1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 02-479

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2002

In the second quarter of 2002, 1,754 mass layoff actions were taken by employers that resulted in the

separation of 392,338 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures released

by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the second consecutive quarter, both the

total number of layoff events and the number of separations were lower than in the same quarter a year

earlier. (See table A.) The decline was most notable in manufacturing industries.

As is usual, the completion of seasonal work was the major reason cited for extended layoffs in the

second quarter, accounting for 34 percent of all events and 162,487 separations. Permanent closure of

worksites occurred in 15 percent of all events and affected 67,114 workers, down sharply from 136,597

workers in April-June 2001. Fifty-three percent of the employers with layoffs in the second quarter indicated

that they anticipated some type of recall, 8 percent higher than a year ago.

This release uses the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for the assignment and

tabulation of layoff data by industry. Previously, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system was

used. Thus, industry data in this release are not consistent with data published prior to 2002. Additional

information on this change is provided in the box on page 5 of this release.

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

Extended mass layoff separations occurred in 443 of the 1,197 detailed industries for which data are

available. Manufacturing industries accounted for 28 percent of private-sector layoff events and 24 percent

of all separations during April-June 2002. A year earlier, manufacturing accounted for 41 percent of privatesector events and 35 percent of separations. Layoff activity in this sector was primarily concentrated in

computer and electronic products (14,943, mainly in telephone apparatus and in search, detection, and

navigation instruments), followed by food manufacturing (13,844, largely in fruit and vegetable processing)

and transportation equipment (13,705, mostly in aircraft manufacturing). (See table 1.)

Retail trade accounted for 6 percent of private-sector layoff events and 10 percent of all separations,

with concentrations in general merchandise stores (15,412, primarily in discount department stores) and food

and beverage stores (10,966, almost entirely in supermarkets and other grocery stores). Layoffs in

agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting comprised 7 percent of events and 9 percent of separations, mostly

in agricultural and forestry support activities. Three percent of events and 7 percent of separations were in

the arts, entertainment, and recreation sector, largely in amusements, gambling, and recreation. Cutbacks in

transportation and warehousing accounted for an additional 8 percent of events and 7 percent of separations,
2

 1998

January-March ........... 1,320 208,082 247,315

April-June .................. 1,563 391,461 402,276

July-September .......... 1,234 248,054 256,803

October-December .... 1,734 379,976 325,990

 1999 ..............

January-March ........... 1,509 277,780 252,122

April-June .................. 1,444 294,968 242,464

July-September .......... 1,097 241,725 189,973

October-December .... 1,625 334,794 287,685

 2000

January-March ........... 1,330 254,646 221,368

April-June .................. 1,271 258,608 231,471

July-September .......... 1,014 230,103 189,250

October-December .... 2,005 427,070 376,611

 2001

January-March ........... 1,765 342,954 340,210

April-June................... 2,072 481,886 401,168

July-September .......... 1,815 384,403 370,620

October-December .... 2,698 541,944 500,925

 2002

January-March ........... 1,749 333,501 313,686

April-June .................. 1,754 392,338 256,338

Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity

p=preliminary. r=revised.

r

Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

mainly in school and employee bus transportation. Extended mass layoffs in administrative and waste

services also were 8 percent of events and 7 percent of separations and occurred primarily in temporary help

services and telemarketing bureaus.

Layoffs in government establishments accounted for 7 percent of all events and 12 percent of all

separations, mostly in educational services as the school year ended.

Reasons for Extended Layoff

Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 34 percent of the extended layoff events

and resulted in 162,487 separations in the second quarter. (See table 2.) These layoffs were most

numerous among workers in educational services (largely in elementary and secondary schools) and in

amusements, gambling, and recreation (mainly in skiing facilities).

Internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and

reorganization) accounted for 22 percent of layoff events and resulted in 86,868 separations. These layoffs

were mostly among workers in general merchandise stores and food and beverage stores. In the second

quarter of 2001, layoff events for these reasons were 24 percent of the total and involved 156,706 workers.

.

p

r

r

r

r
3

 Anticipate a recall ..... 45.0 35.7 49.1 35.3 52.7

 Timeframe

Within 6 months ....... 83.9 74.7 80.8 77.3 82.1

 Within 3 months...... 52.2 47.4 30.8 46.5 57.3

 Size

At least half............... 88.5 76.5 87.3 84.9 92.0

 All workers............. 42.3 29.8 36.2 27.7 42.6

 II III IV I II

 2000 2001 2001 2002 2002

 Percentage of events

 p=preliminary. r=revised.

Table B. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from

extended layoff, second quarter 2001 – second quarter 2002

r r p

Nature of the recall

Lack of demand for products and services (slack work) accounted for 15 percent of events and resulted

in 11 percent of the separations during the second quarter, mostly in transportation equipment and in com-

 and electronic product manufacturing.

Recall Expectations

Fifty-three percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the second quarter of 2002 indicated

they anticipated some type of recall. This compares with 45 percent of the employers anticipating a recall a

year earlier. (See table B.) In recent years, the greater prevalence of situations where recall is unlikely

(reorganizations within the company and layoffs due to financial difficulty) resulted in the proportions being

below the historical 60-70 percent range.

Among establishments expecting a recall, most employers expected to recall over one-half of the

separated employees and to do so within 6 months. Forty-three percent of the employers expected to

extend the offer to all laid-off workers.

Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 93 percent of the employers

expected a recall), employers expected to recall laid-off workers in 28 percent of the events. In layoff

events due to internal company restructuring, employers anticipated a recall in only 6 percent of the events.

Size of Extended Layoff

Layoff events during the second quarter continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended

layoff-size spectrum, with 60 percent involving fewer than 150 workers. These events, however, accounted

for only 23 percent of all separations. (See table C.) Separations involving 500 or more workers accounted

for 40 percent of all separations, unchanged from a year earlier. The average size of layoffs (as measured by

separations per layoff event) differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 77 separations in truck

transportation to a high of 784 in motion picture and sound recording industries.
4

 Layoff events

 Number Percent Number Size

 Total........... 1,754 100.0 392,338 100.0

50-99............... 682 38.9 48,598 12.4

100-149........... 364 20.8 42,947 10.9

150-199........... 196 11.2 33,129 8.4

200-299........... 228 13.0 54,162 13.8

300-499........... 150 8.6 54,697 13.9

500-999........... 87 5.0 58,715 15.0

1,000 or more... 47 2.7 100,090 25.5

 Table C. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff, April-June 2002 p

p=preliminary.

Percent

 Separations

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 256,338 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass

layoffs in the second quarter of 2002. Of these claimants, 18 percent were black, 51 percent were women,

18 percent were Hispanic, and 16 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) Forty percent of

claimants were 30 to 44 years of age. Among the civilian labor force for the same period, 12 percent were

black, 47 percent were women, 11 percent were Hispanic, and 14 percent were 55 years of age or older.

Thirty-seven percent of the civilian labor force were ages 30 to 44.

Geographic Distribution

In the second quarter, the number of separations due to extended mass layoff events was highest in the

West (137,696), followed by the South (97,251), the Midwest (95,786), and the Northeast (61,605). (See

table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the West were mainly in amusements, gambling, and recreation,

educational services, and agriculture and forestry support activities.

Three of the four regions reported over-the-year decreases in separations, with the largest decrease

occurring in the Midwest (-69,814). Only the West region had an over-the-year increase in separations in

the second quarter (+7,394). Seven of the nine geographic divisions reported over-the-year declines in laidoff workers, with the largest declines in the East North Central, Pacific, and South Atlantic divisions.

Separations rose in the Mountain and West North Central divisions.

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the largest number of worker separations occurred in

California (67,860), followed by Illinois (44,855). These two states accounted for 27 percent of total layoff

events and 29 percent of the separations during the second quarter of 2002. They were followed by Florida

(26,469), Arizona (24,509), Texas (23,149), and Colorado (21,620). (See table 5.) After excluding the

substantial impact of seasonal work, California still reported the most laid-off workers (40,322), largely due

to layoffs in motion pictures and sound recording and in computer and in electronic product manufacturing.

Over the year, Michigan reported the greatest decrease in laid-off workers (-53,077), followed by

California (-13,861) and Wisconsin (-11,395). The largest increases occurred in Arizona (+16,400) and

Louisiana (+9,364).
5

Note

The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs cover layoffs of at least 31-days duration that involve 50

or more individuals from a single establishment filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a

consecutive 5-week period. Approximately 30 days after a mass layoff is triggered at an establishment, the

employer is contacted for additional information. Data for the second quarter are preliminary and subject to

revision. This release also includes revised data for previous quarters. Data are not seasonally adjusted, but

survey data suggest that there is a seasonal pattern to layoffs. Thus, comparisons between consecutive

quarters should not be used as an indicator of trend. For additional information about the program, see the

Technical Note.

_____________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in July 2002 will be issued on Thursday, August 22, 2002.

Change in Industry Classification System

Beginning with the release of January 2002 Mass Layoff monthly data, on February 28, 2002,

the Mass Layoff Statistics program implemented the 2002 version of the North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) as the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by

industry. NAICS is the product of a cooperative effort on the part of the statistical agencies of the

United States, Canada, and Mexico. Due to differences in NAICS and the previously used

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) structures, data by industry for 2002 will not be comparable

to the SIC-based data for earlier years. However, the monthly mass layoff and quarterly extended

mass layoff historical industry series through 2001 are available on both SIC and NAICS bases.

NAICS uses a production-oriented approach to categorize economic units. Units with similar

production processes are classified in the same industry. NAICS focuses on how products and

services are created, as opposed to the SIC focus on what is produced. This approach yields

significantly different industry groupings than those produced by the SIC approach.

Users interested in more information about NAICS can access the BLS Web page at

http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm or the Bureau of the Census Web page at

http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html.
Technical Note

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federalstate program which 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. Establishments which have at least 50 initial claims

filed against them during a consecutive 5-week period are

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these

separations are of at least 31 days duration, and, if so, information is obtained on the total number of persons separated

and the reasons for these separations. Establishments are

identified according to industry classification and location,

and unemployment insurance claimants are identified by such

demographic factors as age, race, sex, ethnic group, and place

of residence. The program yields information on an individual’s

entire spell of unemployment, to the point when regular

unemployment insurance benefits are exhausted.

The MLS program was resumed in April 1995; it had been

terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding. However,

due to changes in concepts and definitions, data from the

resumed program are not comparable to earlier data.

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

Establishment. A unit at a single physical location

at which predominantly one type of economic activity is

conducted.

Extended layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for

unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment during

a 5-week period, with at least 50 workers separated for more

than 30 days.

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.

Layoff. The separation of persons from an employer as

part of a mass layoff event. (See below.) Such layoffs involve

both persons subject to recall and those who are terminated by

the establishment.

Mass layoff. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment beginning in a

given month, regardless of duration.

Worksite closure. The full closure of either multi-unit

or single-unit establishments or the partial closure of a multiunit establishment where entire worksites affected by layoffs

are closed or planned to be closed.
Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment

insurance, selected quarters, 2001 and 2002

Industry

II I II II I II II I II

 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,072 1,749 1,754 481,886 333,501 392,338 401,168 313,686 256,338 

Total, private ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,968 1,714 1,628 460,948 324,726 343,673 381,546 306,274 238,509 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 140 103 119 30,449 25,535 31,731 23,036 15,640 14,283 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 29 14 1,848 4,220 2,595 2,032 4,061 2,137 

 Utilities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) 7 444 ( 2 ) 1,259 561 ( 2 ) 841 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 94 195 123 14,804 21,735 19,316 13,636 27,527 18,221 

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 803 661 463 163,545 117,547 82,264 183,876 116,135 66,048 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 73 69 69 13,693 12,363 13,844 14,027 12,363 10,690 

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

 ) 6 6 ( 2 ) 1,108 1,735 ( 2 ) 749 932 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 22 10 4,148 3,997 1,922 4,567 3,686 1,693 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 – 783 410 – 500 385 –

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 50 45 32 6,645 10,594 4,234 7,607 9,768 4,899 

 Leather and allied products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 4 ( 2

 ) 824 322 ( 2 ) 589 339 ( 2 ) 

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 18 13 2,425 2,079 1,269 2,550 3,512 1,182 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 15 16 4,101 2,135 2,776 2,815 1,891 1,831 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 22 16 1,985 3,835 2,557 1,822 3,226 1,653 

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

 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 249 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 247 ( 2 ) 

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 22 14 2,190 3,473 1,606 2,093 2,461 1,414 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 21 10 5,156 2,087 2,107 6,266 1,906 906 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 26 9 2,004 3,522 1,496 1,734 2,986 1,379 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 42 29 28 7,649 6,440 3,653 8,821 8,049 3,928 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 60 52 19 7,642 5,733 2,326 8,502 6,282 2,169 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 70 43 32 14,578 4,720 6,793 15,082 5,192 3,909 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 192 121 87 49,230 27,643 14,943 51,494 26,123 12,663 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 24 24 11,126 4,120 3,378 11,869 5,015 3,275 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 91 71 52 22,687 16,293 13,705 37,707 16,301 10,196 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 27 14 3,958 3,262 2,498 4,201 3,685 2,014 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 17 8 1,910 3,162 979 1,375 1,969 830 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 53 38 40 10,099 5,168 5,826 7,414 4,170 3,939 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 101 157 93 29,354 49,968 34,262 17,384 36,751 19,867 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 115 62 123 31,140 11,461 23,610 26,286 11,297 18,767 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 88 70 91 16,654 9,928 18,377 14,057 11,366 17,586 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 47 55 35 10,091 9,581 6,688 8,820 8,679 3,803 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 787 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 577 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 83 62 73 22,842 7,486 23,311 13,750 7,841 10,957 

 Management of companies and enterprises ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 7 ( 2

 ) 690 1,608 ( 2 ) 631 1,506 ( 2 ) 

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 123 164 129 66,112 39,356 22,962 25,080 42,566 23,460 

 Educational services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 6 494 ( 2 ) 785 425 ( 2 ) 500 

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 111 20 121 13,473 3,390 14,916 12,104 2,046 11,406 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 16 46 22,518 5,710 24,179 5,485 2,241 4,139 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 85 51 89 18,510 8,388 22,913 18,607 10,722 16,294 

 Other services, except public administration ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 7 49 5,266 1,642 7,458 5,267 1,688 5,323 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 7 1 1,828 1,082 80 2,518 929 78 

Government ..................................................................................................................................................................... 104 35 126 20,938 8,775 48,665 19,622 7,412 17,829 

 Federal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 16 15 3,364 4,289 3,772 3,740 3,518 3,235 

 State ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 11 12 2,923 2,720 3,663 2,413 2,516 2,875 

 Local ..................................................................................................................................................................... 79 8 99 14,651 1,766 41,230 13,469 1,378 11,719 

 

 

 1 For the second quarter of 2002, data on layoffs were reported by employers and tabulation of economic data by industry. NAICS is the product of a 

in all states and the District of Columbia. cooperative effort on the part of the statistical agencies of the United States, 

 

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Canada, and Mexico. Due to differences in NAICS and SIC structures, data by

 p = preliminary. industry for 2002 will not be comparable to the SIC-based data for earlier years.

 r = revised. However, the quarterly historical industry series from second quarter 1995 to 

 NOTE: Beginning with data for January 2002, the 2002 version of the North fourth quarter 2001 are available on both SIC and NAICS bases. Dash 

American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the basis for the assignment represents zero.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance
Table 2. Reason for separation: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment 

insurance, selected quarters, 2001 and 2002

Reason for separation

II I II II I II II I II

 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 

 Total, all reasons1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,072 1,749 1,754 481,886 333,501 392,338 401,168 313,686 256,338 

Automation ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 298 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 554 

Bankruptcy ..................................................................................................................................................................... 78 59 47 63,485 22,261 14,308 14,488 14,645 8,247 

Business ownership change ..................................................................................................................................................................... 50 72 35 14,878 15,837 5,201 12,073 9,166 3,354 

Contract cancellation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 49 38 6,268 8,044 4,732 5,476 6,850 4,400 

Contract completed ..................................................................................................................................................................... 156 184 218 30,386 32,643 38,173 30,651 44,196 39,270 

Domestic relocation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 33 24 7,089 4,822 4,832 4,924 4,584 3,264 

Energy-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 1,015 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 840 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Environment-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 3 – ( 2 ) 718 – ( 2 ) 597 –

Financial difficulty ..................................................................................................................................................................... 173 127 116 38,911 22,859 36,328 34,485 21,905 22,316 

Import competition ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 22 16 7,942 4,620 4,427 7,966 3,721 2,818 

Labor dispute ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 ( 2

 ) 8 3,564 ( 2 ) 1,343 2,271 ( 2 ) 1,227 

Material shortage ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 4 566 ( 2 ) 949 587 ( 2 ) 696 

Model changeover ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 4,270 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3,240 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Natural disaster ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

Non-natural disaster ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 3

 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 3 ) ( 2 ) 399 ( 3 ) ( 2 ) 305 

Overseas relocation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 16 13 4,263 4,853 4,188 4,140 4,125 1,651 

Plant or machine repair ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 5 7 1,399 543 1,526 1,795 454 1,046 

Product line discontinued ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 13 10 3,779 1,494 968 2,997 1,606 895 

Reorganization within company ..................................................................................................................................................................... 191 240 181 39,432 50,894 31,031 36,501 43,070 24,090 

Seasonal work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 569 357 592 138,721 69,580 162,487 98,155 54,617 81,089 

Slack work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 387 439 261 60,364 67,769 44,096 83,568 79,746 40,380 

Vacation period ..................................................................................................................................................................... 71 – 83 12,401 – 21,189 10,956 – 8,842 

Weather-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 9 8 ( 2 ) 1,253 882 ( 2 ) 1,766 882 

Other ..................................................................................................................................................................... 130 47 46 25,563 5,914 9,352 28,084 8,645 6,257 

Not reported ..................................................................................................................................................................... 93 65 35 16,526 16,936 4,559 16,684 11,985 4,155 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. September 11, 2001, or the threat of an attack. Only mass layoff

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. activity directly related to the "non-natural disaster" is included.

 3 This reason for separation has been created for use effective with p

 = preliminary.

third quarter 2001 for work activity curtailed because of a human r

 = revised.

action resulting in a disaster, such as the terrorist attacks of NOTE: Dash represents zero.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance
Table 3. State and selected claimant characteristics: Extended mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment

insurance, first and second quarters, 2002

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55and over

I II I II I II I II I II I II

 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 

 Total1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,749 1,754 313,686 256,338 14.7 17.8 17.4 17.5 42.9 51.1 14.5 16.3 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 29 9,693 3,668 25.2 55.3 4.2 6.4 53.5 64.7 17.6 17.2 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 5 303 532 3.0 4.1 1.7 1.9 44.6 51.9 8.9 15.2 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 44 4,825 6,901 2.5 1.6 54.6 69.7 30.8 44.7 20.1 13.2

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 9 813 621 43.5 48.5 .2 1.4 61.0 63.8 12.4 11.9 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 363 316 59,445 38,546 6.8 5.9 40.9 40.0 42.6 44.9 12.7 13.4 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 20 3,017 2,250 6.3 5.2 13.9 16.8 43.4 58.8 14.1 11.6 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 30 2,004 3,821 21.3 9.8 15.4 7.8 53.6 63.8 12.9 15.7 

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

District of Columbia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) 404 ( 2 ) 51.7 47.8 8.4 2.8 47.0 85.5 18.8 16.9 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 113 140 21,757 18,931 19.9 28.1 19.6 26.3 48.0 47.9 17.4 17.6 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 15 3,033 2,525 57.9 60.0 .7 .4 53.1 65.6 11.7 13.8 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 4 1,612 374 .4 – 50.2 12.0 63.9 46.0 22.3 38.5 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 – 557 – .4 – 9.9 – 40.0 – 10.8 –

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 157 162 27,255 27,519 22.8 21.6 12.4 9.0 41.3 53.0 13.0 16.0 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 41 3,433 4,518 5.4 24.7 8.9 3.9 33.7 66.6 12.6 18.7 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 5 1,718 410 1.3 1.0 3.0 1.2 71.3 41.7 17.1 15.9 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 12 1,032 1,384 15.0 18.0 2.1 2.0 45.4 64.3 13.3 16.3 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 22 2,226 2,325 5.1 5.9 .2 .1 43.4 53.2 15.1 17.3 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 34 3,187 3,999 39.0 59.5 3.4 2.5 27.0 73.5 9.5 13.6 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 14 1,317 1,456 .1 .4 .3 .1 46.5 45.3 13.5 10.2 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 14 2,092 1,425 40.1 55.8 1.1 1.3 46.7 65.1 14.1 15.3 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 51 6,438 7,125 6.0 8.2 .4 3.3 46.1 61.7 15.1 18.1 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 28 8,012 3,556 18.8 18.1 3.3 5.8 45.4 48.6 13.5 15.8 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 31 6,381 5,192 4.1 5.8 2.6 2.3 33.8 58.9 14.4 17.0 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 7 2,010 673 67.1 64.0 .7 .7 51.3 63.2 14.8 9.8 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 54 2,684 7,574 11.8 27.5 2.0 1.8 45.6 68.0 15.6 23.6 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 4 610 284 .2 .7 2.0 2.8 25.2 57.0 16.6 15.8 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 ( 2

 ) 1,094 ( 2 ) 11.2 4.9 8.0 2.6 43.3 62.2 14.3 22.6 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 5 4,300 551 9.7 28.1 26.6 19.4 54.6 69.9 15.9 15.2 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 854 ( 2 ) 1.6 2.5 3.0 – 45.0 27.2 16.7 11.1 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 68 9,169 13,225 17.3 20.1 15.4 13.4 50.0 64.4 20.9 27.1 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 7 916 582 1.7 .7 64.7 41.1 20.3 49.0 19.9 12.9 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 53 44 10,283 4,956 5.7 9.6 3.8 6.0 43.1 43.2 13.2 14.7 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 37 7,792 4,941 34.9 49.6 3.2 3.6 51.6 53.3 16.4 14.1 

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

 ) 8 ( 2 ) 890 – .4 – 2.0 76.6 40.3 25.0 14.3 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 84 64 13,450 8,695 11.7 15.9 2.0 1.6 27.2 41.5 15.8 16.8 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 7 1,620 763 12.6 17.8 11.3 2.4 19.1 60.9 18.0 17.3 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 30 5,121 4,370 2.0 2.8 14.6 13.6 39.4 45.7 15.6 18.0 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 75 105 20,009 19,841 9.6 8.6 1.9 2.4 41.5 49.2 19.4 20.6 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4 752 320 2.8 6.3 23.8 25.3 45.2 47.5 13.4 23.8 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 6 2,383 850 36.5 49.6 .3 .1 43.7 58.1 2.4 6.6 

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

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3.1 – 10.7 – 31.1 65.8 6.6 20.3 

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 17 3,475 2,276 13.8 22.3 – – 43.1 57.9 15.6 13.3 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 95 108 28,191 28,081 20.0 22.0 32.7 35.0 42.9 40.1 10.6 10.2 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 9 2,046 762 2.9 1.8 9.4 10.5 38.8 50.4 11.4 9.7 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 11 630 1,029 1.3 .4 1.3 .1 30.5 44.6 17.1 17.8 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 25 5,111 3,836 49.1 42.6 1.1 .9 58.5 60.3 14.5 19.7 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 55 12,280 8,321 4.4 4.2 13.4 14.6 33.9 40.3 15.2 16.6 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 5 950 540 – .4 – – 37.4 19.8 12.1 15.7 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 38 6,943 4,555 5.3 10.8 2.5 3.6 42.3 56.2 15.2 20.7 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) – – – 34.0 – 25.5 – 14.2 –

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 16 2,670 2,771 ( 3

 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) 44.1 44.4 11.1 8.3 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. p

 = preliminary.

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

 = revised.

 3 Data are not available. NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 4. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment

insurance, selected quarters, 2001 and 2002

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

II I II II I II II I II

 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 

 United States1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,072 1,749 1,754 481,886 333,501 392,338 401,168 313,686 256,338 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 336 259 328 70,515 51,612 61,605 77,514 51,456 51,854 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 143 77 111 31,339 14,667 23,799 25,021 11,995 13,832 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 193 182 217 39,176 36,945 37,806 52,493 39,461 38,022 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 513 486 478 115,469 89,077 97,251 95,915 94,737 75,887 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 267 253 245 57,344 47,296 46,531 43,355 43,522 33,481 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 104 104 75 18,575 19,470 13,377 13,498 17,404 8,942 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 142 129 158 39,550 22,311 37,343 39,062 33,811 33,464 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 549 441 449 165,600 73,757 95,786 126,033 72,355 65,124 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 425 345 333 143,865 59,878 73,205 96,207 59,093 48,843 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 124 96 116 21,735 13,879 22,581 29,826 13,262 16,281 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 674 563 499 130,302 119,055 137,696 101,706 95,138 63,473 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 126 109 89 32,553 24,094 51,664 18,264 16,377 11,330 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 548 454 410 97,749 94,961 86,032 83,442 78,761 52,143 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and 

 p = preliminary. Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and

 r = revised. Texas: East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin;

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North

census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana,

New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California,

New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and
Table 5. State distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

selected quarters, 2001 and 2002

State

II I II II I II II I II

 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 

 Total1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,072 1,749 1,754 481,886 333,501 392,338 401,168 313,686 256,338 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 36 29 6,765 9,326 4,637 4,935 9,693 3,668 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 4 5 – 303 532 – 303 532 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 46 26 44 8,109 5,125 24,509 8,833 4,825 6,901 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4 9 929 899 1,185 696 813 621 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 464 363 316 81,721 73,364 67,860 71,107 59,445 38,546 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 23 20 15,573 5,046 21,620 4,355 3,017 2,250 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 10 30 6,673 2,175 6,184 2,779 2,004 3,821 

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

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

 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 404 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 404 ( 2 ) 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 132 113 140 30,826 23,527 26,469 19,395 21,757 18,931 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 20 15 5,252 4,291 3,310 3,998 3,033 2,525 

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

 ) 10 4 ( 2 ) 904 378 ( 2 ) 1,612 374 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 8 – 1,997 905 – 1,196 557 –

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 159 157 162 47,247 33,892 44,855 36,548 27,255 27,519 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 29 41 12,791 3,490 12,060 11,632 3,433 4,518 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 9 5 4,173 1,399 491 3,427 1,718 410 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 9 12 2,705 1,257 2,225 6,109 1,032 1,384 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 24 22 4,508 2,673 3,090 2,810 2,226 2,325 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 22 34 2,683 4,574 12,047 2,802 3,187 3,999 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 8 14 2,118 1,930 2,176 1,605 1,317 1,456 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 17 14 1,551 2,703 2,317 1,264 2,092 1,425 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 78 41 51 13,514 8,299 14,054 14,746 6,438 7,125 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 101 41 28 57,951 4,414 4,874 22,942 8,012 3,556 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45 41 31 6,617 6,085 8,765 7,270 6,381 5,192 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 17 7 3,796 3,118 1,165 2,640 2,010 673 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 26 54 6,749 3,408 8,893 11,566 2,684 7,574 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 6 4 1,700 826 339 1,282 610 284 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,235 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,094 ( 2 ) 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 26 5 599 4,557 703 451 4,300 551 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 5 ( 2

 ) 4,786 675 ( 2 ) 2,211 854 ( 2 ) 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 66 54 68 14,703 9,304 14,505 16,206 9,169 13,225 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 6 7 2,492 1,224 1,181 1,187 916 582 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 63 53 44 12,435 9,837 5,839 11,003 10,283 4,956 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 59 49 37 11,472 9,577 8,112 11,105 7,792 4,941 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) 8 680 ( 2 ) 1,547 680 ( 2 ) 890 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 57 84 64 10,114 12,323 7,049 10,244 13,450 8,695 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 8 7 5,005 1,315 962 5,068 1,620 763 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 38 26 30 5,512 5,459 4,905 5,512 5,121 4,370 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 64 75 105 12,038 17,804 17,462 25,284 20,009 19,841 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 8 4 2,966 752 261 2,398 752 320 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 12 6 1,425 928 380 2,178 2,383 850 

South Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 591 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 645 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 27 17 3,506 4,353 4,485 3,113 3,475 2,276 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 91 95 108 30,933 15,523 23,149 30,496 28,191 28,081 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 13 9 2,083 6,305 3,312 960 2,046 762 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 5 11 1,282 836 1,029 1,282 630 1,029 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 29 25 5,367 4,927 4,463 3,964 5,111 3,836 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 51 55 10,164 14,931 12,357 6,471 12,280 8,321 

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

 ) 10 5 ( 2 ) 939 545 ( 2 ) 950 540 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 64 34 38 15,762 5,759 4,367 14,841 6,943 4,555 

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

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 15 16 4,975 2,089 2,629 5,810 2,670 2,771 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r

 = revised.

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

 p = preliminary.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance