 48 45 55 5,237 5,866 5,966 7,211 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 338 333 536 320 25,629 32,434 52,751 28,771 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 39 37 64 36 3,580 3,386 7,514 2,859 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 299 296 472 284 22,049 29,048 45,237 25,912 

 

 

1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central:

 

 

p

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

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

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

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

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

Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

 

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

May March April May May March April May

2004 2005 2005p2005p2004 2005 2005p2005p

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 988 806 1,373 986 87,501 88,937 158,582 101,358 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 7 10 9 2,586 725 1,314 1,204 

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

 ) – 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 719 ( 2 ) 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 10 32 12 1,438 929 4,574 1,015 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 4 5 6 525 269 309 514 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 272 274 421 252 20,148 26,727 39,775 22,741 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 3 8 6 502 643 753 458 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 3 10 327 ( 2 ) 234 847 

Delaware ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – – – –

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

 ) – – – ( 2 ) 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 67 36 62 53 5,152 2,669 5,192 3,192 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 15 27 22 2,674 1,324 3,444 1,998 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 241 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 5 5 4 347 460 503 223 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 48 21 55 39 5,640 2,035 6,502 3,940 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 20 33 23 2,155 2,177 4,251 2,327 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 10 11 6 515 804 1,466 485 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 3 4 9 348 202 315 764 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 13 28 18 2,452 1,912 6,696 1,601 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 4 16 10 1,869 267 1,437 998 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 7 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 665 234 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 – 8 ( 2

 ) 488 – 748 ( 2 ) 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 8 16 10 1,333 684 1,339 2,676 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 46 49 49 3,369 5,002 5,355 9,725 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 12 14 9 959 1,110 2,273 1,314 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 – 3 5 879 – 201 562 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 19 10 21 2,227 3,469 1,349 3,858 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 3 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 299 358 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4 3 6 556 281 272 397 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 9 6 3 291 590 567 191 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – 4 3 – – 379 227 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 14 44 30 2,768 1,326 4,232 2,650 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 5 4 4 715 413 319 348 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 40 35 65 80 3,348 3,150 8,072 8,875 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 11 25 9 1,346 879 2,588 1,094 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 – – ( 2

 ) 290 – – ( 2 ) 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 38 31 80 42 3,305 8,919 15,288 3,349 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3 5 ( 2

 ) 347 939 2,174 ( 2 ) 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 10 22 12 562 1,337 2,349 1,502 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 42 42 92 49 3,789 5,296 9,850 3,642 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 12 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,191 ( 2 ) 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 5 11 16 1,429 498 1,659 1,566 

South Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 – 3 ( 2

 ) 342 – 291 ( 2 ) 

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 10 14 19 1,595 2,289 1,279 1,979 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 52 35 45 49 4,683 4,128 7,416 6,229 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 3 5 4 ( 2 ) 235 428 266 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 12 – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,306 –

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 11 7 11 1,536 1,272 716 1,365 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 11 22 16 1,146 910 2,221 1,365 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) –

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 31 48 52 40 2,588 4,414 4,789 4,136 

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

 ) – – – ( 2 ) –

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 10 19 15 640 1,303 2,342 1,308 

 1 See footnote 1, table 3. p = preliminary. 

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

State