Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, October 23, 2003

 USDL 03-563

MASS LAYOFFS IN SEPTEMBER 2003

Employers initiated 868 mass layoff actions in September 2003, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and the

number of workers involved totaled 82,647. (See table 1.) With fewer layoffs in long distance freight

trucking, temporary help services, and department stores compared with September 2002, the number of

layoff events and the number of initial claims were down sharply, falling to their lowest levels for September

since 1999. From January through September 2003, the total number of events, at 14,073, and the number

of initial claims, at 1,399,510, were lower than the January-September period a year ago.

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. 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 shortterm 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 1.) See the Technical Note for more

detailed definitions.

Industry Distribution

Temporary help services, with 5,737 claims, accounted for 7 percent of all initial claims in September.

(See table A.) Five of the 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial claims recorded

their peak level for September this year.

The manufacturing sector recorded 31 percent of all mass layoff events and 38 percent of all initial

claims filed in September. A year ago, manufacturing reported 33 percent of events and 35 percent of

initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants was highest in transportation equipment (4,825),

followed by computer and electronic products (4,820), food manufacturing (4,145), and textile mills (3,510).

(See table 2.)

The administrative and waste services sector accounted for 13 percent of events and 12 percent of initial

claims filed in September, with layoffs mostly in temporary help services. The information sector accounted

for 3 percent of events and 7 percent of initial claims during the month, mainly in motion picture and video

production. Eight percent of the events and 7 percent of the initial claims were from retail trade, largely from

general merchandise stores. An additional 9 percent of all layoff events and 6 percent of initial claims filed

during September were from construction firms, primarily among specialty trade contractors.
2

Table A. Industries with the largest mass layoff initial claims in September 2003

Industry Initial claims

September peak

Year Initial claims

Temporary help services.................................. 5,737 2001 12,752

Motion picture and video production............... 4,422 1997 11,176

Semiconductors and related device mfg. .......... 3,652 2003 3,652

Broadwoven fabric mills .................................. 2,652 2003 2,652

Payroll services ............................................... 2,051 1999 4,737

Professional employer organizations ................. 1,711 2001 2,435

Elementary and secondary schools .................. 1,544 2002 2,297

Public finance activities .................................... 1,153 2003 1,153

Supermarkets and other grocery stores ........... 1,095 2003 1,095

Nonresidential electrical contractors................. 1,072 2003 1,072

p

p=preliminary.

Government establishments accounted for 8 percent of events and initial claims filed during the month,

particularly in local executive, legislative, and general government agencies and in educational services. The

6,351 initial claims in government were the most for any September since the mass layoffs series began in

1995.

Compared with September 2002, the largest decreases in initial claims were reported in truck transportation (-11,270), administrative and support services (-4,760), and general merchandise stores (-3,689).

The largest over-the-year increase in initial claims was in motion picture and sound recording (+1,397).

Geographic Distribution

Among the four regions, the highest number of initial claims in September due to mass layoffs was reported in the West, 34,377. (See table 3.) Administrative and support services and motion picture and

sound recording accounted for 32 percent of all initial claims in that region during the month. The South

region was next, with 19,287 initial claims, followed by the Midwest, with 16,868, and the Northeast, with

12,115.

The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs declined over the year in all four regions, with the largest

decrease in the West (-16,849). Eight of the nine geographic divisions had over-the-year decreases in the

number of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest decreases in the Pacific (-15,298),

South Atlantic (-7,698), and East North Central (-7,258). The New England division had the only increase

(+2,640).

California recorded the largest number of initial claims filed in mass layoff events this September, 29,429,

mostly in administrative and support services and in the motion picture and sound recording industries. Texas

reported 5,587 initial claims, followed by Illinois (4,510), Pennsylvania (3,481), and New York (3,384).

These five states accounted for 60 percent of all layoff events and 56 percent of initial claims for unemployment insurance. (See table 4.)

California registered the largest over-the-year decrease in the number of initial claims (-10,262), followed

by Oregon (-3,590).
3

From January through September, California reported 352,098 initial claims, 25 percent of the national

total. The states with the next highest numbers of initial claims were Pennsylvania (84,460), Ohio (78,391),

New York (74,632), and Texas (71,116).

______________________________

The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the Third Quarter of 2003 is scheduled to be released on

Thursday, November 20, 2003. The report on Mass Layoffs in October 2003 is scheduled to be released

on Wednesday, November 26, 2003.
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, and the number of

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

analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year change 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.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, July 2001 to September 2003

Date

Total mass layoffs Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants

2001

July ............................................................................. 2,117 273,807 

August ........................................................................ 1,490 166,148 

September .................................................................. 1,327 160,402 

Third Quarter .............................................................. 4,934 600,357 1,815 371,541 36.8 61.9 

October ....................................................................... 1,831 215,483 

November ................................................................... 2,721 295,956 

December ................................................................... 2,440 268,893 

Fourth Quarter ............................................................ 6,992 780,332 2,697 502,502 38.6 64.4 

2002

January ....................................................................... 2,146 263,777 

February ..................................................................... 1,382 138,808 

March ......................................................................... 1,460 161,316 

First Quarter ............................................................... 4,988 563,901 1,750 316,489 35.1 56.1 

April ............................................................................ 1,506 165,814 

May ............................................................................. 1,723 179,799 

June ............................................................................ 1,584 162,189 

Second Quarter .......................................................... 4,813 507,802 1,905 353,017 39.6 69.5 

July ............................................................................. 2,042 245,294 

August ........................................................................ 1,248 128,103 

September .................................................................. 1,062 124,522 

Third Quarter .............................................................. 4,352 497,919 1,383 284,511 31.8 57.1 

October ....................................................................... 1,497 171,100 

November ................................................................... 2,153 240,171 

December ................................................................... 2,474 264,158 

Fourth Quarter ............................................................ 6,124 675,429 2,257 421,025 36.9 62.3 

2003

January ....................................................................... 2,315 225,430 

February ..................................................................... 1,363 124,965 

March ......................................................................... 1,207 113,026 

First Quarter ............................................................... 4,885 463,421 1,700 329,153 34.8 71.0 

April ............................................................................ 1,581 161,412 

May ............................................................................. 1,703 174,204 

June ............................................................................ 1,691 157,552 

Second Quarter .......................................................... 4,975 493,168 2.p 1,894 2,p 285,884 p38.1 p58.0

July ............................................................................. 2,087 226,435 

August p

 ...................................................................... 1,258 133,839 

September p

 .............................................................. 868 82,647 

Third Quarter p

 ........................................................... 4,213 442,921 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of total mass layoff data on these layoffs become avaliable. Recent experience suggests

events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization rate that the number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised

is the percentage of total mass-layoff initial claimants associated with upwards by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants

layoffs lasting more than 30 days. associated with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

 2

 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will increase as more p = preliminary.
Table 2. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

Industry

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

September July August September September July August September

2002 2003 2003p2003p2002 2003 2003p2003p

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,062 2,087 1,258 868 124,522 226,435 133,839 82,647 

Total, private ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,008 1,932 1,201 799 118,537 215,170 126,266 76,296 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 117 38 43 3,801 8,269 2,135 2,382 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 7 4 4 513 505 283 259 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 80 88 114 82 5,735 5,970 7,862 5,205 

 Manufacturing..................................................................................................................................................................... 352 946 405 271 43,755 136,410 52,620 31,428 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 39 74 42 44 4,688 6,460 5,803 4,145 

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 8 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 454 614 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 27 21 21 3,406 2,828 7,154 3,510 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 12 8 ( 2

 ) 2,543 1,048 739 ( 2 ) 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 36 25 10 2,225 3,093 2,255 1,212 

 Leather and allied products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 240 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 31 21 11 1,312 3,976 1,773 969 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 16 13 10 1,007 1,035 1,083 834 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 12 4 ( 2

 ) 650 723 231 ( 2 ) 

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

 ) – – – ( 2 ) – –

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 15 7 9 977 1,332 549 602 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 90 24 10 1,322 11,122 2,203 886 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 30 6 5 410 3,954 463 420 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 66 23 24 2,273 8,676 1,988 2,011 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 59 32 5 2,365 6,235 2,806 826 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 65 39 21 3,657 8,669 6,606 2,073 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 48 60 34 26 5,222 5,534 2,675 4,820 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 33 21 9 2,679 5,445 2,564 1,142 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 265 50 31 4,984 60,173 9,476 4,825 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 20 21 11 2,834 2,391 2,513 1,254 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 19 11 10 507 1,648 1,351 662 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 36 18 22 1,708 2,776 1,322 1,808 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 92 108 99 69 10,029 9,065 9,980 5,789 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 68 84 86 20 18,128 7,489 9,025 1,723 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 47 44 51 26 6,585 3,700 9,114 5,791 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 35 41 35 2,530 2,569 3,113 2,371 

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

 ) 11 4 5 ( 2 ) 751 349 382 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 53 41 29 2,811 4,970 3,775 3,730 

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 438 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 133 212 168 109 14,255 18,427 16,242 9,606 

 Educational services.................................................................................................................. 5 25 7 8 369 1,714 592 634 

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 59 32 13 1,299 4,048 2,427 945 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 27 19 19 2,157 2,559 1,386 1,237 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 50 45 37 4,056 3,764 3,228 2,623 

 Other services, except public administration..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 19 22 3 ( 2 ) 1,115 2,234 183 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1 7 4 1 103 631 259 50 

Government ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 155 57 69 5,985 11,265 7,573 6,351 

 Federal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 10 10 13 1,703 899 1,287 1,910 

 State ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 24 16 14 980 1,527 1,766 1,417 

 Local ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 121 31 42 3,302 8,839 4,520 3,024 

 

1

 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. NOTE: Industry data reflect the North American Industry

 

2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Classification System (NAICS), 2002. Dash represents zero.

 

p

 = preliminary.
Table 3. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division

Census region and division

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

September July August September September July August September

2002 2003 2003p2003p2002 2003 2003p2003p

 United States1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,062 2,087 1,258 868 124,522 226,435 133,839 82,647 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 158 336 220 107 15,981 30,187 21,272 12,115 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 69 25 19 1,919 6,148 2,151 4,559 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 137 267 195 88 14,062 24,039 19,121 7,556 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 259 440 330 196 31,878 48,895 34,673 19,287 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 129 200 164 96 16,396 22,033 18,195 8,698 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 128 68 31 5,877 14,232 8,033 4,144 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 79 112 98 69 9,605 12,630 8,445 6,445 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 177 697 239 165 25,437 101,533 30,872 16,868 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 134 589 199 125 19,904 79,361 25,707 12,646 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 108 40 40 5,533 22,172 5,165 4,222 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 468 614 469 400 51,226 45,820 47,022 34,377 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 53 42 30 4,119 4,179 4,080 2,568 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 433 561 427 370 47,107 41,641 42,942 31,809 

 

 

1

 See footnote 1, table 2. 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.

 
Table 4. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

State

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

September July August September September July August September

2002 2003 2003p2003p2002 2003 2003p2003p

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,062 2,087 1,258 868 124,522 226,435 133,839 82,647 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 45 24 8 2,174 5,466 3,740 1,164 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 185 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 20 10 4 1,618 1,634 703 423 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 8 ( 2

 ) 3 421 621 ( 2 ) 268 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 376 517 383 345 39,691 37,033 37,814 29,429 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 7 ( 2

 ) 6 561 478 ( 2 ) 439 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 12 3 4 262 833 237 291 

Delaware ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 3 3 ( 2

 ) – 1,430 598 ( 2 ) 

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

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 55 76 80 43 4,143 5,356 5,554 2,555 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 53 20 19 4,639 7,835 2,077 2,130 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 3 428 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 196 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 9 11 6 287 957 1,500 463 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 85 50 41 6,707 11,117 7,996 4,510 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 86 29 13 2,512 18,688 3,478 983 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 24 10 9 1,673 4,674 1,650 1,108 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 14 6 6 196 1,800 775 547 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 57 21 16 1,773 7,110 2,377 2,259 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 20 17 4 761 2,299 1,215 231 

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

 ) 3 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 178 ( 2 ) –

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 16 5 ( 2

 ) 815 1,149 422 ( 2 ) 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 43 15 10 988 3,947 1,388 1,047 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 190 11 18 1,544 21,647 2,369 1,861 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 18 6 7 1,142 2,127 505 511 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 8 8 ( 2

 ) 782 460 571 ( 2 ) 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 40 15 13 1,886 12,137 1,521 1,307 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 3 4 ( 2

 ) – 172 599 ( 2 ) 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 9 – 5 583 1,231 – 749 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 10 11 12 1,133 694 915 879 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 8 3 ( 2

 ) 514 944 195 ( 2 ) 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 59 33 8 3,424 5,354 2,708 691 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 127 ( 2 ) 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 92 94 38 5,137 8,253 10,633 3,384 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 11 32 11 1,208 1,298 6,680 897 

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

 ) ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 133 54 29 5,468 17,086 6,389 2,979 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 9 6 5 ( 2 ) 1,947 603 359 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 24 27 5 3,965 2,891 2,447 375 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 59 116 68 42 5,501 10,432 5,780 3,481 

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

 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 246 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 17 10 5 2,220 1,815 870 1,548 

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

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 18 15 5 1,148 1,196 1,345 608 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 62 75 74 57 8,280 7,763 6,571 5,587 

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

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

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

 ) ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 21 13 14 3,092 2,981 1,887 1,321 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 18 14 14 2,889 1,579 1,714 1,624 

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

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 95 55 24 3,673 10,823 5,475 2,313 

Wyoming ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – – – –

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 13 10 7 873 1,116 1,035 573 

 1 See footnote 1, table 2. p = preliminary.

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