Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0842 

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

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, July 23, 2009 

MASS LAYOFFS IN JUNE 2009 

Employers took 2,763 mass layoff actions in June that resulted in the separation of 279,231 

workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during 

the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Each action 

involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events decreased by 

170 and associated initial claims decreased by 33,649. Both measures had been at record high levels in 

May. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 1,046, and associated initial claims 

increased by 104,483. In June, 1,235 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, 

seasonally adjusted, resulting in 159,310 initial claims. Over the year, the number of manufacturing 

events increased by 680, and associated initial claims increased by 79,566. (See table 1.) 

0

5 00

1,0 00

1,5 00

2,0 00

2,5 00

3,0 00

3,5 00

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Events

Tota l

Private nonfarm Manufa cturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

 J uly 2004-June 2009

0

50,00 0

100,00 0

150,00 0

200,00 0

250,00 0

300,00 0

350,00 0

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Claims

Total

Private nonfa rm Manufacturing

Chart 2. M ass layoff initia l claims, seasonally adjusted,

 July 200 4-June 200 9

During the 19 months from December 2007 through June 2009, the total number of mass layoff 

events (seasonally adjusted) was 39,822, and the number of initial claims filed (seasonally adjusted) in 

those events was 4,090,538. (December 2007 was designated as the start of a recession by the National 

Bureau of Economic Research.) 

The national unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in June 2009, seasonally adjusted, up slightly from 

9.4 percent the prior month and up from 5.6 percent a year earlier. In June, total nonfarm payroll 

employment decreased by 467,000 over the month and by 5,664,000 from a year earlier. 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

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

not seasonally adjusted

Year Initial claims

Elementary and secondary schools ...................... 28,751 2009 28,751 

School and employee bus transportation ............. 18,930 2007 21,611 

Food service contractors ...................................... 12,113 2007 14,527 

Temporary help services 1 ................................... 8,567 2000 13,815 

Child day care services ........................................ 7,911 2007 9,115 

Construction machinery manufacturing .............. 7,454 2009 7,454 

Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing ..... 7,034 1998 7,608 

Professional employer organizations 1

 ................ 5,303 2009 5,303 

Motion picture and video production .................. 3,578 2000 9,435 

Aircraft manufacturing ........................................ 3,365 2009 3,365 

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

Industry Initial claims June peak

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in June was 2,519 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the number 

of associated initial claims was 256,357. (See table 2.) Over the year, increases were recorded in both 

the number of mass layoff events (+897) and initial claims (+89,615). This year, both average weekly 

events and initial claimants reached their highest June levels in program history; data are available back 

to 1995. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See the 

Technical Note.) Ten of the 19 major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of average 

weekly initial claimants for the month of June—construction; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; real estate and rental and leasing; management of companies and enterprises; 

administrative and waste services; health care and social assistance; arts, entertainment, and recreation; 

and accommodation and food services. Government also reported a program high in terms of average 

weekly initial claimants for the month of June. 

The manufacturing sector accounted for 27 percent of all mass layoff events and 33 percent of 

initial claims filed in June 2009; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 19 percent of events and 25 

percent of initial claims. This June, the number of manufacturing claimants was greatest in transportation equipment (24,865) and machinery (14,644). (See table 3.) The transportation and warehousing sector accounted for 7 percent of mass layoff events and 9 percent of the associated initial 

claims during the month. 

Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims, 4 reached a series 

high for June: construction machinery manufacturing; aircraft manufacturing; professional employer 

organizations; and elementary and secondary schools. The industry with the largest number of initial 

claims was elementary and secondary schools (28,751), which includes both publicly- and privatelyowned entities. (See table A.) 
3

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Among the 4 census regions, the Midwest registered the highest number of initial claims in June 

due to mass layoffs (76,301), followed by the West (71,501) and the South (61,962). (See table 5.) 

Initial claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the year in all 4 regions, with the Midwest 

(+36,910) and the South (+23,509) experiencing the largest increases. In 2009, all regions except the 

Midwest reported their highest June levels of average weekly initial claims in program history. 

Of the 9 geographic divisions, the Pacific (64,317) had the highest number of initial claims due to 

mass layoffs in June, followed by the East North Central (59,347) and the Middle Atlantic (40,077). 

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

Central (+30,798), the Pacific (+13,043), and the South Atlantic (+13,016). This year, 4 of the 9 divisions—Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, East South Central, and Pacific—reached program highs for 

June in terms of average weekly initial claims.

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

56,138. The states with the next highest number of mass layoff initial claims were Illinois (20,576), 

Pennsylvania (18,363), and Florida (15,785). (See table 6.) Forty-three states registered over-the-year 

increases in initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by Illinois (+15,809), California (+11,384), 

Michigan (+5,895), and Alabama (+5,746). In 2009, 16 states reached program highs in average weekly 

initial claims for the month of June—Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, New 

Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and 

Wisconsin.

Note

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

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

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

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

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

the laid-off workers. Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of 

the figures for the 3 months in a quarter will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more 

than 30 days. (See table 4.) See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions. 

______________________________ 

The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the Second Quarter of 2009 is scheduled to be released on 

Wednesday, August 12. The report on Mass Layoffs in July 2009 is scheduled to be released on Friday, 

August 21.
Technical Note 

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

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job 

cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment 

insurance database. Each month, states report on employers 

which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during 

a consecutive 5-week period. These employers then are 

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these 

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

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report 

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

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly 

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday 

through Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect into 

consideration. 

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 

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

funding. Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were 

not available. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

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

1-800-877-8339. 

Definitions 

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include 

those covered by state unemployment insurance laws. 

Information on employers is obtained from the Quarterly 

Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which 

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

Industry. Employers are classified according to the 

2007 version of the North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS). For temporary help and professional 

employer organization industries, monthly MLS-related 

statistics generally reflect layoffs related to underlying client 

companies in other industries. An individual layoff action at 

a client company can be small, but when initial claimants 

associated with many such layoffs are assigned to a temporary help or professional employer organization firm, a 

mass layoff event may trigger. 

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

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a 

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or 

period of eligibility. 

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for 

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an employer 

during a 5-week period, regardless of duration. 

Seasonal adjustment 

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS 

began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS 

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

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

and manufacturing sectors. 

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and 

removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring 

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

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

seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental 

changes in time series, particularly those associated with 

general economic expansions and contractions. 

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

ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis. 

Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly 

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

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

year with the issuance of December data. Before the data are 

seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments are made to the 

original data to adjust them for differences in the number of 

weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly 

unemployment insurance claims are aggregated to form 

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

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

effects of these differences could seriously distort the 

seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal 

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

ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the 

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

seasonally adjusted

2005

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

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

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

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

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

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

2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009

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

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

March ........................................................... 2,933 299,388 2,751 283,989 1,259 155,909 

April .............................................................. 2,712 271,226 2,519 256,111 1,111 135,252 

May .............................................................. 2,933 312,880 2,736 296,108 1,331 165,802 

June ............................................................. 2,763 279,231 2,536 260,747 1,235 159,310 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, July 2005 to June 2009,

not seasonally adjusted

2005

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

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

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

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

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

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

2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009

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

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

March ........................................................... 2,191 228,387 2,107 221,397 940 114,747 

April .............................................................. 2,547 256,930 2,385 243,321 887 100,872 

May .............................................................. 2,738 289,628 2,572 274,047 1,005 123,683 

June ............................................................. 2,519 256,357 2,051 216,063 674 85,726 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

June April May June June April May June

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 1,717 2,712 2,933 2,763 174,748 271,226 312,880 279,231 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,561 2,519 2,736 2,536 162,071 256,111 296,108 260,747 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 555 1,111 1,331 1,235 79,744 135,252 165,802 159,310 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 1,622 2,547 2,738 2,519 166,742 256,930 289,628 256,357 

Total, private ........................................................ 1,363 2,464 2,599 2,101 144,732 250,548 276,113 219,548 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 48 79 27 50 3,816 7,227 2,066 3,485 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,315 2,385 2,572 2,051 140,916 243,321 274,047 216,063 

 Mining .............................................................. ( 2 ) 39 32 15 ( 2 ) 3,267 3,057 1,147 

 Utilities ............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 466 246 

 Construction .................................................... 114 194 255 136 7,713 13,490 19,684 9,343 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 309 887 1,005 674 42,097 100,872 123,683 85,726 

 Food ............................................................ 58 81 65 48 6,065 8,371 7,211 4,395 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 607 ( 2 )

 Textile mills .................................................. 5 16 13 11 730 2,409 1,059 1,563 

 Textile product mills ..................................... ( 2 ) 9 8 4 ( 2 ) 765 775 214 

 Apparel ........................................................ 7 19 17 16 534 1,610 1,360 1,683 

 Leather and allied products ......................... 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 862 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Wood products ............................................ 22 39 43 29 2,314 3,437 4,219 2,435 

 Paper ........................................................... 6 26 30 13 411 2,584 3,854 968 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 10 25 34 18 1,116 2,275 3,521 1,552 

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

 Chemicals .................................................... 4 21 23 13 228 1,453 2,146 1,013 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 8 51 52 35 960 6,393 5,187 3,697 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 9 34 35 25 516 3,192 2,388 1,645 

 Primary metals ............................................. 12 70 77 45 1,012 8,636 8,785 6,496 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 19 97 100 74 1,716 7,698 9,483 6,846 

 Machinery .................................................... 22 100 118 74 2,611 18,614 12,472 14,644 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 13 69 60 63 1,091 5,770 5,732 6,145 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 8 43 37 30 2,128 5,169 3,506 4,344 

 Transportation equipment ............................ 74 148 238 139 17,597 19,246 46,816 24,865 

 Furniture and related products .................... 12 21 24 24 1,076 1,783 2,568 2,337 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 13 14 17 9 909 1,118 1,402 644 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 15 55 64 50 908 4,343 6,022 4,858 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 89 153 202 155 10,567 16,211 18,360 15,318 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 160 231 89 184 20,647 28,962 7,835 23,792 

 Information ....................................................... 47 75 67 53 5,078 7,934 9,132 6,018 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 40 67 71 34 2,968 6,220 6,374 2,239 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 7 13 14 20 798 1,078 985 1,590 

 Professional and technical services ................ 32 97 83 53 3,903 10,085 7,030 4,503 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 4 10 12 8 257 854 1,329 1,164 

 Administrative and waste services .................. 164 300 310 239 15,635 25,498 32,973 19,150 

 Educational services ........................................ 18 ( 2 ) 10 28 1,275 ( 2 ) 758 2,295 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 151 49 87 173 11,867 3,343 8,402 13,948 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 26 47 37 45 1,462 4,074 2,676 2,671 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 102 134 189 136 12,931 13,168 21,484 18,499 

 Other services, except public administration ... 33 23 41 42 2,507 2,168 3,797 3,424 

 Unclassified .................................................... 1 1 – 2 57 86 – 132 

Government ......................................................... 259 83 139 418 22,010 6,382 13,515 36,809 

 Federal ............................................................ 11 6 37 15 928 461 4,585 1,124 

 State ................................................................ 12 20 25 38 953 1,631 2,185 2,821 

 Local ................................................................ 236 57 77 365 20,129 4,290 6,745 32,864 

 1

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

 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

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

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants

2007

April ............................................ 1,219 127,444 1,115 118,040 

May ............................................ 923 85,816 856 81,153 

June ........................................... 1,599 172,810 1,318 148,669 

Second Quarter ......................... 3,741 386,070 3,289 347,862 1,421 259,234 43.2 74.5 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008

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

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

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

First Quarter ............................... 4,005 388,552 3,737 367,925 1,340 259,292 35.9 70.5 

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

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

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

Second Quarter ......................... 4,446 457,023 3,925 413,003 1,756 339,574 44.7 82.2 

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

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

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

Third Quarter ............................. 4,610 469,967 4,232 441,669 1,582 303,774 37.4 68.8 

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

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

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

Fourth Quarter ........................... 8,076 814,678 7,538 772,430 3,585 762,737 47.6 98.7 

2009

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

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

March ......................................... 2,191 228,387 2,107 221,397 

First Quarter ............................... 8,259 835,638 7,913 807,445 2,p 3,489 2,p 542,023 p

 44.1 p 67.1 

April ............................................ 2,547 256,930 2,385 243,321 

May ............................................ 2,738 289,628 2,572 274,047 

June ........................................... 2,519 256,357 2,051 216,063 

Second Quarter ......................... 7,804 802,915 7,008 733,431 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

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

rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated

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

 2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more p = preliminary.

Mass layoffs

Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

Date
Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

June April May June June April May June

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,622 2,547 2,738 2,519 166,742 256,930 289,628 256,357 

Northeast .......................................................... 282 504 451 428 32,721 56,253 41,413 46,593 

 New England ................................................ 49 88 67 63 4,929 9,192 5,865 6,516 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 233 416 384 365 27,792 47,061 35,548 40,077 

South ................................................................ 365 655 742 620 38,453 62,714 72,375 61,962 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 207 368 370 354 18,972 33,338 34,117 31,988 

 East South Central ....................................... 63 160 171 128 10,974 16,166 18,081 16,589 

 West South Central ...................................... 95 127 201 138 8,507 13,210 20,177 13,385 

Midwest ............................................................ 345 608 826 592 39,391 72,383 105,264 76,301 

 East North Central ........................................ 257 482 649 469 28,549 60,241 84,281 59,347 

 West North Central ....................................... 88 126 177 123 10,842 12,142 20,983 16,954 

West ................................................................. 630 780 719 879 56,177 65,580 70,576 71,501 

 Mountain ....................................................... 63 125 135 90 4,903 11,993 13,290 7,184 

 Pacific ........................................................... 567 655 584 789 51,274 53,587 57,286 64,317 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, 

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

comprise the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas,

Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota;

and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, 

Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon,

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington.

Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama,

Census region and division
Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

June April May June June April May June

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,622 2,547 2,738 2,519 166,742 256,930 289,628 256,357 

Northeast .......................................................... 282 504 451 428 32,721 56,253 41,413 46,593 

 New England ................................................ 49 88 67 63 4,929 9,192 5,865 6,516 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 233 416 384 365 27,792 47,061 35,548 40,077 

South ................................................................ 365 655 742 620 38,453 62,714 72,375 61,962 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 207 368 370 354 18,972 33,338 34,117 31,988 

 East South Central ....................................... 63 160 171 128 10,974 16,166 18,081 16,589 

 West South Central ...................................... 95 127 201 138 8,507 13,210 20,177 13,385 

Midwest ............................................................ 345 608 826 592 39,391 72,383 105,264 76,301 

 East North Central ........................................ 257 482 649 469 28,549 60,241 84,281 59,347 

 West North Central ....................................... 88 126 177 123 10,842 12,142 20,983 16,954 

West ................................................................. 630 780 719 879 56,177 65,580 70,576 71,501 

 Mountain ....................................................... 63 125 135 90 4,903 11,993 13,290 7,184 

 Pacific ........................................................... 567 655 584 789 51,274 53,587 57,286 64,317 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, 

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

comprise the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas,

Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota;

and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, 

Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon,

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington.

Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama,

Census region and division
Table 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

June April May June June April May June

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

 Total 1

 .............................................. 1,622 2,547 2,738 2,519 166,742 256,930 289,628 256,357 

Alabama ............................................. 13 27 40 49 2,091 2,745 4,037 7,837 

Alaska ................................................. – 5 12 6 – 828 1,230 431 

Arizona ............................................... 17 41 28 27 1,520 4,985 2,484 2,137 

Arkansas ............................................. 6 12 18 8 414 1,057 2,319 583 

California ............................................ 516 567 487 714 44,754 43,675 47,091 56,138 

Colorado ............................................. 3 19 15 11 177 1,696 1,762 832 

Connecticut ......................................... 9 11 17 15 758 884 1,389 1,487 

Delaware ............................................ 3 11 3 8 159 988 172 882 

District of Columbia ............................ 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 236 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Florida ................................................. 132 152 181 182 10,751 11,010 12,446 15,785 

Georgia ............................................... 32 50 56 43 3,304 6,006 5,187 3,809 

Hawaii ................................................. 6 10 8 10 783 934 900 992 

Idaho ................................................... 9 10 9 5 684 754 680 342 

Illinois .................................................. 48 105 135 116 4,767 17,550 19,717 20,576 

Indiana ................................................ 40 80 86 45 4,916 9,659 10,416 4,643 

Iowa .................................................... 27 30 31 33 3,682 2,636 4,379 3,765 

Kansas ................................................ 12 7 31 15 927 737 3,551 4,071 

Kentucky ............................................. 26 83 85 49 6,706 9,194 9,894 6,240 

Louisiana ............................................ 23 27 35 26 1,767 2,670 3,160 3,005 

Maine .................................................. ( 2 ) 6 7 3 ( 2 ) 493 644 280 

Maryland ............................................. 8 12 10 13 754 1,115 1,201 1,325 

Massachusetts .................................... 17 38 23 20 1,467 3,770 2,281 1,777 

Michigan ............................................. 61 74 180 121 6,323 7,139 26,344 12,218 

Minnesota ........................................... 16 35 38 26 1,506 3,103 4,224 2,318 

Mississippi .......................................... 5 15 9 11 300 1,350 726 895 

Missouri .............................................. 28 46 54 39 4,320 4,719 6,336 5,446 

Montana .............................................. 4 4 7 6 299 335 856 476 

Nebraska ............................................ ( 2 ) 4 13 3 ( 2 ) 390 1,306 658 

Nevada ............................................... 17 26 52 18 1,323 2,123 5,297 1,686 

New Hampshire .................................. 4 10 7 5 657 848 526 630 

New Jersey ......................................... 60 66 45 88 9,512 7,334 4,394 14,033 

New Mexico ........................................ 8 14 13 15 465 909 1,089 1,013 

New York ............................................ 38 182 112 83 3,445 24,349 10,762 7,681 

North Carolina .................................... 10 28 33 28 1,875 2,582 5,351 2,505 

North Dakota ...................................... 3 ( 2 ) 8 6 248 ( 2 ) 869 640 

Ohio .................................................... 55 115 145 94 6,678 14,791 16,920 10,818 

Oklahoma ........................................... 6 14 13 11 502 2,464 1,772 1,052 

Oregon ................................................ 24 43 41 43 3,863 5,554 4,775 5,525 

Pennsylvania ...................................... 135 168 227 194 14,835 15,378 20,392 18,363 

Rhode Island ...................................... 11 8 7 10 1,141 1,649 563 1,377 

South Carolina .................................... 12 60 31 38 1,139 6,482 3,021 4,087 

South Dakota ...................................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Tennessee .......................................... 19 35 37 19 1,877 2,877 3,424 1,617 

Texas .................................................. 60 74 135 93 5,824 7,019 12,926 8,745 

Utah .................................................... 5 10 10 8 435 1,055 1,020 698 

Vermont .............................................. 6 15 6 10 683 1,548 462 965 

Virginia ................................................ 5 42 49 31 628 4,052 6,168 2,817 

Washington ......................................... 21 30 36 16 1,874 2,596 3,290 1,231 

West Virginia ...................................... ( 2 ) 12 5 8 ( 2 ) 1,028 429 583 

Wisconsin ........................................... 53 108 103 93 5,865 11,102 10,884 11,092 

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

Puerto Rico ......................................... 13 13 23 17 1,265 1,321 2,830 1,280 

 1 See footnote 1, table 3. NOTE: Dash represents zero. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State