1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-2352

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Chart 1. Mass-layoff events, seasonally 

adjusted, December 2000-November 2005

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

2001 

Note: Shaded area represents recession period.

2002 2003 2004 2005 

Private nonfarm

Total

Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass-layoff initial claims, seasonally 

adjusted, December 2000-November 2005

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 

Manufacturing

Total

Private nonfarm

Note: Shaded area represents recession period.

MASS LAYOFFS IN NOVEMBER 2005

In November 2005, employers took 1,183 mass layoff actions, 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 establishment,

and the number of workers involved totaled 118,098, on a seasonally adjusted basis. (See table 1.) The

number of layoff events in November rose by 95 from October and the number of associated initial claims

increased by 11,860. In the manufacturing sector, 353 mass layoff events were reported during November

2005, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 44,595 initial claims. The number of mass layoff events in manufacturing was somewhat higher than a month earlier, while the number of initial claims was lower. (See table 1.)

From January through November 2005, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 14,306, was

lower than in January–November 2004 (14,689), while the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at

1,563,837, was higher (1,468,844).

Data have been tabulated on the results of employer interviews for 899 mass layoff events that were

potentially related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These layoff events occurred almost entirely in Louisiana

and Mississippi during the period from August 28 to October 1. Of these events, 343 were identified by the

employer as directly or indirectly due to the hurricanes and lasting more than 30 days. The number of

workers in these extended mass layoffs totaled 49,480, not seasonally adjusted. For the remainder of the
2

Table A. Industries with the largest mass-layoff initial claims in November 2005p

Industry

Initial claims

November peak

Year

Initial claims

Highway, street, and bridge construction ................ 8,425 2001 14,805

Temporary help services ........................................ 5,347 2000 19,023

Food service contractors ....................................... 3,737 2004 4,356

Professional employer organizations ....................... 2,830 2002 4,088

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ............... 2,776 11,613

School and employee bus transportation ................ 2,039 2002 2,998

Motion picture and video production ..................... 1,912 2000 8,664

Motor vehicle seating and interior trim mfg. ........... 1,807 2000 1,807

Hotels and motels, except casino hotels ................. 1,641 2001 3,215

Broadwoven fabric mills ......................................... 1,581 4,068

p = preliminary.

2000

1999

private sector layoff events potentially related to the hurricanes, employers said that either any layoffs were

temporary (30 days or less) or that there were no layoffs at all. Also included in the 899 potential hurricanerelated events are layoffs at government agencies, for which employer interviews are not conducted. In these

cases, a final determination about whether the event was hurricane related could not be made.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In November, the 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial claims, not seasonally

adjusted, accounted for 32,095 initial claims, 28 percent of the total. (See table A.) The two industries with

the highest number of initial claims were highway, street, and bridge construction, with 8,425, and temporary

help services, with 5,347. Together, these two industries accounted for 12 percent of all initial claims during

the month.

The manufacturing sector accounted for 29 percent of all mass layoff events and 36 percent of all initial

claims filed in November 2005. A year earlier, manufacturing comprised 29 percent of events and 34 percent of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in November 2005 was highest in transportation equipment (11,665, largely automotive-related), followed by food manufacturing (7,092). (See

table 3.)

Construction accounted for 15 percent of events and 14 percent of initial claims filed in November, with

layoffs mainly from highway, street, and bridge construction. Eleven percent of all layoff events and 10 percent of initial claims filed during the month were from administrative and waste services, largely from temporary help services. Accommodation and food services accounted for 7 percent of events and initial claims

in November, mostly from food service and drinking places. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting accounted for 9 percent of events and 6 percent of initial claims during the month, largely among farm labor

contractors and crew leaders. An additional 5 percent of events and 4 percent of initial claims were from

retail trade, primarily from general merchandise stores.

Government establishments accounted for 5 percent of events and 6 percent of initial claims filed in

November, mostly from executive, legislative, and general government agencies and educational services.
3

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of layoff events decreased by 145 over the year to

1,254, and the number of associated initial claims fell by 14,296 to 116,127. These were the lowest event

and initial claim totals for any November since 1997. The largest over-the-year decreases in initial claims

were reported in administrative and support services (-6,306), machinery manufacturing (-1,673), computer

and electronic products manufacturing (-1,533), and motion picture and sound recording industries (-1,530).

The largest over-the-year increase in initial claims was in transportation equipment manufacturing (+4,704).

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Among the four census regions, the largest number of initial claims in November due to mass layoffs was

in the Midwest (34,901). (See table 5.) Transportation equipment manufacturing and heavy and civil engineering construction accounted for 35 percent of the Midwest total. The South had the next largest number

of initial claims (31,437), followed by the West (30,664) and the Northeast (19,125).

The number of initial claimants from mass layoffs decreased over the year in three of the four regions.

The largest decrease occurred in the West (-16,190), followed by the Midwest (-4,749) and the Northeast

(-221). The South had the only over-the-year increase (+6,864). Five of the nine geographic divisions had

over-the-year decreases in the number of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest in the

Pacific (-14,272), followed by the East North Central (-2,806) division. The South Atlantic (+4,263) and

West South Central (+1,956) divisions reported the largest over-the-year increases.

Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events

in November (21,324). Wisconsin had the next highest initial claims total, with 10,176 initial claims, followed

by Pennsylvania (9,986), Florida (7,138), and Ohio (5,607). These five states accounted for 54 percent of

all mass layoff events and 47 percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance. (See table 6.)

California had the largest over-the-year decrease in the number of initial claims (-12,765). Illinois had the

next largest over-the-year decrease (-2,862), followed by Indiana (-2,318) and New Jersey (-2,147). The

largest over-the-year increases occurred in Florida (+4,031), Pennsylvania (+2,386), and Louisiana (+2,241).

From January to November, California reported 321,212 mass-layoff initial claims, 21 percent of the

national total. Louisiana had the next largest number of claims over this period (119,732), followed by

Michigan (100,995) and Ohio (100,106).

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 Mass Layoffs in December 2005 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday,

January 25, 2006.

______________________________
Technical Note

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state

program that uses a standardized, automated approach to

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job

cutbacks, using data from each state’s unemployment insurance

database. Each month, states report on establishments which

have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during a

consecutive 5-week period. These establishments then are

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these

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

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report on

layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quarterly basis.

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday through

Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are included for the

particular month, except if the first day of the month falls on

Saturday. In this case, the week is included in the prior month’s

tabulations. This means that some months will contain 4 weeks

and others, 5 weeks, 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-theyear 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

Initial claimant . A person who files any notice of

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or

period of eligibility.

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an

establishment during a 5-week period, regardless of duration.

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 one 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 2001 to November 2005,

seasonally adjusted

2001

December ............................................................... 1,799 194,759 1,658 183,178 722 93,193 

2002

January ................................................................... 1,801 208,835 1,659 195,862 739 96,689 

February ................................................................. 1,773 204,089 1,620 192,450 701 91,285 

March ...................................................................... 1,674 187,924 1,517 175,998 610 75,367 

April ......................................................................... 1,685 186,574 1,497 169,228 591 69,481 

May ......................................................................... 1,720 191,841 1,558 178,993 611 74,809 

June ........................................................................ 1,615 170,307 1,438 156,759 551 73,064 

July ......................................................................... 1,637 179,165 1,457 164,398 568 73,230 

August ..................................................................... 1,475 160,855 1,330 149,148 562 65,564 

September .............................................................. 1,909 217,475 1,742 202,640 607 79,413 

October ................................................................... 1,716 178,860 1,524 162,411 598 71,765 

November ............................................................... 1,644 176,462 1,500 165,578 607 70,640 

December ............................................................... 1,825 193,627 1,661 179,368 638 86,714 

2003

January ................................................................... 1,383 134,258 1,193 120,033 402 49,440 

February ................................................................. 1,771 185,502 1,589 173,392 643 75,331 

March ...................................................................... 1,773 176,540 1,577 161,662 618 75,289 

April ......................................................................... 1,735 176,645 1,574 165,416 646 86,857 

May ......................................................................... 1,709 186,158 1,532 173,123 624 87,615 

June ........................................................................ 1,704 163,646 1,515 148,547 636 70,888 

July ......................................................................... 1,653 163,061 1,444 147,883 590 71,203 

August ..................................................................... 1,502 170,353 1,364 156,731 540 71,944 

September .............................................................. 1,559 145,961 1,370 132,233 471 56,274 

October ................................................................... 1,541 154,908 1,312 136,604 412 49,518 

November ............................................................... 1,400 137,651 1,241 125,115 397 46,955 

December ............................................................... 1,425 141,780 1,281 129,464 420 53,436 

2004

January ................................................................... 1,458 146,147 1,257 127,917 413 50,074 

February ................................................................. 1,237 126,421 1,091 115,302 358 36,783 

March ...................................................................... 1,348 142,480 1,211 134,118 409 63,380 

April ......................................................................... 1,422 149,049 1,239 132,180 360 43,158 

May ......................................................................... 1,178 114,247 1,016 100,499 314 37,950 

June ........................................................................ 1,375 141,300 1,215 129,466 361 47,548 

July ......................................................................... 1,363 139,374 1,200 127,011 390 49,276 

August ..................................................................... 1,392 130,483 1,208 115,035 330 36,422 

September .............................................................. 1,281 123,761 1,153 114,223 332 45,917 

October ................................................................... 1,274 125,414 1,145 116,042 350 44,908 

November ............................................................... 1,361 130,168 1,201 117,545 402 43,504 

December ............................................................... 1,211 119,649 1,064 108,157 283 34,940 

2005

January ................................................................... 1,457 150,990 1,321 140,826 379 58,908 

February ................................................................. 1,128 117,684 1,001 107,415 345 43,186 

March ...................................................................... 1,194 130,848 1,060 121,408 371 55,377 

April ......................................................................... 1,274 136,837 1,142 126,807 395 63,121 

May ......................................................................... 1,196 128,771 1,060 117,036 359 53,243 

June ........................................................................ 1,175 127,887 1,059 118,736 347 55,820 

July ......................................................................... 1,249 131,326 1,107 118,835 360 48,967 

August ..................................................................... 1,142 127,466 1,002 115,674 328 48,155 

September .............................................................. 2,220 287,692 1,970 237,108 426 54,993 

October

p

 .................................................................. 1,088 106,238 962 97,180 316 45,589 

November

p

 .............................................................. 1,183 118,098 1,053 107,293 353 44,595 

 p

 = preliminary.

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, December 2001 to November 2005,

not seasonally adjusted

2001

December ............................................................... 2,440 268,893 2,319 259,497 1,103 136,820 

2002

January ................................................................... 2,146 263,777 2,028 252,245 892 128,825 

February ................................................................. 1,382 138,808 1,253 129,849 481 58,784 

March ...................................................................... 1,460 161,316 1,335 151,305 500 59,613 

April ......................................................................... 1,506 165,814 1,378 153,216 461 50,897 

May ......................................................................... 1,723 179,799 1,571 166,801 488 52,720 

June ........................................................................ 1,584 162,189 1,266 136,424 336 42,130 

July ......................................................................... 2,042 245,294 1,819 226,892 907 135,271 

August ..................................................................... 1,248 128,103 1,151 119,874 427 48,668 

September .............................................................. 1,062 124,522 957 114,736 352 43,755 

October ................................................................... 1,497 171,100 1,270 149,327 493 64,655 

November ............................................................... 2,153 240,171 1,860 216,237 719 92,712 

December ............................................................... 2,474 264,158 2,324 252,807 984 126,826 

2003

January ................................................................... 2,315 225,430 2,130 210,918 822 90,244 

February ................................................................. 1,363 124,965 1,222 116,264 435 48,161 

March ...................................................................... 1,207 113,026 1,099 104,468 390 41,063 

April ......................................................................... 1,581 161,412 1,470 152,937 499 62,349 

May ......................................................................... 1,703 174,204 1,538 160,729 499 61,278 

June ........................................................................ 1,691 157,552 1,336 127,743 389 40,845 

July ......................................................................... 2,087 226,435 1,815 206,901 946 136,410 

August ..................................................................... 1,258 133,839 1,163 124,131 405 52,620 

September .............................................................. 868 82,647 756 73,914 271 31,428 

October ................................................................... 1,523 158,240 1,265 137,706 438 53,741 

November ............................................................... 1,438 138,543 1,234 123,524 408 48,419 

December ............................................................... 1,929 192,633 1,793 182,750 648 77,915 

2004

January ................................................................... 2,428 239,454 2,226 220,687 848 89,551 

February ................................................................. 941 84,201 832 76,577 240 23,043 

March ...................................................................... 920 92,554 847 87,782 258 34,686 

April ......................................................................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 343 36,172 

May ......................................................................... 988 87,501 878 78,786 219 22,141 

June ........................................................................ 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 222 27,307 

July ......................................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 885 145,895 

August ..................................................................... 809 69,033 745 63,876 194 17,698 

September .............................................................. 708 68,972 637 63,102 189 25,808 

October ................................................................... 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 372 48,265 

November ............................................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 412 44,243 

December ............................................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 436 50,726 

2005

January ................................................................... 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 823 108,985 

February ................................................................. 810 74,644 722 68,372 230 24,931 

March ...................................................................... 806 88,937 733 83,793 246 33,030 

April ......................................................................... 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 395 59,129 

May ......................................................................... 986 101,358 891 93,332 249 30,424 

June ........................................................................ 1,157 120,463 941 103,307 216 32,783 

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

p

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

November

p

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

 p

 = preliminary.

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

November September October November November September October November

2004 2005 2005p 2005p 2004 2005 2005p 2005p

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................ 1,361 2,220 1,088 1,183 130,168 287,692 106,238 118,098 

 Total, private nonfarm ............................................... 1,201 1,970 962 1,053 117,545 237,108 97,180 107,293 

 Manufacturing ................................................ 402 426 316 353 43,504 54,993 45,589 44,595 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total1

 .................................................................... 1,399 1,662 905 1,254 130,423 213,281 91,941 116,127 

Total, private ............................................................... 1,336 1,528 850 1,187 125,008 180,425 87,226 109,395 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ................ 135 23 93 108 9,459 1,383 6,532 7,213 

 Total, private nonfarm.............................................. 1,201 1,505 757 1,079 115,549 179,042 80,694 102,182 

 Mining ..................................................................... 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 7 701 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 509 

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

 Construction ........................................................... 231 116 88 192 17,884 8,885 5,755 15,824 

 Manufacturing.......................................................... 412 318 249 363 44,243 47,497 37,276 41,442 

 Food ................................................................... 77 59 61 66 7,717 5,907 5,666 7,092 

 Beverage and tobacco products ......................... 6 4 4 6 387 274 261 416 

 Textile mills ......................................................... 15 20 11 19 1,767 2,636 1,296 2,734 

 Textile product mills ............................................ 7 6 5 6 638 958 531 444 

 Apparel ............................................................... 20 10 11 13 2,154 2,183 2,589 2,125 

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

 Wood products ................................................... 32 22 ( 2 ) 20 3,437 2,253 ( 2 ) 2,353 

 Paper .................................................................. 7 10 9 8 530 1,218 748 479 

 Printing and related support activities ................. 9 5 – 8 610 318 – 574 

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

 Chemicals ........................................................... 7 6 8 7 525 822 682 510 

 Plastics and rubber products .............................. 17 13 11 19 1,385 1,833 1,097 1,469 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ............................. 24 9 8 11 2,126 657 759 1,005 

 Primary metals .................................................... 18 11 9 17 1,616 1,112 1,037 1,475 

 Fabricated metal products .................................. 28 17 12 20 2,548 1,224 863 1,751 

 Machinery ........................................................... 25 30 9 24 4,583 4,967 1,288 2,910 

 Computer and electronic products ...................... 27 18 20 12 2,534 1,438 1,764 1,001 

 Electrical equipment and appliances .................. 13 11 4 5 1,757 2,959 1,061 554 

 Transportation equipment ................................... 53 52 49 76 6,961 15,584 15,841 11,665 

 Furniture and related products ........................... 16 9 8 15 1,548 599 762 1,804 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ............................. 5 3 6 6 975 242 688 676 

 Wholesale trade ...................................................... 24 33 10 21 2,196 2,351 812 1,687 

 Retail trade ............................................................. 65 203 72 61 6,498 22,358 5,666 5,176 

 Transportation and warehousing ............................ 32 51 29 45 2,900 6,218 2,697 3,479 

 Information .............................................................. 45 41 26 21 5,492 6,046 5,300 2,395 

 Finance and insurance ........................................... 22 32 24 14 1,442 2,580 1,656 1,307 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ......................... ( 2 ) 19 4 3 ( 2 ) 1,125 244 122 

 Professional and technical services ....................... 22 31 28 34 2,303 2,655 2,967 3,056 

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

 Administrative and waste services ......................... 187 206 132 138 17,370 20,616 11,017 11,350 

 Educational services................................................ ( 2 ) 12 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,667 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Health care and social assistance .......................... 27 150 7 34 2,012 17,259 621 2,555 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ........................ 25 37 22 40 2,126 7,164 1,568 3,623 

 Accommodation and food services ......................... 81 220 53 88 8,995 29,522 4,168 8,204 

 Other services, except public administration........... 10 29 3 8 647 2,352 173 668 

 Unclassified ........................................................... 1 – 5 6 40 – 356 436 

Government ................................................................ 63 134 55 67 5,415 32,856 4,715 6,732 

 Federal ................................................................... 12 10 16 15 1,290 966 1,551 1,608 

 State ....................................................................... 25 37 12 24 2,342 5,905 992 2,527 

 Local ....................................................................... 26 87 27 28 1,783 25,985 2,172 2,597 

 1

 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. p = preliminary.

 2

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

 

Industry
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2003 to November 2005,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2003

October .............................................. 1,523 158,240 1,265 137,706 

November .......................................... 1,438 138,543 1,234 123,524 

December .......................................... 1,929 192,633 1,793 182,750 

Fourth Quarter ................................... 4,890 489,416 4,292 443,980 1,690 326,328 39.4 73.5 

2004

January .............................................. 2,428 239,454 2,226 220,687 

February ............................................. 941 84,201 832 76,577 

March ................................................. 920 92,554 847 87,782 

First Quarter ....................................... 4,289 416,209 3,905 385,046 1,339 238,392 34.3 61.9 

April .................................................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 

May .................................................... 988 87,501 878 78,786 

June ................................................... 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 

Second Quarter .................................. 3,825 379,403 3,271 332,247 1,358 254,063 41.5 76.5 

July ..................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 

August ................................................ 809 69,033 745 63,876 

September ......................................... 708 68,972 637 63,102 

Third Quarter ...................................... 3,611 391,934 3,242 361,855 886 148,575 27.3 41.1 

October .............................................. 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 

November .......................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 

December .......................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 

Fourth Quarter ................................... 4,255 419,612 3,789 385,016 1,427 262,049 37.7 68.1 

2005

January .............................................. 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 

February ............................................. 810 74,644 722 68,372 

March ................................................. 806 88,937 733 83,793 

First Quarter ....................................... 4,180 427,533 3,876 405,574 1,142 185,374 29.5 45.7 

April .................................................... 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 

May .................................................... 986 101,358 891 93,332 

June ................................................... 1,157 120,463 941 103,307 

Second Quarter .................................. 3,516 380,403 3,095 344,772 1,203 212,671 38.9 61.7 

July ..................................................... 1,981 244,216 1,745 222,377 

August ................................................ 645 67,582 598 63,484 

September ......................................... 1,662 213,281 1,505 179,042 

Third Quarter ...................................... 4,288 525,079 3,848 464,903 2,p 742 2,p 108,647 p19.3 p23.4

Octoberp

 ............................................. 905 91,941 757 80,694 

November

p

 ......................................... 1,254 116,127 1,079 102,182 

 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

November September October November November September October November

2004 2005 2005p 2005p 2004 2005 2005p 2005p

 United States1 .................................................... 1,399 1,662 905 1,254 130,423 213,281 91,941 116,127 

Northeast .................................................................... 198 118 175 218 19,346 9,990 15,362 19,125 

 New England .......................................................... 26 13 12 24 1,998 1,204 1,233 2,703 

 Middle Atlantic ........................................................ 172 105 163 194 17,348 8,786 14,129 16,422 

South .......................................................................... 255 1,086 158 279 24,573 153,999 17,616 31,437 

 South Atlantic ......................................................... 116 81 85 165 10,333 10,247 8,903 14,596 

 East South Central ................................................. 42 161 25 42 4,651 33,946 4,194 5,296 

 West South Central ................................................ 97 844 48 72 9,589 109,806 4,519 11,545 

Midwest ...................................................................... 389 161 199 355 39,650 21,024 27,841 34,901 

 East North Central .................................................. 306 133 154 279 29,986 17,107 21,404 27,180 

 West North Central ................................................. 83 28 45 76 9,664 3,917 6,437 7,721 

West ........................................................................... 557 297 373 402 46,854 28,268 31,122 30,664 

 Mountain ................................................................. 59 22 32 50 6,470 1,901 3,285 4,552 

 Pacific ..................................................................... 498 275 341 352 40,384 26,367 27,837 26,112 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: p

 = preliminary. Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 

the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, 

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 

Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, 

Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

 

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

2004 2005 2005p 2005p 2004 2005 2005p 2005p

 Total1 ....................................................................... 1,399 1,662 905 1,254 130,423 213,281 91,941 116,127 

Alabama ..................................................................... 9 20 4 6 915 1,968 569 783 

Alaska ......................................................................... 7 3 4 4 686 280 264 401 

Arizona ....................................................................... 3 ( 2 ) 6 4 255 ( 2 ) 606 350 

Arkansas .................................................................... 11 – 4 7 1,477 – 767 1,866 

California .................................................................... 429 256 315 302 34,089 24,616 25,317 21,324 

Colorado ..................................................................... 7 3 6 7 533 185 510 758 

Connecticut ................................................................ ( 2 ) 3 – 3 ( 2 ) 258 – 235 

Delaware .................................................................... – – ( 2 ) ––– ( 2 ) –

District of Columbia .................................................... ––––––––

Florida ........................................................................ 43 40 36 100 3,107 3,314 2,706 7,138 

Georgia ....................................................................... 19 14 16 24 1,809 3,230 1,739 2,511 

Hawaii ......................................................................... ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 249 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Idaho .......................................................................... 16 3 5 11 1,888 239 476 976 

Illinois ......................................................................... 63 46 35 34 6,462 5,793 5,717 3,600 

Indiana ........................................................................ 40 13 14 29 5,129 2,339 1,940 2,811 

Iowa ............................................................................ 14 3 13 20 1,159 996 2,473 1,636 

Kansas ....................................................................... 6 3 ( 2 ) 6 1,090 259 ( 2 ) 647 

Kentucky ..................................................................... 19 21 10 23 2,160 4,473 2,710 3,521 

Louisiana .................................................................... 19 791 3 36 1,789 104,388 215 4,030 

Maine .......................................................................... 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 328 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Maryland ..................................................................... 4 – 5 ( 2 ) 347 – 451 ( 2 )

Massachusetts ........................................................... 15 4 6 10 1,108 503 669 650 

Michigan ..................................................................... 63 23 41 62 5,032 3,235 6,276 4,986 

Minnesota ................................................................... 35 7 18 27 4,260 741 1,579 2,503 

Mississippi .................................................................. – 113 4 ( 2 ) – 26,817 356 ( 2 )

Missouri ...................................................................... 23 10 8 19 2,773 981 1,773 2,640 

Montana ..................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) 6 7 1,023 ( 2 ) 695 770 

Nebraska .................................................................... ( 2 ) 4 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 811 447 ( 2 )

Nevada ....................................................................... 19 12 6 13 2,219 997 764 1,144 

New Hampshire .......................................................... – 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 217 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

New Jersey ................................................................. 42 20 30 32 5,386 2,013 2,248 3,239 

New Mexico ................................................................ 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 384 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 201 

New York .................................................................... 55 40 52 36 4,362 3,310 4,806 3,197 

North Carolina ............................................................ 24 6 16 10 2,294 601 1,423 841 

North Dakota .............................................................. 3 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 238 ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

Ohio ............................................................................ 49 21 33 52 4,219 2,408 4,820 5,607 

Oklahoma ................................................................... 9 3 3 4 845 360 500 596 

Oregon ....................................................................... 31 3 5 16 2,886 342 675 1,610 

Pennsylvania .............................................................. 75 45 81 126 7,600 3,463 7,075 9,986 

Rhode Island .............................................................. 4 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 372 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

South Carolina ............................................................ 13 14 4 18 1,619 1,907 428 2,251 

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

Tennessee .................................................................. 14 7 7 11 1,576 688 559 905 

Texas .......................................................................... 58 50 38 25 5,478 5,058 3,037 5,053 

Utah ............................................................................ ( 2 ) – – 3 ( 2 ) – – 218 

Vermont ...................................................................... ( 2 ) – 3 7 ( 2 ) – 212 1,285 

Virginia ....................................................................... 10 6 7 10 976 1,086 573 1,570 

Washington ................................................................ 29 10 16 29 2,536 880 1,527 2,695 

West Virginia .............................................................. 3 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 181 ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

Wisconsin ................................................................... 91 30 31 102 9,144 3,332 2,651 10,176 

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

Puerto Rico ................................................................. 6 20 11 12 562 2,268 854 1,202 

 1 See footnote 1, table 3. p

 = preliminary.

2

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

State