For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Wednesday, December 22, 2010 USDL-10-1750 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 • mlsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/mls 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

MASS LAYOFFS – NOVEMBER 2010 

Employers took 1,586 mass layoff actions in November involving 152,816 workers, seasonally adjusted, 

as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of 

Labor Statistics reported today. Each mass layoff involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. 

The number of mass layoff events in November decreased by 65 from the prior month, while the number 

of associated initial claims increased by 4,757. In November, 354 mass layoff events were reported in 

the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 39,465 initial claims. Over the month, the 

number of manufacturing events decreased slightly, while associated initial claims increased by 2,027. 

(See table 1.) 

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Events

Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

December 2005-November 2010

Total

Private nonfarm

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

Claims

Total

Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

December 2005-November 2010

Private nonfarm

The national unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in November, up from 9.6 percent the prior month and 

down from 10.0 percent a year earlier. In November, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 

39,000 over the month and by 842,000 from a year earlier. 

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

The number of mass layoff events in November was 1,676 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the number of associated initial claims was 158,048. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events decreased 

by 194, and associated initial claims decreased by 6,448. (See table 2.) Twelve of the 19 major industry 

sectors in the private economy reported over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by manufacturing. 
- 2 - 

Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in November 2010,

not seasonally adjusted

Year Initial claims

Highway, street, and bridge construction ............ 12,964 2001 14,805 

Temporary help services 1

 .................................. 11,714 2000 19,023 

Motion picture and video production .................. 7,419 2000 8,664 

Food service contractors ................................... 4,404 2007 6,163 

School and employee bus transportation ............. 3,899 2007 4,547 

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ............ 3,700 1999 11,613 

Professional employer organizations 1

 ................. 3,400 2008 5,873 

Hotels and motels, except casino hotels .............. 2,180 2001 3,215 

Landscaping services ......................................... 1,973 2002 2,129 

Payroll services .................................................. 1,770 2002 6,598 

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

Industry Initial claims November peak

The manufacturing sector accounted for 23 percent of all mass layoff events and 26 percent of initial 

claims filed in November. A year earlier, manufacturing made up 28 percent of events and 33 percent 

of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in November was greatest in transportation equipment and in food. Thirteen of the 21 manufacturing subsectors experienced over-the-year 

decreases in initial claims, with the largest declines in transportation equipment and in machinery. (See 

table 3.) 

The six-digit industries with the largest number of initial claims in November were highway, street, and 

bridge construction and temporary help services. (See table A.) The table includes both publicly and privately owned entities. 

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

Two of the 4 regions and 5 of the 9 divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims due 

to mass layoffs in November. Among the census regions, the Midwest registered the largest over-theyear decline in initial claims. Of the geographic divisions, the East North Central had the largest overthe-year decline in initial claims. (See table 5.) 

California recorded the highest number of initial claims in November, followed by Wisconsin, North 

Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia experienced over-theyear decreases in initial claims, led by Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Kentucky, and New York. (See 

table 6.) 

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 
- 3 - 

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 Mass Layoffs news release for December 2010 and Annual Totals for 2010 is scheduled to be 

released on Thursday, January 27, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. (EST). 

Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Mass Layoff Data

In accordance with usual practice, the release of mass layoff data for December 2010, scheduled for January 27, 2011, will incorporate annual updating of seasonal adjustment factors. 

Seasonally adjusted estimates back to January 2006 are subject to revision. 
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; Federal Relay Service: (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, December 2006 to November 2010,

seasonally adjusted

2006

December .................................................... 1,227 134,176 1,123 124,570 376 51,403 

2007

January ........................................................ 1,264 130,834 1,113 119,874 404 55,217 

February ....................................................... 1,191 121,289 1,075 112,607 374 54,581 

March ........................................................... 1,225 126,391 1,113 117,760 386 48,298 

April .............................................................. 1,268 129,098 1,135 118,175 362 43,205 

May .............................................................. 1,172 118,648 1,070 111,103 345 44,391 

June ............................................................. 1,241 131,394 1,125 122,123 338 37,931 

July ............................................................... 1,274 130,331 1,169 122,381 403 55,973 

August .......................................................... 1,247 126,108 1,158 118,575 323 34,902 

September ................................................... 1,255 123,632 1,160 116,744 436 51,814 

October ........................................................ 1,370 137,108 1,248 128,387 449 58,360 

November .................................................... 1,415 148,952 1,289 139,665 424 58,543 

December .................................................... 1,569 155,095 1,448 145,666 483 60,368 

2008

January ........................................................ 1,481 151,269 1,348 140,570 436 57,147 

February ....................................................... 1,578 162,152 1,432 150,712 470 60,276 

March ........................................................... 1,487 151,539 1,372 141,574 436 56,919 

April .............................................................. 1,327 133,318 1,201 122,651 460 59,377 

May .............................................................. 1,604 170,619 1,465 160,529 468 62,345 

June ............................................................. 1,674 170,329 1,523 158,084 501 68,403 

July ............................................................... 1,531 152,447 1,389 141,707 461 61,417 

August .......................................................... 1,845 189,798 1,711 179,737 607 78,172 

September ................................................... 2,222 235,755 2,049 220,832 634 81,989 

October ........................................................ 2,287 239,768 2,125 226,098 721 95,301 

November .................................................... 2,489 240,181 2,334 227,368 929 107,072 

December .................................................... 2,461 243,505 2,277 229,171 962 115,961 

2009

January ........................................................ 2,279 251,807 2,115 238,990 764 109,124 

February ....................................................... 2,737 289,162 2,592 274,040 1,186 141,264 

March ........................................................... 2,913 295,970 2,715 279,671 1,202 146,381 

April .............................................................. 2,663 263,162 2,461 247,329 1,033 125,093 

May .............................................................. 2,794 306,788 2,589 289,012 1,183 145,166 

June ............................................................. 2,598 260,596 2,371 241,864 1,072 135,844 

July ............................................................... 2,039 196,578 1,818 176,542 565 66,918 

August .......................................................... 2,480 238,911 2,244 218,425 798 87,201 

September ................................................... 2,326 221,639 2,109 204,462 783 90,440 

October ........................................................ 2,055 205,502 1,856 187,880 594 65,801 

November .................................................... 1,813 163,823 1,650 151,810 485 54,858 

December .................................................... 1,726 153,127 1,542 138,747 433 44,072 

2010

January ........................................................ 1,761 182,261 1,585 168,466 486 62,556 

February ....................................................... 1,570 155,718 1,406 142,240 376 43,100 

March ........................................................... 1,628 150,864 1,432 136,446 356 39,290 

April .............................................................. 1,646 164,325 1,478 149,621 388 50,083 

May .............................................................. 1,676 164,115 1,416 142,594 320 30,729 

June ............................................................. 1,757 158,479 1,529 139,029 332 33,012 

July ............................................................... 1,520 135,389 1,301 117,546 286 29,826 

August .......................................................... 1,655 165,528 1,448 143,056 400 48,858 

September ................................................... 1,530 138,220 1,317 118,741 334 34,096 

October ........................................................ 1,651 148,059 1,445 130,448 356 37,438 

November .................................................... 1,586 152,816 1,405 137,695 354 39,465 

Date

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, December 2006 to November 2010,

not seasonally adjusted

2006

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 

July ............................................................... 3,054 336,654 2,659 296,589 1,133 154,208 

August .......................................................... 1,428 125,024 1,334 117,193 436 41,151 

September ................................................... 1,371 123,177 1,258 115,141 448 51,126 

October ........................................................ 1,934 193,904 1,678 172,883 566 69,655 

November .................................................... 1,870 164,496 1,679 150,751 517 55,053 

December .................................................... 2,310 214,648 2,166 203,655 615 64,540 

2010

January ........................................................ 2,860 278,679 2,682 265,074 962 104,846 

February ....................................................... 1,183 102,818 1,091 96,022 282 30,728 

March ........................................................... 1,197 111,727 1,111 105,514 273 29,745 

April .............................................................. 1,840 199,690 1,697 184,654 424 55,178 

May .............................................................. 1,354 123,333 1,170 109,203 216 19,334 

June ............................................................. 1,861 171,190 1,355 125,872 212 21,083 

July ............................................................... 2,124 206,254 1,732 172,248 532 64,200 

August .......................................................... 976 92,435 897 83,021 230 23,088 

September ................................................... 920 77,654 806 67,987 187 19,403 

October ........................................................ 1,642 148,638 1,373 127,865 351 40,861 

November .................................................... 1,676 158,048 1,477 142,591 389 41,383 

Date

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

November September October November November September October November

2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 1,813 1,530 1,651 1,586 163,823 138,220 148,059 152,816 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,650 1,317 1,445 1,405 151,810 118,741 130,448 137,695 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 485 334 356 354 54,858 34,096 37,438 39,465 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 1,870 920 1,642 1,676 164,496 77,654 148,638 158,048 

Total, private ........................................................ 1,791 823 1,493 1,614 158,146 68,913 136,178 152,651 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 112 17 120 137 7,395 926 8,313 10,060 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,679 806 1,373 1,477 150,751 67,987 127,865 142,591 

 Mining .............................................................. 22 4 6 13 1,551 447 390 943 

 Utilities ............................................................. 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 206 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 308 89 175 325 23,902 6,137 13,500 26,767 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 517 187 351 389 55,053 19,403 40,861 41,383 

 Food ............................................................ 61 31 80 69 6,631 3,216 8,639 7,242 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 9 ( 2 ) 15 7 682 ( 2 ) 1,166 655 

 Textile mills .................................................. 12 3 7 15 1,337 277 1,019 1,631 

 Textile product mills ..................................... – ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 271 ( 2 )

 Apparel ........................................................ 17 3 10 8 1,361 194 1,399 993 

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

 Wood products ............................................ 40 22 26 28 3,505 1,726 2,570 2,568 

 Paper ........................................................... ( 2 ) 4 4 8 ( 2 ) 239 334 653 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 10 3 6 14 888 277 435 1,312 

 Petroleum and coal products ....................... 11 3 ( 2 ) 8 852 180 ( 2 ) 796 

 Chemicals .................................................... 13 ( 2

 ) 8 9 1,239 ( 2 ) 723 685 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 29 ( 2 ) 9 20 2,802 ( 2 ) 656 1,912 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 30 7 15 21 2,514 609 1,460 1,839 

 Primary metals ............................................. 38 13 16 17 3,426 1,381 1,358 1,352 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 36 13 20 21 2,764 1,006 1,667 1,766 

 Machinery .................................................... 44 11 26 24 5,080 1,787 4,968 2,980 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 25 8 13 12 2,788 562 851 990 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 18 10 15 11 1,379 1,793 1,935 1,808 

 Transportation equipment ............................ 86 30 50 60 13,806 4,166 8,581 7,754 

 Furniture and related products .................... 19 11 17 23 2,407 792 1,929 2,945 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 11 8 6 9 931 573 596 775 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 33 16 30 28 2,389 1,011 2,079 2,347 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 99 99 126 99 7,083 9,764 13,260 8,433 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 83 31 45 68 6,651 2,268 3,948 6,236 

 Information ....................................................... 52 24 52 48 5,414 2,365 5,640 10,136 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 33 29 31 22 2,691 2,602 2,342 1,742 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 13 4 9 5 963 267 455 287 

 Professional and technical services ................ 55 23 43 57 4,651 1,504 3,447 6,284 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 290 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services .................. 220 133 275 225 18,219 10,059 23,531 20,778 

 Educational services ........................................ 6 13 11 3 453 786 657 147 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 38 26 54 31 2,886 1,660 4,056 2,523 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 45 39 31 32 3,705 2,799 2,674 2,703 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 129 72 118 112 13,264 5,735 10,024 10,219 

 Other services, except public administration ... 20 12 10 15 1,380 864 506 1,168 

 Unclassified ..................................................... – 1 1 1 – 78 73 79 

Government ......................................................... 79 97 149 62 6,350 8,741 12,460 5,397 

 Federal ............................................................ 12 19 41 10 1,155 1,898 4,336 945 

 State ................................................................ 25 22 32 17 2,213 1,575 2,967 1,472 

 Local ................................................................ 42 56 76 35 2,982 5,268 5,157 2,980 

 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, October 2008 to November 2010,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2008

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 3,582 766,780 47.5 99.3 

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 3,979 835,551 50.3 103.5 

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 3,395 731,049 48.4 99.7 

July ............................................ 3,054 336,654 2,659 296,589 

August ........................................ 1,428 125,024 1,334 117,193 

September ................................. 1,371 123,177 1,258 115,141 

Third Quarter ............................. 5,853 584,855 5,251 528,923 2,034 406,823 38.7 76.9 

October ...................................... 1,934 193,904 1,678 172,883 

November .................................. 1,870 164,496 1,679 150,751 

December .................................. 2,310 214,648 2,166 203,655 

Fourth Quarter ........................... 6,114 573,048 5,523 527,289 2,416 468,560 43.7 88.9 

2010

January ...................................... 2,860 278,679 2,682 265,074 

February .................................... 1,183 102,818 1,091 96,022 

March ......................................... 1,197 111,727 1,111 105,514 

First Quarter ............................... 5,240 493,224 4,884 466,610 1,870 367,930 38.3 78.9 

April ............................................ 1,840 199,690 1,697 184,654 

May ............................................ 1,354 123,333 1,170 109,203 

June ........................................... 1,861 171,190 1,355 125,872 

Second Quarter ......................... 5,055 494,213 4,222 419,729 2,011 393,435 47.6 93.7 

July ............................................ 2,124 206,254 1,732 172,248 

August ........................................ 976 92,435 897 83,021 

September ................................. 920 77,654 806 67,987 

Third Quarter ............................. 4,020 376,343 3,435 323,256 2,p 1,297 2,p 177,807 p

 37.8 p 55.0 

October ...................................... 1,642 148,638 1,373 127,865 

November .................................. 1,676 158,048 1,477 142,591 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards

mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated

rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days. p = preliminary.

 2

 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more

data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

Date

Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

Mass layoffs
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

November September October November November September October November

2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,870 920 1,642 1,676 164,496 77,654 148,638 158,048 

Northeast .......................................................... 285 160 246 223 26,974 14,411 20,922 20,305 

 New England ................................................ 40 15 25 41 3,750 1,357 1,940 3,878 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 245 145 221 182 23,224 13,054 18,982 16,427 

South ................................................................ 413 259 368 426 37,708 21,507 35,853 38,416 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 207 153 213 245 19,029 11,811 21,191 20,773 

 East South Central ....................................... 83 41 70 83 6,656 3,633 7,095 7,182 

 West South Central ...................................... 123 65 85 98 12,023 6,063 7,567 10,461 

Midwest ............................................................ 530 155 316 431 51,989 14,964 34,290 43,401 

 East North Central ........................................ 382 115 227 317 39,265 11,280 25,674 31,834 

 West North Central ....................................... 148 40 89 114 12,724 3,684 8,616 11,567 

West ................................................................. 642 346 712 596 47,825 26,772 57,573 55,926 

 Mountain ....................................................... 98 47 99 101 9,393 4,461 9,563 8,789 

 Pacific ........................................................... 544 299 613 495 38,432 22,311 48,010 47,137 

 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

November September October November November September October November

2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010

 Total 1

 ............................................... 1,870 920 1,642 1,676 164,496 77,654 148,638 158,048 

Alabama ............................................... 16 13 20 26 1,266 1,021 2,244 2,499 

Alaska .................................................. 3 4 5 4 361 492 430 266 

Arizona ................................................. 9 6 24 5 709 477 2,392 365 

Arkansas .............................................. 9 3 7 10 973 301 790 1,224 

California .............................................. 472 264 559 424 31,922 19,288 42,458 40,704 

Colorado .............................................. 14 10 17 17 1,064 827 1,675 1,379 

Connecticut .......................................... 5 ( 2 ) 7 9 424 ( 2 ) 523 837 

Delaware .............................................. 6 ( 2 ) 5 3 347 ( 2 ) 403 153 

District of Columbia .............................. ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Florida .................................................. 86 91 105 72 6,010 6,001 9,277 3,911 

Georgia ................................................ 26 24 32 28 3,225 2,438 2,969 3,012 

Hawaii .................................................. 7 3 5 ( 2 ) 488 182 401 ( 2 ) Idaho .................................................... 19 7 5 21 2,071 1,011 362 2,085 

Illinois ................................................... 101 35 60 59 10,794 5,053 7,281 5,386 

Indiana ................................................. 43 10 26 30 4,323 846 4,349 3,799 

Iowa ..................................................... 25 3 14 24 2,648 362 1,397 3,716 

Kansas ................................................. 8 8 6 8 741 1,245 737 1,205 

Kentucky .............................................. 41 10 20 21 3,649 1,454 2,828 1,744 

Louisiana ............................................. 35 11 19 17 2,795 688 1,554 1,351 

Maine ................................................... 6 ( 2 ) – 6 674 ( 2 ) – 528 

Maryland .............................................. 6 6 9 7 486 528 796 529 

Massachusetts ..................................... 11 7 11 17 803 476 858 1,449 

Michigan .............................................. 78 11 34 74 8,549 758 3,010 7,199 

Minnesota ............................................ 55 5 26 39 4,905 412 3,056 3,316 

Mississippi ........................................... 9 12 15 25 512 741 1,017 1,964 

Missouri ............................................... 48 19 37 29 3,195 1,115 2,866 2,159 

Montana ............................................... 10 4 9 12 758 332 831 1,074 

Nebraska ............................................. 6 5 6 8 611 550 560 643 

Nevada ................................................ 33 13 26 28 3,891 1,238 2,396 2,186 

New Hampshire ................................... 4 ( 2 ) 3 3 279 ( 2 ) 302 218 

New Jersey .......................................... 52 22 31 33 5,277 1,665 2,517 4,247 

New Mexico ......................................... 7 3 7 8 476 238 545 636 

New York ............................................. 75 52 61 54 6,281 5,499 5,443 4,471 

North Carolina 3

 ................................... 30 13 21 78 4,273 1,372 1,697 8,019 

North Dakota ........................................ 5 – – 6 557 – – 528 

Ohio ..................................................... 59 22 45 64 5,233 1,638 4,734 6,234 

Oklahoma ............................................ 10 ( 2 ) 7 5 1,438 ( 2 ) 484 441 

Oregon ................................................. 35 17 22 28 3,464 1,635 2,540 2,676 

Pennsylvania ....................................... 118 71 129 95 11,666 5,890 11,022 7,709 

Rhode Island ........................................ 3 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 297 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

South Carolina ..................................... 20 7 21 19 1,456 724 3,479 1,501 

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

Tennessee ........................................... 17 6 15 11 1,229 417 1,006 975 

Texas ................................................... 69 49 52 66 6,817 4,814 4,739 7,445 

Utah ..................................................... 4 4 7 9 256 338 758 977 

Vermont ............................................... 11 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 1,273 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 736 

Virginia ................................................. 31 11 19 32 3,021 689 2,444 3,111 

Washington .......................................... 27 11 22 37 2,197 714 2,181 3,294 

West Virginia ........................................ ( 2 ) – – 5 ( 2 ) – – 457 

Wisconsin ............................................ 101 37 62 90 10,366 2,985 6,300 9,216 

Wyoming .............................................. ( 2 ) – 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 604 ( 2 )

Puerto Rico .......................................... 22 16 22 11 2,177 1,382 2,191 1,046 

 1 See footnote 1, table 3. data due to a change in MLS unemployment insurance 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. input procedures. 3 Data starting in November 2010 may not be comparable to prior NOTE: Dash represents zero.

State