Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0506 

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

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, May 12, 2009 

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2009 

Employers initiated 3,489 mass layoff events in the first quarter of 2009 that resulted in the 

separation of 558,909 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. Both the number of extended 

mass layoff events and associated separations reached their highest first quarter levels in program 

history (with data available back to 1996), and both measures more than doubled from the first quarter 

of 2008. (See table A.) 

The number of separations reached first quarter program highs in 12 of 18 major industry sectors, 

all 4 geographic regions, and 32 states. Separations due to business demand reasons (especially slack 

work/insufficient demand) set a program high, while those associated with financial issues reached a 

high for the first quarter. Each category more than tripled over the year. Twenty-seven percent of 

employers reporting an extended layoff in the first quarter of 2009 indicated they anticipated some recall 

of workers, the lowest proportion in program history. First quarter 2009 layoff data are preliminary and 

are subject to revision. (See the Technical Note.) 

The national unemployment rate averaged 8.8 percent, not seasonally adjusted, in the first quarter of 

2009, up from 5.3 percent a year earlier. Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, 

decreased by 3.1 percent (-4,342,000) over the year. 

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

Manufacturing firms reported 1,380 extended mass layoff events involving 215,281 separations, the 

highest first quarter levels for the industry on record (with data available back to 1996). Manufacturing 

Upcoming Changes to the Extended Mass Layoffs Release 

Changes will be introduced with the issuance of 2nd quarter 2009 preliminary extended mass layoff data scheduled for release on Wednesday, August 12, 2009. For 

further information on these changes, see the note on page 9. 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity

Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

2005

January-March...................... 1,142 186,506 185,486 

April-June............................. 1,203 246,099 212,673 

July-September..................... 1,136 201,878 190,186 

October-December................ 1,400 250,178 246,188 

2006

January-March...................... 963 183,089 193,510 

April-June............................. 1,353 295,964 264,927 

July-September..................... 929 160,254 161,764 

October-December................ 1,640 296,662 330,954 

2007

January-March...................... 1,110 225,600 199,250 

April-June............................. 1,421 278,719 259,234 

July-September..................... 1,018 160,024 173,077 

October-December................ 1,814 301,592 347,151 

2008

January-Marchr

..................... 1,340 230,098 259,292 

April-Juner

............................ 1,756 354,713 339,574 

July-September

r

..................... 1,582 290,892 303,774 

October-Decemberr

 .............. 3,585 642,154 762,737 

2009

January-Marchp

 .................... 3,489 558,909 542,023 

 r

 = revised.

 p

 = preliminary.

industries were responsible for 40 percent of private nonfarm extended layoff events and 39 percent of 

related separations in the first quarter of 2009. A year earlier, manufacturing made up 31 percent of 

events and 37 percent of separations. (See table 1.) The largest numbers of separations within manufacturing were associated with transportation equipment manufacturing (65,304, mostly associated with 

automobile manufacturing) and computer and electronic products manufacturing (23,706). 

In the first quarter of 2009, 12 major industry sectors reported first quarter program highs in terms 

of the number of worker separations—mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; 

transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; professional 

and technical services; management of companies and enterprises; administrative and waste services; 

educational services; and accommodation and food services. 

Reasons for Extended Layoffs

 

Among the seven categories of economic reasons for extended mass layoffs, business demand 

factors (contract cancellation, contract completion, domestic competition, excess inventory, import 
3

Table B. Distribution of extended layoff events and separations by 

economic reason categories, January-March 2009p

Number Percent Number Percent

Total .................................... 3,489 100.0 558,909 100.0

Business demand ................. 1,921 55.1 279,022 49.9

Organizational changes ....... 183 5.2 41,409 7.4

Financial issues ................... 392 11.2 89,487 16.0

Production specific .............. 15 0.4 3,944 0.7

Disaster/safety ..................... 5 0.1 478 0.1

Seasonal .............................. 316 9.1 47,598 8.5

Other/miscellaneous ............ 657 18.8 96,971 17.4 

 p = preliminary.

Category Layoff events Separations

competition, and slack work) accounted for 55 percent of the events and 50 percent of separations 

during the first quarter of 2009. This compared to 45 percent of events and 40 percent of separations 

in the same period a year earlier. (See table 2.) Separations related to these business demand factors 

more than tripled over the year from 91,585 to 279,022, with those due to slack work/insufficient 

demand/nonseasonal business slowdown increasing from 56,494 to 211,168. 

Extended mass layoffs stemming from financial issues (bankruptcy, cost control, and financial 

difficulty) sharply increased from 122 events associated with 26,859 separations in the first quarter 2008 

to 392 events and 89,487 separations in the first quarter 2009. Retail trade accounted for the largest 

number of separations due to financial issues, mostly in electronics and appliance stores and in general 

merchandise stores. (See chart.) 

Movement of Work

In the first quarter of 2009, 77 extended mass layoffs involved the movement of work and were 

associated with 12,736 separated workers. (See table C.) A year earlier, there were 59 layoff events and 

13,314 separations associated with the movement of work. These movements of work were to other 

domestic locations or to locations outside of the U.S., and they occurred either within the same company 

or to other companies. Movement of work layoffs accounted for 2 percent of nonseasonal layoff events 

in the first quarter of 2009. (See table 10.) 

Among the 77 extended mass layoff events with reported relocation of work in the first quarter of 

2009, 45 percent were permanent closures of worksites, which affected 5,711 workers. In comparison, 

10 percent of the total extended mass layoff events reported for the quarter involved the permanent 

closure of worksites and affected 90,960 workers. 

Of the layoffs involving the movement of work, 75 percent of the events and 77 percent of the 

laid-off workers were from manufacturing industries during the first quarter. (See table 7.) Among all 

private nonfarm extended layoffs, manufacturing accounted for 40 percent of the events and 39 percent 

of separations. 
4

Table C. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures,

first quarter 2009p

Action Layoff events Separations

 Total, private nonfarm ............................ 3,489 558,909 

 Total, excluding seasonal 

 and vacation events1 ...................... 3,173 511,311 

 Total events with movement

 of work2 ............................... 77 12,736 

 Movement of work actions ................. 105 ( 3 )

 With separations reported .............. 70 7,295 

 With separations unknown ............ 35 ( 3 )

 1 The questions on movement of work were not asked of employers when the reason 

 for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period. 

 2 A layoff event can involve more than one movement of work action. 3

 Data are not available.

 p = preliminary.

In the total private nonfarm sector, 55 percent of the extended mass layoff events were because of 

business demand changes. Similarly, such reasons accounted for 49 percent of layoff events associated 

with work relocation and resulted in 5,345 separations during the first quarter. (See table 8.) 

Among the regions, the Midwest accounted for the largest proportion of workers affected by 

extended mass layoffs associated with the movement of work (44 percent) followed by the South (26 

percent) and the West (21 percent). (See table 9.) Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, 

Illinois accounted for the largest proportion of workers affected by extended mass layoffs associated 

with the movement of work (18 percent), followed by California (11 percent) and Texas (9 percent). 

Some extended mass layoff events involve more than one relocation of work action. For example, 

an extended mass layoff event at an employer may involve job loss due to movement of work to both 

another domestic location of the company and a location out of the country; this would be counted as 

two movement of work actions. The 77 extended layoff events with movement of work for the first 

quarter of 2009 involved 105 identifiable relocations of work. An identifiable relocation of work occurs 

when the employer provides sufficient information on the new location of work and/or the number of 

workers affected by the movement. Of the 105 relocations, employers were able to provide information 

on the specific number of separations associated with the movement of work component of the layoff in 

70 actions involving 7,295 workers. (See table 10.) 

Of the 70 actions where employers were able to provide more complete separations information, 93 

percent of relocations occurred within the same company and 71 percent were domestic reassignments. 

(See table D.) Domestic relocation of work affected 3,829 workers, and out-of-country relocations were 

associated with 3,466 separations, less than 1 percent of all nonseasonal and nonvacation extended mass 

layoff separations. (See table 11.) 
5

Table D. Movement of work actions by type of separation where the

number of separations is known by employers, first quarter 2009p

Activities Actions1 Separations

 With separations reported ......................... 70 7,295 

By location

 Out-of-country relocations ...................... 20 3,466 

 Within company ................................... 20 3,466 

 Different company ................................ – –

 Domestic relocations ............................... 50 3,829 

 Within company ................................... 45 3,483 

 Different company ................................ 5 346 

By company

 Within company ...................................... 65 6,949 

 Domestic .............................................. 45 3,483 

 Out of country ...................................... 20 3,466 

 Different company ................................... 5 346 

 Domestic .............................................. 5 346 

 Out of country ...................................... – –

 1

 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement of 

 work were reported are shown.

 p = preliminary.

Recall Expectations

Twenty-seven percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the first quarter of 2009 

indicated they anticipated some type of recall, down from 40 percent a year earlier and the lowest 

proportion in program history (with data available back to 1995). (See table E.) Of those employers 

expecting to recall workers, a program low 20 percent indicated that the offer would be extended to all 

displaced employees, and 63 percent of employers anticipated extending the offer to at least half of the 

workers. Sixty-one percent of employers expecting to recall laid-off employees intend to do so within 6 

months. Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period, in which 89 percent of the 

employers expected a recall, employers anticipated recalling laid-off workers in 21 percent of the events. 

Size of Extended Layoffs

The average size of a layoff (as measured by separations per layoff event) in the first quarter of 

2009 was 160, compared to 172 per layoff in first quarter 2008. Layoff events continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 49 percent of events involving 

between 50 and 99 workers and 71 percent of events with less than 150 workers. Similarly, the 

proportion of events involving more than 500 workers, less than 4 percent, is the lowest proportion for 

any quarter since the program began. 
6

Table E. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended layoff,

first quarter 2008 - first quarter 2009

I II III IV I

2008 2008 2008 2008r 2009p

 Anticipate a recall ...... 40.1 51.1 28.6 42.8 26.9

Timeframe

 Within 6 months...... 69.8 84.5 71.0 77.4 60.7

 Within 3 months ... 45.4 59.1 53.8 34.0 38.8

Size

 At least half ............ 73.2 88.3 77.0 77.6 62.6

 All workers ......... 28.5 51.7 37.6 35.4 19.7

 r

 = revised.

 p = preliminary.

Percentage of events

Nature of the recall

Layoffs involving between 50 and 99 workers accounted for 21 percent of all separations during 

the period, and layoffs with less than 150 separated workers accounted for 37 percent. These proportions are up from 18 and 35 percent respectively from a year earlier. Separations involving 500 or more 

workers accounted for 25 percent of all separations in the first quarter of 2009, down slightly from a 

year earlier. (See table F.) 

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 542,023 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended 

mass layoffs in the first quarter of 2009. Of these claimants, 13 percent were black, 15 percent were 

Hispanic, 33 percent were women, 34 percent were 30 to 44 years of age, and 18 percent were 55 years 

of age or older. (See table 3.) Among persons in the civilian labor force for the same period, 11 percent 

were black, 14 percent were Hispanic, 47 percent were women, 33 percent were age 30 to 44, and 19 

percent were 55 years of age or older. 

Geographic Distribution

Among the 4 census regions, the West recorded the highest number of separations (174,526) due 

to extended mass layoff events in the first quarter of 2009, followed by the Midwest with 170,062. All 

regions reported first quarter program highs in terms of the number of worker separations (with data 

available back to 1996). (See table 4.) Among the 9 census divisions, the highest number of separations 

during the first quarter of 2009 was in the Pacific division (140,311). The East North Central division 

had the next highest level of separations, with 139,795. (See table 4.) All divisions, except the East 

South Central, reported their highest first quarter number of separations in program history. 
7

Table F. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff,

first quarter 2009p

Number Percent Number Percent

 Total ........................ 3,489 100.0 558,909 100.0 

 50-99 ..................... 1,725 49.4 120,085 21.5 

 100-149 .................. 742 21.3 87,518 15.7 

 150-199 .................. 366 10.5 61,373 11.0 

 200-299 .................. 343 9.8 79,657 14.3 

 300-499 .................. 188 5.4 68,369 12.2 

 500-999 .................. 86 2.5 58,626 10.5 

 1,000 or more ............ 39 1.1 83,281 14.9 

 p

 = preliminary.

Layoff events Separations Size

California recorded the largest number of worker separations (115,014), followed by Michigan 

(46,817), Illinois (41,887), and Texas (33,005). (See table 5.) After excluding the impact of seasonal 

reasons, California still reported the highest number of job cuts (108,899). Thirty-two states reported 

first quarter program highs in terms of numbers of separations—Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, 

Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, 

Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, 

Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and 

Wyoming. 

Forty-three percent of extended mass layoff events and 39 percent of separations (218,194) occurred in metropolitan areas in the first quarter of 2009, compared with 49 percent of events and 45 

percent of separations (104,617) during the first quarter of 2008. Among the 372 metropolitan areas, 

Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., reported the highest number of separations (14,781) in the first quarter 

of 2009. Next were Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., with 13,647 separations and Los AngelesLong Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., with 10,594 separations. (See table G.) Employers located in nonmetropolitan areas separated 50,262 workers in extended mass layoffs. 

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 employer filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a 
8

Table G. Mass layoff events and separations, selected metropolitan areas

II I I

2008r 2009p 2008r 2009p

Total, nonmetropolitan areas ..................................... 122 392 19,690 50,262 

Total, 372 metropolitan areas .................................... 661 1,513 104,617 218,194 

 Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. ............................. 26 57 4,426 14,781 

 Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. .............. 47 87 7,711 13,647 

 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. ......... 86 100 13,416 10,594 

 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island,

 N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ................................................... 47 61 9,204 8,688 

 Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. ...................................... 6 55 1,126 8,367 

 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. ................ 39 50 4,764 7,736 

 Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas .................. (

1 ) 26 ( 1 ) 7,184 

 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas ..................... 6 18 1,159 4,784 

 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington,

 Minn.-Wis. ...................................................... 9 37 1,250 4,172 

 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. ............. 19 38 2,250 4,107 

 1

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

 r

 = revised.

 p

 = preliminary.

 NOTE: The geographic boundaries of the metropolitan areas shown in this table are defined in

 Office of Management and Budget Bulletin 09-01, November 20, 2008.

Metropolitan area

Events Separations

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

contacted for additional information. Data for the first 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 April 2009 is scheduled to be released on Friday, May 22, 2009. 
9

Upcoming Changes to the Extended Mass Layoffs News Release 

The following changes will be introduced with the issuance of 2nd quarter 2009 

preliminary extended mass layoff data scheduled for release on Wednesday, 

August 12, 2009. 

 Tables B-D will be dropped, as this information is replicated within the current 

numbered tables 2, 10, and 11, respectively. 

 Table E will become the new table 11. This table will be expanded to show the recall 

expectations of employers disaggregated by whether extended layoff events were due 

to seasonal/vacation factors or nonseasonal factors. 

 Table F will become table 13. 

 Table G will undergo a conceptual change and will become a new table B. Currently 

this table reflects a concept of "worksite location," where the numbers of extended 

layoff events and associated separated workers are displayed by the metropolitan 

statistical area where the event occurred. This concept of "worksite location" will 

be replaced by a "separated worker residence" concept, where the number of initial 

claimants associated with extended layoffs will be displayed by the metropolitan 

statistical area where the separated workers reside. This conceptual change will 

result in more complete information on layoffs in metropolitan areas. 

 Table 6 will be dropped from the news release as there is often only a small 

amount of layoff activity in these IT-producing industries. This table will be 

provided as a supplemental table on the Mass Layoff Statistics Web site at 

http://www.bls.gov/mls/#tables. Tables 7-11 will be renumbered tables 6-10. 

 A new table, table 12, will be added to the release displaying the average size of 

layoff events by industry and by reason for layoff. 

 The explanatory language in the body of the news release regarding movement of 

work data will be transferred to the Technical Note. 
Technical Note 

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federalstate program which identifies, describes, and tracks the 

effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each state’s 

unemployment insurance database. Employers 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. 

Employers are identified according to industry classification 

and location, and unemployment insurance claimants are 

identified by such demographic factors as age, race, gender, 

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. 

Definitions 

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include 

those covered by state unemployment insurance laws. 

Information on employers is obtained from the Quarterly 

Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which 

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

Extended layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for 

unemployment insurance benefits from an employer 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 employer beginning in a 

given month, regardless of duration. 

Worksite closure. The complete closure of either multiunit or single-unit employers or the partial closure of a multiunit employer where entire worksites affected by layoffs are 

closed or planned to be closed. 

Revisions to preliminary data 

The latest quarterly data in this news release are 

considered preliminary. After the initial publication of quarterly information, more data are collected as remaining 

employer interviews for the quarter are completed and additional initial claimant information associated with extended 

layoff events is received. 

Movement of work concepts and questions 

Because of the employer interview component, the BLS 

decided to use the MLS program as a vehicle for collecting 

additional information on offshoring and outsourcing 

associated with job loss, by adding questions that address 

movement of work. The term “moving work” means that the 

company experiencing the layoff has reassigned work 

activities that were performed at a worksite by the company's 

employees (1) to another worksite within the company; (2) to 

another company under formal arrangements at the same 

worksite; or (3) to another company under formal arrangements at another worksite. The type of work activities subject to movement can include accounting, customer service, 

cleaning, warehousing, etc. 

“Overseas relocation” is the movement of work from 

within the U.S. to locations outside of the U.S. “Overseas 

relocation” can occur within the same company and involve 

movement of work to a different location of that company 

outside of the U.S., or to a different company altogether. 

“Domestic relocation” is the movement of work to other 

locations inside the U.S., either within the same company or 

to a different company. 

“Overseas relocation” and “domestic relocation” are no 

longer used in the same way as they were in earlier extended 

mass layoff news releases. Therefore, the data presented in 

this news release are not comparable to those that were 

presented in earlier news releases. 

Questions on movement of work and location are asked 

for all identified layoff events when the reason for separation 

is other than “seasonal work” or “vacation period.” Seasonal 

and vacation layoff events were excluded because movement 

of work appears unlikely. 

Questions on movement of work are asked after the 

analyst verifies that a layoff in fact occurred and lasted more 

than 30 days, and obtained the total number of workers 

separated from jobs, the date the layoff began, and the 

economic reason for the layoff. If the reason for layoff is 

other than seasonal or vacation, the employer was asked the 

following: 

(1) “Did this layoff include your company moving work 

from this location(s) to a different geographic location(s) 

within your company?” 

(2) “Did this layoff include your company moving work 

that was performed in-house by your employees to a different 

company, through contractual arrangements?” 

A “yes” response to either question is followed by: 

“Is the location inside or outside of the U.S.?” and 

“How many of the layoffs were a result of this relocation?” 

Layoff actions are classified as “overseas relocation” if 

the employer responds “yes” to questions 1 and/or 2, and 

indicates that the location(s) was outside of the U.S. 

Domestic relocation is determined if the employer responds 

“yes” to questions 1 and/or 2 and indicates that the location(s) 

was within the U.S. 

After asking the movement of work questions, the 
employer interview continues and responses are obtained for 

questions on recall expectations and open/closed status of the 

worksite. 

Reliability of the data 

The identification of employers and layoff events in the 

MLS program and associated characteristics of claimants is 

based on administrative data on covered employers and 

unemployment insurance claims, and, therefore, is not subject 

to issues associated with sampling error. Nonsampling errors 

such as typographical errors may occur but are not likely to 

be significant. While the MLS employers and layoff events 

are not subject to sampling error, and all such employers are 

asked the interview questions, the employer responses are 

subject to nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur 

for many reasons, including the inability to obtain 

information for all respondents, inability or unwillingness of 

respondents to provide correct information, and errors made 

in the collection or processing of the data. For the first 

quarter of 2009, outright refusal to participate in the employer 

interview accounted for 4.0 percent of all private nonfarm 

events. Although included in the total number of instances 

involving the movement of work, for the first quarter, 

employers in 35 relocations were unable to provide the 

number of separations specifically associated with the 

movement of work, 7 of which involved out-of-country 

moves.

Other information 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

202-691-5200 TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-

8339. 
Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009

Industry

I IV I I IV I I IV I

 2008r 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 .................................. 1,340 3,585 3,489 230,098 642,154 558,909 259,292 762,737 542,023 

 Mining ............................................................. 5 43 79 474 7,013 13,051 428 8,137 11,465 

 Utilities ............................................................ ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 977 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 897 ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 337 915 492 36,917 113,978 56,321 45,231 137,894 52,969 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 422 1,287 1,380 84,318 239,215 215,281 106,177 338,237 238,792 

 Food ........................................................... 65 106 73 14,777 24,532 10,840 15,207 25,402 10,216 

 Beverage and tobacco products ................ 8 ( 2 ) 12 1,436 ( 2 ) 1,728 2,040 ( 2 ) 2,192 

 Textile mills ................................................ 12 28 17 1,758 5,763 1,859 8,054 12,225 4,377 

 Textile product mills ................................... ( 2 ) 12 8 ( 2 ) 1,584 985 ( 2 ) 2,103 1,971 

 Apparel ....................................................... 10 14 17 952 2,094 1,833 1,316 2,387 1,709 

 Leather and allied products ........................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 643 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 561 

 Wood products ........................................... 41 99 82 5,408 14,481 9,803 7,590 19,602 11,336 

 Paper ......................................................... 7 31 35 595 4,351 4,360 814 5,451 4,548 

 Printing and related support activities ........ 6 14 38 584 2,135 4,733 620 3,207 4,107 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................... ( 2 ) 18 6 ( 2 ) 2,508 784 ( 2 ) 2,746 555 

 Chemicals ................................................. 9 30 27 1,289 4,845 3,956 762 5,463 3,410 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................... 21 83 76 2,963 9,955 7,576 2,660 14,102 7,852 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................... 39 109 71 4,274 16,131 6,631 4,568 18,805 7,291 

 Primary metals ........................................... 14 80 91 2,659 14,599 13,472 2,489 18,452 14,343 

 Fabricated metal products ......................... 27 126 143 3,468 15,611 14,976 4,198 22,588 18,259 

 Machinery .................................................. 20 67 138 3,155 10,967 23,494 3,378 18,857 27,990 

 Computer and electronic products ............. 23 69 138 3,614 11,778 23,706 3,109 14,158 22,471 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ......... 11 38 52 1,994 7,714 6,654 3,192 11,436 7,534 

 Transportation equipment .......................... 78 289 265 30,142 78,819 65,304 41,534 125,639 73,425 

 Furniture and related products ................... 20 42 56 3,183 6,854 8,445 3,251 10,358 11,237 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing .................... 7 19 30 1,555 2,910 3,499 834 3,578 3,408 

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 35 90 118 3,745 11,909 14,373 3,847 13,432 12,776 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 107 202 347 24,119 61,326 78,394 30,444 53,466 58,636 

 Transportation and warehousing .................... 49 118 136 10,250 23,001 23,197 8,552 21,839 19,174 

 Information ...................................................... 27 73 80 7,330 10,290 11,705 5,784 11,887 12,294 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 99 113 135 18,811 22,742 23,574 20,411 24,568 21,254 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................. 5 27 30 612 3,592 3,041 746 4,023 2,840 

 Professional and technical services ................ 39 88 130 7,346 12,803 15,318 6,313 13,865 13,497 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... ( 2 ) 17 19 ( 2 ) 3,138 2,551 ( 2 ) 3,119 1,741 

 Administrative and waste services .................. 96 319 296 15,710 72,104 64,697 15,885 78,130 61,672 

 Educational services ....................................... 5 4 ( 2 ) 595 630 ( 2 ) 618 474 ( 2 )

 Health care and social assistance .................. 20 39 33 5,302 6,764 3,931 2,643 5,384 3,547 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 20 63 41 2,504 14,609 5,701 1,833 8,696 4,464 

 Accommodation and food services ................. 63 153 141 10,694 34,591 24,637 8,772 34,994 23,735 

 Other services, except public administration .. 5 28 23 524 3,399 2,027 590 3,622 2,311 

 Unclassified ..................................................... 1 1 – 250 73 – 133 73 –

 1

 For the first quarter of 2009, data on layoffs were reported by employers r = revised.

in all states and the District of Columbia. p

 = preliminary.

 2

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

Separations Initial claimants for

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

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009

Reason for layoff

I IV I I IV I I IV I

 2008r 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ................................................... 1,340 3,585 3,489 230,098 642,154 558,909 259,292 762,737 542,023 

Business demand .............................................................. 600 1,581 1,921 91,585 248,225 279,022 124,840 371,289 303,941 

 Contract cancellation ...................................................... 18 57 80 2,417 11,692 11,297 2,201 12,981 11,141 

 Contract completion ........................................................ 227 313 302 28,319 45,504 51,372 36,097 63,253 50,182 

 Domestic competition ..................................................... – 4 4 – 470 445 – 636 420 

 Excess inventory/saturated market ................................. 7 18 29 1,559 4,021 3,724 876 4,203 3,578 

 Import competition .......................................................... 15 14 6 2,796 1,855 1,016 2,640 2,603 991 

 Slack work/insufficient demand/non-seasonal

 business slowdown ................................................. 333 1,175 1,500 56,494 184,683 211,168 83,026 287,613 237,629 

Organizational changes ..................................................... 114 159 183 21,674 31,006 41,409 22,911 33,471 34,402 

 Business-ownership change ........................................... 22 31 32 4,990 8,430 9,270 2,986 5,981 5,076 

 Reorganization or restructuring of company ................... 92 128 151 16,684 22,576 32,139 19,925 27,490 29,326 

Financial issues ................................................................. 122 330 392 26,859 73,604 89,487 25,068 68,258 63,386 

 Bankruptcy ...................................................................... 26 45 80 6,488 12,022 26,978 3,782 7,268 13,087 

 Cost control/cost cutting/increase profitability ................. 40 165 212 6,509 24,679 32,471 10,363 33,251 33,454 

 Financial difficulty ........................................................... 56 120 100 13,862 36,903 30,038 10,923 27,739 16,845 

Production specific ............................................................. 29 24 15 11,823 4,644 3,944 8,589 4,123 2,388 

 Automation/technological advances ............................... 4 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 579 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 557 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Energy related ................................................................ – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Governmental regulations/intervention ........................... 5 7 ( 2 ) 2,083 1,549 ( 2 ) 654 913 ( 2 )

 Labor dispute/contract negotiations/strike ...................... 5 5 ( 2 ) 5,194 630 ( 2 ) 3,027 588 ( 2 )

 Material or supply shortage ............................................ 6 – ( 2 ) 2,356 – ( 2 ) 2,955 – ( 2 )

 Model changeover .......................................................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Plant or machine repair/maintenance ............................. 5 5 ( 2 ) 507 1,357 ( 2 ) 416 1,248 ( 2 )

 Product line discontinued ................................................ 4 3 6 1,104 590 1,165 980 700 735 

Disaster/safety ................................................................... 8 12 5 1,979 1,346 478 1,895 1,325 451 

 Hazardous work environment ......................................... ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Natural disaster (not weather related) ............................ – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 )

 Non-natural disaster ....................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Extreme weather-related event ....................................... 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 986 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,188 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Seasonal ............................................................................ 246 869 316 43,107 149,757 47,598 42,330 147,883 42,738 

 Seasonal ......................................................................... 246 863 316 43,107 148,433 47,598 42,330 146,502 42,738 

 Vacation period–school related or otherwise .................. – 6 – – 1,324 – – 1,381 –

Other/miscellaneous .......................................................... 221 610 657 33,071 133,572 96,971 33,659 136,388 94,717 

 Other ............................................................................... 23 26 32 3,466 4,243 5,171 4,737 6,844 4,291 

 Data not provided: refusal ............................................... 63 129 142 12,339 40,046 24,618 11,959 40,032 24,382 

 Data not provided: does not know .................................. 135 455 483 17,266 89,283 67,182 16,963 89,512 66,044 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 1. p = preliminary.

 2

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

 r

 = revised.

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, 

private nonfarm sector, fourth quarter 2008 and first quarter 2009

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55and over

IV I IV I IV I IV I IV I IV I

 2008r 2009p 2008r 2009p 2008r 2009p 2008r 2009p 2008r 2009p 2008r 2009p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ............ 3,585 3,489 762,737 542,023 12.6 12.8 15.5 15.3 30.7 33.4 16.7 17.8 

Alabama ....................................... 17 21 8,447 4,149 42.6 42.2 2.4 1.9 40.2 34.8 13.3 13.6 

Alaska ........................................... 12 7 2,363 1,120 3.9 2.3 12.8 12.0 28.9 25.3 22.3 26.1 

Arizona ......................................... 30 36 5,611 5,123 5.7 5.3 33.1 35.7 35.8 33.3 14.2 15.3 

Arkansas ...................................... 20 9 3,159 1,658 17.2 29.4 4.0 4.9 39.2 26.8 16.9 14.4 

California ...................................... 766 842 132,375 107,072 7.2 7.6 41.1 36.0 36.7 36.0 14.8 15.4 

Colorado ....................................... 31 33 4,142 4,317 3.9 6.0 36.6 17.3 17.6 33.8 19.2 16.4 

Connecticut .................................. 11 30 2,278 3,684 10.2 13.7 10.7 15.1 18.4 49.4 19.8 23.0 

Delaware ...................................... 7 7 973 1,332 21.3 11.8 4.6 1.4 19.1 14.5 22.0 12.1 

District of Columbia ...................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 97.8 38.8 .5 12.4 63.2 58.4 9.7 6.2 

Florida .......................................... 180 137 37,472 26,389 14.4 15.6 26.7 27.8 36.1 35.0 18.4 19.4 

Georgia ......................................... 59 59 16,008 11,381 36.5 42.7 6.5 4.9 37.3 44.8 15.8 16.5 

Hawaii ........................................... 10 12 1,318 1,103 3.0 3.8 12.7 11.9 22.1 26.1 15.2 14.1 

Idaho ............................................ 51 24 8,397 3,216 .3 .2 11.8 10.9 34.1 35.6 15.2 18.3 

Illinois ........................................... 286 240 60,441 36,253 17.1 16.5 16.0 13.8 28.4 32.0 14.7 17.1 

Indiana .......................................... 154 104 44,383 15,133 6.7 8.5 4.0 2.0 27.2 31.2 14.8 17.4 

Iowa .............................................. 45 36 10,735 9,270 1.6 2.3 3.6 1.9 24.6 31.7 18.7 17.1 

Kansas ......................................... 25 27 4,238 3,009 8.3 10.2 5.4 4.6 30.4 31.5 13.9 16.2 

Kentucky ....................................... 67 26 12,602 3,464 5.8 3.9 .3 .2 17.2 10.6 13.8 19.0 

Louisiana ...................................... 22 29 4,429 3,974 51.9 36.0 1.9 3.9 26.8 19.5 18.5 23.1 

Maine ............................................ 7 11 1,249 1,479 .6 1.6 .2 .4 20.4 34.0 23.5 22.9 

Maryland ....................................... 24 23 3,491 3,149 39.4 32.3 2.5 2.9 36.0 29.2 22.7 22.0 

Massachusetts ............................. 43 54 7,288 7,696 8.8 7.2 1.0 .8 35.6 43.8 21.4 20.5 

Michigan ....................................... 212 182 77,433 53,380 18.3 20.1 4.3 2.8 26.2 29.3 17.3 18.4 

Minnesota ..................................... 120 73 21,625 8,109 4.0 4.8 6.5 3.9 19.0 26.4 16.1 18.2 

Mississippi .................................... 24 18 4,512 1,569 48.8 60.1 3.2 .5 38.9 40.3 14.4 20.3 

Missouri ........................................ 101 75 17,713 8,417 11.8 9.8 .2 .3 34.1 40.2 18.8 18.9 

Montana ....................................... 14 7 2,432 916 – .1 3.3 2.5 14.1 13.6 18.5 26.5 

Nebraska ...................................... 8 ( 2 ) 755 ( 2 ) 1.6 1.5 7.9 12.3 15.0 35.6 29.5 26.7 

Nevada ......................................... 46 68 13,222 10,381 9.1 7.9 34.9 32.5 45.6 39.8 17.2 17.3 

New Hampshire ............................ ( 2 ) 8 ( 2 ) 1,369 1.0 .4 – 4.1 18.2 41.0 33.0 25.5 

New Jersey ................................... 89 105 16,252 13,141 19.2 17.9 8.7 10.1 39.3 45.6 19.5 21.7 

New Mexico .................................. 17 14 2,805 2,418 2.6 2.2 50.2 39.0 28.8 19.5 17.5 16.0 

New York ...................................... 147 148 31,866 21,500 10.8 11.7 10.3 13.9 33.2 35.7 18.1 18.7 

North Carolina .............................. 32 78 5,619 12,979 33.0 36.4 6.5 7.4 33.6 40.1 20.8 17.1 

North Dakota ................................ 10 9 1,253 959 2.2 1.1 3.4 2.0 18.7 6.2 17.9 8.9 

Ohio .............................................. 189 155 45,092 21,735 10.5 12.0 3.4 3.2 26.3 32.4 17.3 17.7 

Oklahoma ..................................... 21 29 4,443 4,885 7.0 8.4 6.2 7.7 27.2 24.6 15.3 16.0 

Oregon ......................................... 73 69 19,492 15,510 .8 1.5 16.0 13.2 27.2 28.0 18.5 19.9 

Pennsylvania ................................ 205 216 40,987 33,824 5.0 4.5 3.9 4.0 25.7 28.1 21.7 24.0 

Rhode Island ................................ 6 10 615 978 1.8 3.1 21.3 14.3 19.8 48.7 25.0 32.1 

South Carolina .............................. 47 31 12,440 5,841 59.3 45.3 1.1 1.1 42.7 41.9 7.7 7.5 

South Dakota ................................ 3 6 251 433 .4 4.4 2.0 1.8 31.1 18.0 21.9 15.9 

Tennessee .................................... 63 81 9,751 9,837 21.7 14.9 .1 – 36.9 40.0 19.7 17.6 

Texas ............................................ 79 139 19,488 23,174 17.4 16.1 40.0 34.9 27.8 29.0 13.5 14.0 

Utah .............................................. 18 27 3,714 3,983 1.4 1.9 15.6 15.8 25.9 34.4 10.7 12.7 

Vermont ........................................ 7 9 1,096 1,177 .7 .3 .3 .2 23.8 31.9 20.9 27.3 

Virginia ......................................... 14 12 1,699 2,521 27.1 26.8 6.0 2.1 35.2 33.4 22.5 19.1 

Washington .................................. 77 56 15,107 10,028 4.1 5.9 14.5 7.5 31.3 36.9 17.5 14.1 

West Virginia ................................ 7 14 890 2,410 .1 .5 – .1 10.7 22.7 12.9 16.2 

Wisconsin ..................................... 83 74 20,124 15,475 3.2 3.2 8.3 3.8 23.3 28.2 18.2 21.6 

Wyoming ...................................... 3 4 268 273 1.5 2.2 1.1 7.3 32.8 15.0 34.0 9.2 

Puerto Rico ................................... 12 15 2,020 2,646 .2 – 98.5 99.2 48.0 59.1 14.9 10.3 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r

 = revised.

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

 = preliminary.

 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, 

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

I IV I I IV I I IV I

 2008r 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 

 United States1 .................................. 1,340 3,585 3,489 230,098 642,154 558,909 259,292 762,737 542,023 

Northeast ................................................. 217 517 591 32,643 90,853 89,285 38,963 101,840 84,848 

 New England ........................................ 31 76 122 4,839 11,217 17,100 4,244 12,735 16,383 

 Middle Atlantic ...................................... 186 441 469 27,804 79,636 72,185 34,719 89,105 68,465 

South ........................................................ 232 684 715 42,175 124,851 125,036 45,991 145,608 118,890 

 South Atlantic ....................................... 132 371 363 23,495 72,557 60,606 27,021 78,777 66,180 

 East South Central ............................... 56 171 146 10,332 26,692 18,996 8,604 35,312 19,019 

 West South Central .............................. 44 142 206 8,348 25,602 45,434 10,366 31,519 33,691 

Midwest .................................................... 336 1,236 984 73,444 234,641 170,062 81,892 304,043 172,825 

 East North Central ............................... 272 924 755 61,307 183,945 139,795 69,303 247,473 141,976 

 West North Central .............................. 64 312 229 12,137 50,696 30,267 12,589 56,570 30,849 

West ......................................................... 555 1,148 1,199 81,836 191,809 174,526 92,446 211,246 165,460 

 Mountain .............................................. 49 210 213 7,547 40,530 34,215 6,744 40,591 30,627 

 Pacific .................................................. 506 938 986 74,289 151,279 140,311 85,702 170,655 134,833 

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

 r = revised. Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and

 p = preliminary. 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,

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009

State

I IV I I IV I I IV I

 2008r 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ........................ 1,340 3,585 3,489 230,098 642,154 558,909 259,292 762,737 542,023 

Alabama ................................................... 13 17 21 2,182 5,086 5,010 2,825 8,447 4,149 

Alaska ...................................................... ( 2 ) 12 7 ( 2 ) 3,345 2,110 ( 2 ) 2,363 1,120 

Arizona ..................................................... 5 30 36 474 6,365 5,825 607 5,611 5,123 

Arkansas .................................................. 10 20 9 1,809 3,164 1,471 3,221 3,159 1,658 

California .................................................. 467 766 842 66,895 118,069 115,014 78,098 132,375 107,072 

Colorado .................................................. 9 31 33 2,141 5,384 5,339 1,480 4,142 4,317 

Connecticut .............................................. 3 11 30 296 2,208 4,127 441 2,278 3,684 

Delaware .................................................. – 7 7 – 976 1,509 – 973 1,332 

District of Columbia .................................. 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 340 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 185 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Florida ...................................................... 60 180 137 10,358 42,118 27,109 8,531 37,472 26,389 

Georgia .................................................... 19 59 59 2,112 8,373 7,124 8,376 16,008 11,381 

Hawaii ...................................................... 6 10 12 2,009 1,233 1,034 659 1,318 1,103 

Idaho ........................................................ 8 51 24 783 7,791 3,248 940 8,397 3,216 

Illinois ....................................................... 98 286 240 17,736 55,805 41,887 17,169 60,441 36,253 

Indiana ..................................................... 26 154 104 4,396 22,553 13,057 7,467 44,383 15,133 

Iowa ......................................................... 10 45 36 1,458 5,828 4,288 3,445 10,735 9,270 

Kansas ..................................................... 7 25 27 1,389 3,857 4,625 1,619 4,238 3,009 

Kentucky .................................................. 18 67 26 2,049 9,742 2,970 1,886 12,602 3,464 

Louisiana .................................................. 11 22 29 2,100 4,586 5,720 2,641 4,429 3,974 

Maine ....................................................... ( 2 ) 7 11 ( 2 ) 1,040 2,579 ( 2 ) 1,249 1,479 

Maryland .................................................. 10 24 23 1,255 3,274 2,949 1,210 3,491 3,149 

Massachusetts ......................................... 18 43 54 2,771 6,237 6,934 2,633 7,288 7,696 

Michigan ................................................... 57 212 182 14,917 47,580 46,817 20,859 77,433 53,380 

Minnesota ................................................ 16 120 73 2,107 20,893 10,133 1,694 21,625 8,109 

Mississippi ................................................ 9 24 18 2,207 4,343 1,755 796 4,512 1,569 

Missouri .................................................... 26 101 75 6,326 17,613 9,386 5,076 17,713 8,417 

Montana ................................................... 5 14 7 442 1,775 899 440 2,432 916 

Nebraska .................................................. 4 8 ( 2 ) 607 1,015 ( 2 ) 565 755 ( 2 )

Nevada ..................................................... 11 46 68 1,708 9,438 10,390 1,791 13,222 10,381 

New Hampshire ....................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,292 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,369 

New Jersey .............................................. 33 89 105 6,676 16,438 16,054 5,657 16,252 13,141 

New Mexico ............................................. 5 17 14 649 2,729 3,388 799 2,805 2,418 

New York ................................................. 78 147 148 13,084 30,580 23,958 12,880 31,866 21,500 

North Carolina .......................................... 13 32 78 2,116 3,704 9,916 3,147 5,619 12,979 

North Dakota ............................................ – 10 9 – 1,253 959 – 1,253 959 

Ohio ......................................................... 64 189 155 18,236 39,950 23,813 16,706 45,092 21,735 

Oklahoma ................................................. ( 2 ) 21 29 ( 2 ) 3,846 5,238 ( 2 ) 4,443 4,885 

Oregon ..................................................... 11 73 69 1,913 13,668 11,757 3,658 19,492 15,510 

Pennsylvania ............................................ 75 205 216 8,044 32,618 32,173 16,182 40,987 33,824 

Rhode Island ............................................ 4 6 10 363 612 963 345 615 978 

South Carolina ......................................... 9 47 31 1,125 10,908 5,065 978 12,440 5,841 

South Dakota ........................................... ( 2 ) 3 6 ( 2 ) 237 706 ( 2 ) 251 433 

Tennessee ............................................... 16 63 81 3,894 7,521 9,261 3,097 9,751 9,837 

Texas ....................................................... 22 79 139 4,298 14,006 33,005 4,363 19,488 23,174 

Utah ......................................................... 5 18 27 1,150 3,704 4,540 608 3,714 3,983 

Vermont ................................................... ( 2 ) 7 9 ( 2 ) 825 1,205 ( 2 ) 1,096 1,177 

Virginia ..................................................... 14 14 12 5,384 2,104 2,900 3,882 1,699 2,521 

Washington .............................................. 21 77 56 2,772 14,964 10,396 3,072 15,107 10,028 

West Virginia ............................................ 4 7 14 805 915 3,856 712 890 2,410 

Wisconsin ................................................. 27 83 74 6,022 18,057 14,221 7,102 20,124 15,475 

Wyoming .................................................. ( 2 ) 3 4 ( 2 ) 3,344 586 ( 2 ) 268 273 

Puerto Rico .............................................. 10 12 15 659 1,304 1,683 2,315 2,020 2,646 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. p

 = preliminary.

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

 r = revised.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance
Table 6. Information technology-producing industries: Extended mass layoff events and separations, private nonfarm sector, 2002-2009

2002

First quarter ............................................ 1,611 299,266 84 18,574 34 3,770 32 8,192 28 4,346 

Second quarter ...................................... 1,624 344,606 69 11,764 39 4,326 27 4,870 34 5,643 

Third quarter .......................................... 1,186 255,152 76 15,017 36 4,359 34 6,529 33 5,496 

Fourth quarter ........................................ 1,916 373,307 74 14,298 26 5,709 19 3,645 31 7,643 

 Total ................................................... 6,337 1,272,331 303 59,653 135 18,164 112 23,236 126 23,128 

2003

First quarter ............................................ 1,502 286,947 71 11,900 27 5,097 23 4,402 26 4,513 

Second quarter ...................................... 1,799 368,273 54 9,221 19 2,741 21 3,098 22 4,169 

Third quarter .......................................... 1,190 236,333 46 6,488 24 4,189 9 1,289 8 842 

Fourth quarter ........................................ 1,690 325,333 25 5,080 8 1,167 9 1,619 23 5,774 

 Total ................................................... 6,181 1,216,886 196 32,689 78 13,194 62 10,408 79 15,298 

2004

First quarter ............................................ 1,339 276,503 27 3,222 13 2,786 8 894 14 2,832 

Second quarter ...................................... 1,358 278,831 18 2,959 15 2,775 – – 15 3,250 

Third quarter .......................................... 886 164,608 13 2,288 14 1,467 4 430 11 3,792 

Fourth quarter ........................................ 1,427 273,967 18 3,055 10 1,547 4 563 20 3,143 

 Total ................................................... 5,010 993,909 76 11,524 52 8,575 16 1,887 60 13,017 

2005

First quarter ............................................ 1,142 186,506 13 1,526 9 2,355 4 439 12 2,400 

Second quarter ...................................... 1,203 246,099 20 2,973 13 1,558 4 842 7 1,331 

Third quarter .......................................... 1,136 201,878 23 3,307 7 1,034 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 304 

Fourth quarter ........................................ 1,400 250,178 19 4,122 3 720 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 845 

 Total ................................................... 4,881 884,661 75 11,928 32 5,667 13 3,000 27 4,880 

2006

First quarter ............................................ 963 183,089 12 1,159 6 744 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Second quarter ...................................... 1,353 295,964 10 3,294 7 1,564 8 988 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Third quarter .......................................... 929 160,254 14 3,544 6 487 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 8 1,222 

Fourth quarter ........................................ 1,640 296,662 12 4,039 4 708 5 1,482 8 947 

 Total ................................................... 4,885 935,969 48 12,036 23 3,503 19 3,753 23 3,406 

2007

First quarter ............................................ 1,110 225,600 19 3,007 5 875 3 415 5 885 

Second quarter ...................................... 1,421 278,719 22 3,634 4 413 5 433 3 315 

Third quarter .......................................... 1,018 160,024 22 5,279 6 1,030 4 403 3 276 

Fourth quarter ........................................ 1,814 301,592 9 1,459 4 473 3 381 7 870 

 Total ................................................... 5,363 965,935 72 13,379 19 2,791 15 1,632 18 2,346 

2008

First quarterr

 ........................................... 1,340 230,098 19 3,040 9 987 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 329 

Second quarterr

 ..................................... 1,756 354,713 25 4,018 7 969 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 16 2,545 

Third quarter

r

 .......................................... 1,582 290,892 37 6,781 20 3,015 6 1,331 11 1,906 

Fourth quarterr

 ....................................... 3,585 642,154 58 10,289 18 1,995 8 1,131 18 2,657 

 Total ................................................... 8,263 1,517,857 139 24,128 54 6,966 18 3,147 48 7,437 

2009

First quarterp

 .......................................... 3,489 558,909 124 22,172 18 3,250 16 2,729 11 1,870 

 1

 Information technology-producing industries are defined in Digital Economy 2003 , services; computer systems design services; computer facilities management

(U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, 2003). services; other computer related services; office equipment rental and leasing;

In the MLS program, however, computer and software merchant wholesalers and and computer and office machine repair.

computer and software stores are only included in the computer hardware industry. 4 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American 

 2

 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: telephone apparatus manufacturing;

Classification System (NAICS), are: semiconductor machinery manufacturing; office audio and video equipment manufacturing; broadcast and wireless communications

machinery manufacturing; electronic computer manufacturing; computer storage equip.; fiber optic cable manufacturing; software reproducing; and magnetic and

device manufacturing; computer terminal manufacturing; other computer peripheral optical recording media mfg.

equipment mfg.; electron tube manufacturing; bare printed circuit board manufacturing; 5 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American 

semiconductors and related device mfg.; electronic capacitor manufacturing; electronic Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: wired telecommunications carriers

resistor manufacturing; electronic coils, transformers, and inductors; electronic cellular and other wireless carriers; telecommunications resellers; cable and other

connector manufacturing; printed circuit assembly manufacturing; other electronic program distribution; satellite telecommunications; other telecommunications;

component manufacturing; industrial process variable instruments; electricity and signal and communication equipment repair.

testing instruments; analytical laboratory instrument mfg.; computer and software 6 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 

merchant wholesalers; and computer and software stores. r = revised. 

 3

 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry p = preliminary. 

Classification System (NAICS), are: software publishers; internet service providers; NOTE: Dash represents zero.

web search portals; data processing and related services; custom computer programming

Layoff

events

equipment4 services5

Layoff

events

Layoff

events

Software and Communications Communications

Separations Layoff

events Separations

Year

Separations Separations Separations

hardware2 computer services3

Layoff

events

Total extended

mass layoffs

Information technology-producing industries1

Computer
Table 7. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,

selected quarters, 2008 and 2009

I IVI IIV I

2008 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ............................................... 59 118 77 13,314 20,376 12,736 

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

 ) – – ( 2 ) 

 Utilities ......................................................................... – – – – – –

 Construction ................................................................. – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Manufacturing .............................................................. 34 80 58 6,652 15,232 9,833 

 Food ........................................................................ ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 425 ( 2 )

 Beverage and tobacco products ............................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Textile mills ............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Textile product mills ................................................ – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Apparel ................................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

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

 Wood products ........................................................ 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 390 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Paper ...................................................................... ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 602 ( 2 )

 Printing and related support activities ..................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Petroleum and coal products .................................. – – – – – –

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,125 ( 2 ) 

 Plastics and rubber products .................................. ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 542 ( 2 )

 Nonmetallic mineral products ................................. – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Primary metals ........................................................ ( 2 ) 3 4 ( 2 ) 1,795 603 

 Fabricated metal products ...................................... ( 2 ) 6 3 ( 2 ) 752 255 

 Machinery ............................................................... – 5 4 – 1,118 464 

 Computer and electronic products .......................... 5 10 12 1,195 1,534 2,958 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ...................... ( 2 ) 7 6 ( 2 ) 830 987 

 Transportation equipment ....................................... 8 19 11 1,190 4,301 1,781 

 Furniture and related products ................................ ( 2 ) 3 3 ( 2 ) 456 647 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ................................. – 3 ( 2 ) – 509 ( 2 )

 Wholesale trade ........................................................... 3 7 ( 2

 ) 210 804 ( 2 ) 

 Retail trade .................................................................. 4 6 3 1,166 682 532 

 Transportation and warehousing ................................. 3 4 ( 2 ) 1,724 686 ( 2 )

 Information ................................................................... ( 2 ) 4 3 ( 2 ) 871 576 

 Finance and insurance ................................................ 8 8 ( 2 ) 2,120 926 ( 2 )

 Real estate and rental and leasing .............................. – – – – – –

 Professional and technical services ............................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

 Administrative and waste services ............................... ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 545 ( 2 )

 Educational services .................................................... – – – – – –

 Health care and social assistance ............................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ............................. – – – – – –

 Accommodation and food services .............................. – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 )

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

 Unclassified ................................................................. ––––––

 

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

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

 r = revised.

Layoff events Separations

Industry
Table 8. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work, 

selected quarters, 2008 and 2009

Reason for layoff

I IV I I IV I

2008 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 .................................................. 59 118 77 13,314 20,376 12,736 

Business demand ............................................................. 16 36 38 4,902 6,080 5,345 

 Contract cancellation ..................................................... – ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Contract completion ....................................................... – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Domestic competition .................................................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Excess inventory/saturated market ................................ – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 )

 Import competition ......................................................... 7 10 ( 2 ) 1,724 1,504 ( 2 )

 Slack work/insufficient demand/non-seasonal

 business slowdown ................................................ 9 22 30 3,178 4,227 3,813 

Organizational changes .................................................... 22 49 19 3,654 8,960 2,654 

 Business-ownership change .......................................... 6 9 ( 2

 ) 1,656 1,498 ( 2 ) 

 Reorganization or restructuring of company .................. 16 40 ( 2 ) 1,998 7,462 ( 2 )

Financial issues ................................................................ 17 29 15 3,704 4,554 3,746 

 Bankruptcy ..................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Cost control/cost cutting/increase profitability ................ 10 25 ( 2 ) 1,706 3,392 ( 2 )

 Financial difficulty .......................................................... 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,998 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Production specific ............................................................ ( 2

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

 Automation/technological advances .............................. ––––––

 Energy related ............................................................... – – – – – –

 Governmental regulations/intervention .......................... – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Labor dispute/contract negotiations/strike ..................... – – – – – –

 Material or supply shortage ........................................... ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Model changeover ......................................................... – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Plant or machine repair/maintenance ............................ – – – – – –

 Product line discontinued ............................................... – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 )

Disaster/safety .................................................................. ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Hazardous work environment ........................................ ––––––

 Natural disaster (not weather related) ........................... – – – – – –

 Non-natural disaster ...................................................... ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Extreme weather-related event ...................................... – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

Other/miscellaneous ......................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

 Other .............................................................................. ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

 Data not provided: refusal .............................................. – – – – – –

 Data not provided: does not know ................................. – – – – – –

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

 2

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

 r

 = revised.

Layoff events Separations
Table 9. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,

selected quarters, 2008 and 2009

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations

I IV I I IV I

2008 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p 

 United States1 ...................................... 59 118 77 13,314 20,376 12,736 

Northeast ..................................................... 6 13 7 1,381 1,828 1,091 

 New England ........................................... ( 2

 ) 4 3 ( 2 ) 686 463 

 Middle Atlantic ......................................... ( 2 ) 9 4 ( 2 ) 1,142 628 

South ........................................................... 26 29 16 4,878 4,917 3,362 

 South Atlantic ........................................... 8 9 7 947 1,220 1,343 

 East South Central ................................... 11 12 5 2,237 1,650 521 

 West South Central .................................. 7 8 4 1,694 2,047 1,498 

Midwest ........................................................ 14 48 38 3,388 9,534 5,549 

 East North Central ................................... 11 33 27 2,378 6,652 4,189 

 West North Central .................................. 3 15 11 1,010 2,882 1,360 

West ............................................................. 13 28 16 3,667 4,097 2,734 

 Mountain .................................................. ( 2

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

 Pacific ...................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South 

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, 

 r = revised. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas,

 p = preliminary. Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas: East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, 

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, 

 the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massa- Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: 

chusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and 

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
Table 10. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2008 and 2009

I IVI IIV I

2008 2008r 2009p 2008r 2008r 2009p

Total, private nonfarm1 ................................................... 1,340 3,585 3,489 230,098 642,154 558,909 

 Total, excluding seasonal

 and vacation events2

 .............................................. 1,094 2,716 3,173 186,991 492,397 511,311 

 Total, movement of work3

 ....................................... 59 118 77 13,314 20,376 12,736 

 Movement of work actions ................................. 76 161 105 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

 With separations reported ............................ 41 122 70 6,180 11,919 7,295 

 With separations unknown ........................... 35 39 35 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 4 Data are not available.

 2 The questions on movement of work were not asked of employers r = revised.

when the reason for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period. p = preliminary.

 3 Movement of work can involve more than one action.

Layoff events Separations

Action
Table 11. Movement of work actions by type of separation where number of separations is known by employers,

selected quarters, 2008 and 2009

I IVI IIV I

2008 2008r 2009p 2008 2008r 2009p

With separations reported2 ................................. 41 122 70 6,180 11,919 7,295 

By location

 Out-of-country relocations ................................ 15 36 20 1,901 4,059 3,466 

 Within company ............................................ 12 31 20 1,602 3,720 3,466 

 Different company ........................................ 3 5 – 299 339 –

 Domestic relocations ........................................ 26 86 50 4,279 7,860 3,829 

 Within company ............................................ 24 79 45 3,364 7,363 3,483 

 Different company ........................................ 2 7 5 915 497 346 

 Unable to assign place of 

 relocation ....................................................... ––––––

By company

 Within company ................................................ 36 110 65 4,966 11,083 6,949 

 Domestic ....................................................... 24 79 45 3,364 7,363 3,483 

 Out of country ............................................... 12 31 20 1,602 3,720 3,466 

 Unable to assign ........................................... ––––––

 Different company ............................................ 5 12 5 1,214 836 346 

 Domestic ....................................................... 2 7 5 915 497 346 

 Out of country ............................................... 3 5 – 299 339 –

 Unable to assign ........................................... ––––––

 1

 Only actions for which separations associated with the r = revised.

movement of work were reported are shown. p = preliminary.

 2

 See footnote 1, table 1. Note: Dash represents zero.

Activities

Actions1 Separations
Extended Mass Layoff Events by Reason Categories1

First quarters, 2003-09

0

800600400200

200018001600140012001000

2003:1 2004:1 2005:1 2006:1 2007:1 2008:1 2009:1

Seasonal Business demand Organizational changes Financial issues Production specific Disaster/Safety 

1 The chart excludes information on layoffs due to other/miscellaneous reasons.p = preliminary.

p