Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 02-291

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, May 16, 2002

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2002

In the first quarter of 2002, employers reported 1,669 mass layoff actions that resulted in the separation

of 301,181 workers from their jobs for more than 30 days, according to preliminary figures released by the

U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Reversing the trend of the previous five quarters,

both the total number of layoff events and the number of separations were lower than in the same quarter a

year earlier. (See table A.)

Lack of demand for employers’ products and services (slack work) was the major reason cited for

layoffs in the first quarter, accounting for 25 percent of all events and 58,931 separations. The number

of seasonal events was at the lowest first-quarter level since the program began in 1995 and accounted

for 21 percent of all events.

Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 20 percent of all events and affected 82,603 workers, up

slightly from 81,805 workers a year earlier and the highest first-quarter level on record. Thirty-five percent

of the employers with layoffs in the first quarter indicated that they anticipated some type of recall, the

smallest proportion on record for a first quarter.

This release uses the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for the assignment and

tabulation of layoff data by industry. Previously, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system was

used. Thus, all industry data in this release differ from data previously published. Additional information

on this change is provided in the box on page 6 of this release.

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

Extended mass layoff separations occurred in 498 of the 1,197 detailed industries for which data are

available. Manufacturing industries accounted for 39 percent of private-sector layoff events and 38 percent

of all separations during January-March 2002. Layoff activity in this sector was primarily concentrated in

computer and electronic products (26,597, largely in telephone apparatus and in semiconductor manufacturing), followed by transportation equipment (15,757, mostly in aircraft manufacturing). (See table 1.)

Retail trade accounted for 9 percent of private-sector layoff events and 15 percent of all separations,

which were concentrated in general merchandise stores (31,426, mainly in discount department stores).

Layoffs in administrative and waste services comprised 9 percent of events and 11 percent of separations

and were mostly in temporary help services. Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting accounted for

6 percent of all events and 8 percent of all separations. Layoffs were primarily in agricultural and forestry
2

 1998

January-March ........... 1,320 208,082 247,315

April-June .................. 1,563 391,461 402,276

July-September .......... 1,234 248,054 256,803

October-December .... 1,734 379,976 325,990

 1999

January-March ........... 1,509 277,780 252,122

April-June .................. 1,444 294,968 242,464

July-September .......... 1,097 241,725 189,973

October-December .... 1,625 334,794 287,685

 2000

January-March ........... 1,330 254,646 221,368

April-June................... 1,271 258,608 231,471

July-September .......... 1,014 230,103 189,250

October-December .... 2,005 427,070 376,611

 2001

January-March ........... 1,765 342,954 340,151

April-June .................. 2,072 481,876 401,294

July-September .......... 1,815 384,403 371,124

October-December .... 2,700 541,410 497,136

Table A. Selected measures of mass layoff activity

p=preliminary. r=revised.

r

r

r

r

r

Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

p

 2002

January-March ........... 1,669 301,181 236,891

support activities, nearly all in farm labor contracting and crew leaders. Layoffs in agriculture were almost

entirely due to the end of seasonal work. Cutbacks in construction comprised 11 percent of events and

7 percent of separations and were largely in specialty trade contractors and in heavy and civil engineering

construction.

Layoffs in government establishments accounted for 2 percent of all events and 3 percent of all separations, mostly in postal services.

Reasons for Extended Layoff

Layoffs due to internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and reorganization) accounted for 28 percent of layoff events and resulted in 103,831 separations.

These layoffs were mostly among workers in general merchandise stores and computer and electronic

product manufacturing. In the first quarter of 2001, layoff events for these reasons were somewhat lower,

accounting for 25 percent of the total, but they involved more workers (111,117). (See table 2.)

Lack of demand for employers’ products and services (slack work) accounted for 25 percent of events

and resulted in 20 percent of the separations during first quarter 2002, mostly in transportation equipment

manufacturing and in computer and electronic product manufacturing.
3

 Anticipate a recall...... 46.1 45.0 35.7 49.1 35.4

 Timeframe

Within 6 months........ 79.1 83.9 74.7 80.8 77.0

 Within 3 months...... 53.4 52.2 47.4 30.9 46.7

 Size

At least half............... 81.1 88.5 76.5 87.3 85.4

 All workers............. 35.2 42.3 29.8 36.2 27.6

 I II III IV I

 2001 2001 2001 2001 2002

 Percentage of events

 p=preliminary. r=revised.

Table B. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from layoff,

first quarter 2001–first quarter 2002

r p

Nature of the recall

Twenty-one percent of all events and separations in the first quarter were due to the completion of

seasonal work. However, these were the smallest first-quarter proportions for seasonal layoffs since the

program began in 1995. These layoffs were most numerous among workers in agricultural and forestry

activities (farm labor contractors and crew leaders), crop production (grape vineyards and in nursery and

tree production), and food manufacturing (confectionery manufacturing from purchased chocolate).

Recall Expectations

Thirty-five percent of employers reporting a layoff in the first quarter of 2002 indicated they anticipated

some type of recall. This compares with 46 percent of the employers anticipating a recall a year earlier and

is the smallest such proportion for a first quarter. (See table B.) Last year’s 46 percent had been the previous first-quarter low. Prior to that, the proportion of employers anticipating a recall had been nearly

60 percent. The current recall proportion reflects the greater prevalence of layoffs due to reorganizations

within the company and financial difficulty situations where recall is unlikely.

Among establishments expecting a recall, most employers expected to recall over one-half of the separated employees and to do so within 6 months. Only 28 percent of such employers expected to extend the

offer to all laid-off workers. Most of the employers not expecting a recall were in general merchandise

stores, in computer and electronic product manufacturing, and in administration and support services.

Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work (in which 86 percent of the employers expected a recall),

employers expected to recall laid-off workers in 22 percent of the events. In layoff events due to internal

company restructuring, employers anticipated a recall in only 4 percent of the events.

Size of Extended Layoff

Layoff events during the first quarter continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the layoff-size

spectrum, with 64 percent involving fewer than 150 workers. These events, however, accounted for only

30 percent of all separations. (See table C.) Separations involving 500 or more workers also accounted
4

 Layoff events

 Number Percent Number

Size

 Total............... 1,669 100.0 301,181 100.0

50-99............... 719 43.1 50,083 16.6

100-149........... 357 21.4 41,554 13.8

150-199........... 194 11.6 32,562 10.8

200-299........... 175 10.5 41,119 13.7

300-499........... 129 7.7 46,372 15.4

500-999........... 68 4.1 43,574 14.5

1,000 or more.. 27 1.6 45,917 15.2

 Table C. Distribution of layoff events by size of layoff, January-March 2002

p=preliminary.

 Percent

Separations

p

for 30 percent of all separations, about the same as a year earlier (29 percent). The average size of layoffs

(as measured by separations per layoff event) differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 74 separations in health and personal care stores to a high of 462 in general merchandise stores.

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 236,891 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with mass layoffs in the

first quarter of 2002. Of these claimants, 14 percent were black, 42 percent were women, 16 percent were

Hispanic, and 15 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) Forty percent of claimants were 30

to 44 years of age. Among the civilian labor force for the same period, 12 percent were black, 47 percent

were women, 11 percent were Hispanic, and 14 percent were 55 years of age or older. Thirty-eight percent

of the civilian labor force were ages 30 to 44.

Geographic Distribution

In the first quarter, the number of separations due to extended mass layoff events was highest in the

West (104,103), followed by the South (79,137), the Midwest (71,750), and the Northeast (46,191).

(See table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the West were mainly in agriculture and forestry support activities,

administrative and support services, and computer and electronic product manufacturing.

Three of the four regions reported over-the-year decreases in separations, with the largest decrease occurring in the Midwest (-23,675). Only the Northeast region had an over-the-year increase in separations in

the first quarter (+11,559). Six of the nine geographic divisions reported over-the-year declines in laid-off

workers, with the largest declines in the East North Central, Pacific, and West South Central divisions.

Separations rose in the Middle Atlantic, East South Central, and New England divisions.

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the largest number of worker separations occurred in

California (65,628), followed by Illinois (33,656). These two states accounted for 31 percent of total layoff

events and 33 percent of the separations during the first quarter of 2002. They were followed by Florida

(17,232), Pennsylvania (17,031), and Texas (15,523). (See table 5.) After excluding the substantial impact

of seasonal work, California still reported the most laid-off workers (42,370), largely due to layoffs in administrative and support services and computer and electronic products manufacturing.
5

September 15-October 13........... 285 87,740

October 20-November 17 ........... 96 24,345

November 24-December 15 ........ 22 2,426

December 22-January 12............. 25 6,958

January 19-February 9................. 25 5,054

February 16-March 9 .................. 7 863

March 16-March 30 .................... 2 1,370

 Total .......................... 462 128,756

Table D. Extended mass layoff events due to September 11, 2001, attacks

 p=preliminary.

 Number of Number of

 events separations Weeks ending p p

Over the year, the largest decreases in laid-off workers occurred in California (-15,199), Texas

(-14,542), and Michigan (-12,737). The largest increases occurred in Alabama (+4,600), Washington

(+4,490), and New Jersey (+4,350).

Impact of September 11 Attacks

After the attacks of September 11, 2001, BLS added a new code for “reason for the layoff,” “nonnatural disaster,” for use in the reporting of extended mass layoffs (those lasting more than 30 days). This

allows for the identification of workers separated from companies as a direct or indirect effect of situations

such as the September 11 attacks. Layoffs indirectly attributed to the September 11 disasters include those

in establishments outside of the immediate areas in and around the World Trade Center in New York City

(for example, airlines and hotels and motels). Reports for the weeks ended September 15, 2001, through

March 30, 2002, show that there were 462 events involving 128,756 workers, directly or indirectly attributed to the attacks. (See table D.) The impact of the September 11th attacks was most pronounced

during the month immediately following the attacks, when 62 percent of the events and 68 percent of the

worker separations occurred.

Thirty-three states reported extended mass layoff activity related in some way to the September 11

incidents. (See table 6.) Fifty-two percent of these events and 53 percent of these separations occurred

in just five states—California, Nevada, Illinois, New York, and Texas. Among the workers laid off because

of the terrorist attacks, 38 percent, or 48,792 workers, had been employed in the air transportation industry.

(See table 7.) An additional 23 percent (30,062 workers) had been employed in accommodations. Among

employers expecting a recall, 36 percent indicated that they would likely recall at least a portion of the laidoff workers within three months. Although over one-third of the September 11-related layoff events involved

fewer than 100 workers, nearly two-fifths of the separated workers were in layoffs of 1,000 or more

workers.

Note

The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs cover layoffs of at least 31-days duration that involve

50 or more individuals from a single establishment filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a

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

employer is contacted for additional information. Data for the first quarter are preliminary and subject to

revision. This release also includes revised data for previous quarters. Data are not seasonally adjusted,
6

but survey data suggest that there is a seasonal pattern to layoffs. Thus, comparisons between consecutive

quarters should not be used as an indicator of trend. For additional information about the program, see the

Technical Note.

______________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in April 2002 will be issued on Thursday, May 30, 2002.

 Change in Industry Classification System

Beginning with the release of January 2002 Mass Layoff monthly data, on

February 28, 2002, the Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program implemented the

2002 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) as the

basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry. NAICS is the

product of a cooperative effort on the part of the statistical agencies of the United States,

Canada, and Mexico. Due to differences in NAICS and the previously used Standard

Industrial Classification (SIC) structures, data by industry for 2002 will not be comparable

to the SIC-based data for earlier years. However, the monthly mass layoff and quarterly

extended mass layoff historical industry series from April 1995 through December 2001

are available on both SIC and NAICS bases.

NAICS uses a production-oriented approach to categorize economic units. Units with

similar production processes are classified in the same industry. NAICS focuses on how

products and services are created, as opposed to the SIC focus on what is produced. This

approach yields significantly different industry groupings than those produced by the SIC

approach.

Users interested in more information about NAICS can access the BLS Web page

at http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm or the Bureau of the Census Web page at

http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html.
Technical Note

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federalstate program which 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. Establishments which have at least 50 initial claims

filed against them during a consecutive 5-week period are

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these

separations are of at least 31 days duration, and, if so, information is obtained on the total number of persons separated

and the reasons for these separations. Establishments are

identified according to industry classification and location,

and unemployment insurance claimants are identified by such

demographic factors as age, race, sex, ethnic group, and place

of residence. The program yields information on an individual’s

entire spell of unemployment, to the point when regular

unemployment insurance benefits are exhausted.

The MLS program was resumed in April 1995; it had been

terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding. However,

due to changes in concepts and definitions, data from the

resumed program are not comparable to earlier data.

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

Establishment. A unit at a single physical location

at which predominantly one type of economic activity is

conducted.

Extended layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for

unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment during

a 5-week period, with at least 50 workers separated for more

than 30 days.

Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination

of entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or

period of eligibility.

Layoff. The separation of persons from an employer as

part of a mass layoff event. (See below.) Such layoffs involve

both persons subject to recall and those who are terminated by

the establishment.

Mass layoff. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment beginning in a

given month, regardless of duration.

Worksite closure. The full closure of either multi-unit

or single-unit establishments or the partial closure of a multiunit establishment where entire worksites affected by layoffs

are closed or planned to be closed.
Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment

insurance, selected quarters, 2001 and 2002

Industry

I IV I I IV I I IV I

 2001r 2001r 2002p 2001r 2001r 2002p 2001r 2001r 2002p 

 Total1 ........................................................ 1,765 2,700 1,669 342,954 541,410 301,181 340,151 497,136 236,891 

Total, private ..................................................... 1,738 2,653 1,633 337,735 526,184 292,650 335,206 485,874 230,554 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ........ 192 278 93 33,564 66,941 22,136 28,730 34,804 9,597 

 Mining ............................................................. 11 34 26 2,617 5,590 4,025 2,255 5,749 3,641 

 Utilities ............................................................ 5 7 ( 2 ) 781 1,127 ( 2 ) 891 1,479 ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 146 459 187 21,913 65,449 19,953 22,096 67,919 20,574 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 793 961 636 150,258 185,596 111,478 164,361 202,225 95,065 

 Food .......................................................... 92 114 67 17,182 29,833 11,619 18,079 22,698 9,485 

 Beverage and tobacco products ................ 11 14 6 3,433 2,052 1,106 2,324 1,500 643 

 Textile mills ................................................ 25 25 20 6,172 5,715 2,917 6,788 5,699 2,586 

 Textile product mills ................................... 7 8 ( 2 ) 1,138 952 ( 2 ) 1,548 1,385 ( 2 )

 Apparel ...................................................... 35 53 45 5,289 9,653 10,584 4,597 8,450 8,977 

 Leather and allied products ........................ 5 10 ( 2 ) 1,449 1,713 ( 2 ) 904 1,574 ( 2 )

 Wood products .......................................... 27 36 17 3,533 4,022 1,960 3,634 6,636 3,184 

 Paper ......................................................... 20 25 13 4,364 3,535 1,784 4,043 3,445 1,533 

 Printing and related support activities ........ 23 18 20 3,753 2,333 3,643 3,988 2,196 2,515 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................... 4 15 ( 2 ) 705 2,397 ( 2 ) 482 2,240 ( 2 )

 Chemicals ................................................. 17 15 22 2,497 2,338 3,253 1,994 1,752 1,989 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................... 36 35 20 4,804 5,912 1,883 4,706 7,631 1,542 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................... 15 42 24 1,648 8,796 3,360 1,629 8,691 2,589 

 Primary metals ........................................... 55 56 29 12,299 16,812 6,249 12,184 20,233 6,680 

 Fabricated metal products ......................... 60 58 51 8,687 7,303 5,418 9,025 9,442 5,124 

 Machinery .................................................. 60 78 40 8,636 10,968 4,443 9,248 18,200 4,090 

 Computer and electronic products ............. 104 151 118 23,571 27,984 26,597 27,131 28,943 19,751 

 Electrical equipment and appliances .......... 30 35 22 5,783 8,839 3,655 8,911 10,077 3,804 

 Transportation equipment .......................... 101 117 68 25,772 25,749 15,757 34,755 31,654 15,056 

 Furniture and related products ................... 37 34 27 5,139 5,360 3,241 5,145 6,170 3,245 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing .................... 29 22 17 4,404 3,330 3,096 3,246 3,609 1,454 

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 33 43 35 8,665 4,650 4,546 4,480 4,642 3,292 

 Retail trade ..................................................... 148 112 149 43,956 38,694 44,280 36,024 30,346 24,955 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 57 100 62 10,024 26,575 11,043 8,729 21,644 8,701 

 Information ...................................................... 62 92 61 10,827 16,981 8,263 8,411 20,317 8,532 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 24 57 53 4,063 9,602 8,443 4,006 8,800 6,625 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................. 4 18 ( 2 ) 798 3,057 ( 2 ) 636 2,114 ( 2 )

 Professional and technical services ................ 38 78 62 5,881 11,586 7,783 5,657 11,478 6,316 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 5 ( 2 ) 6 991 ( 2 ) 1,425 855 ( 2 ) 1,442 

 Administrative and waste services .................. 147 199 155 31,122 45,892 32,132 35,435 41,029 28,267 

 Educational services ....................................... 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 724 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 485 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Health care and social assistance .................. 12 21 18 1,531 5,344 2,995 1,129 3,477 1,424 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 14 43 16 1,530 9,869 3,114 1,742 6,518 1,641 

 Accommodation and food services ................. 29 110 50 4,961 22,061 7,874 6,392 17,618 7,918 

 Other services, except public administration ... 7 16 7 1,179 2,479 1,367 1,108 2,187 1,032 

 Unclassified .................................................... 6 18 7 2,350 3,505 901 1,784 2,720 727 

Government ...................................................... 27 47 36 5,219 15,226 8,531 4,945 11,262 6,337 

 Federal ...................................................... 16 10 15 3,195 2,182 3,991 2,741 2,764 2,538 

 State .......................................................... 4 18 11 871 5,683 2,583 890 4,282 2,307 

 Local .......................................................... 7 19 10 1,153 7,361 1,957 1,314 4,216 1,492 

 

 1 For the first quarter of 2002, data on layoffs were reported by employers and tabulation of economic data by industry. NAICS is the product of a 

in all states and the District of Columbia. cooperative effort on the part of the statistical agencies of the United States, 

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Canada, and Mexico. Due to differences in NAICS and SIC structures, data by p = preliminary. industry for 2002 will not be comparable to the SIC-based data for earlier years. r = revised. However, the quarterly historical industry series from second quarter 1995 to NOTE: Beginning with data for January 2002, the 2002 version of the North fourth quarter 2001 are available on both SIC and NAICS bases. 

American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the basis for the assignment 

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

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

insurance, selected quarters, 2001 and 2002

Reason for separation

I IV I I IV I I IV I

 2001r 2001r 2002p 2001r 2001r 2002p 2001r 2001r 2002p 

 Total, all reasons 1 .................................. 1,765 2,700 1,669 342,954 541,410 301,181 340,151 497,136 236,891 

Automation ................................................ 5 3 ( 2

 ) 799 343 ( 2 ) 777 889 ( 2 ) 

Bankruptcy ................................................ 76 74 55 28,231 26,491 19,461 16,093 20,030 9,702 

Business ownership change ..................... 46 57 70 11,805 16,797 15,476 11,744 9,690 7,244 

Contract cancellation ................................ 41 51 47 7,374 8,376 6,933 6,042 9,052 4,836 

Contract completed ................................... 210 169 177 39,630 35,766 27,799 44,474 32,913 30,077 

Domestic relocation .................................. 17 23 31 2,218 4,781 4,447 2,272 3,396 3,881 

Energy-related .......................................... 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3,208 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,338 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Environment-related ................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 684 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 542 

Financial difficulty ..................................... 138 181 119 31,255 38,060 21,774 32,029 33,997 17,819 

Import competition .................................... 30 41 20 7,239 7,394 3,615 6,308 7,563 2,739 

Labor dispute ............................................ ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 555 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 240 ( 2 )

Material shortage ...................................... 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 297 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 523 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Model changeover .................................... 4 – ( 2

 ) 490 – ( 2 ) 2,979 – ( 2 ) 

Natural disaster ......................................... – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

Non-natural disaster ................................. ( 3 ) 7 ( 2 ) ( 3 ) 1,511 ( 2 ) ( 3 ) 699 ( 2 )

Overseas relocation .................................. 19 24 16 2,565 4,568 4,853 1,979 3,709 3,497 

Plant or machine repair ............................. 7 3 4 1,165 364 473 1,352 877 364 

Product line discontinued .......................... 15 11 13 3,780 1,718 1,323 4,239 1,414 1,241 

Reorganization within company ................ 186 191 227 39,826 38,870 47,120 37,284 33,643 32,534 

Seasonal work .......................................... 424 992 343 76,302 207,087 64,303 69,933 154,322 41,031 

Slack work ................................................ 366 669 418 56,208 112,147 58,931 70,609 142,108 61,246 

Vacation period ......................................... – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

Weather-related ........................................ 19 20 9 1,541 2,249 1,253 2,031 3,109 1,695 

Other ......................................................... 72 111 50 16,339 20,303 5,879 15,409 24,104 7,591 

Not reported .............................................. 75 62 59 12,057 12,855 14,462 12,261 14,306 9,003 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. September 11, 2001, or the threat of an attack. Only mass layoff 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. activity directly related to the "non-natural disaster" is included. 3

 This reason for separation has been created for use effective with p = preliminary.

third quarter 2001 for work activity curtailed because of a human r = revised.

action resulting in a disaster, such as the terrorist attacks of NOTE: Dash represents zero.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance
Table 3. State and selected claimant characteristics: Extended mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment

insurance, fourth quarter, 2001 and first quarter, 2002

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55and over

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

 2001r 2002p 2001r 2002p 2001r 2002p 2001r 2002p 2001r 2002p 2001r 2002p 

 Total1 ....................................... 2,700 1,669 497,136 236,891 11.7 14.3 18.1 16.4 35.9 42.0 12.9 14.6 

Alabama ....................................... 28 34 6,505 8,141 25.3 26.1 3.8 4.7 24.7 56.0 13.9 17.8 

Alaska .......................................... 5 4 580 303 2.1 3.0 2.1 1.7 10.9 44.6 13.3 8.9 

Arizona ......................................... 25 17 4,300 2,670 5.7 2.8 20.9 42.4 40.9 29.7 13.5 20.5 

Arkansas ...................................... 6 4 711 557 30.2 37.0 .7 .4 57.7 56.0 11.3 13.5 

California ...................................... 588 355 93,932 40,991 4.6 6.3 53.5 39.0 41.5 40.7 11.2 12.7 

Colorado ....................................... 46 24 6,894 2,713 3.9 7.0 22.8 14.5 37.0 44.0 12.0 14.4 

Connecticut .................................. 23 10 2,860 1,281 10.9 20.0 4.7 14.2 32.3 52.5 17.6 13.4 

Delaware ...................................... 3 – 359 – 23.7 – 2.2 – 22.0 – 11.4 –

District of Columbia ...................... ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) 972 18.9 47.0 2.1 5.3 28.4 49.6 21.1 11.6 

Florida .......................................... 137 96 21,544 13,984 22.2 19.9 26.4 21.3 47.9 46.9 14.8 17.7 

Georgia ........................................ 21 14 4,545 1,754 44.3 56.6 1.3 1.0 50.1 48.9 13.8 10.9 

Hawaii .......................................... 17 7 2,372 1,228 1.6 .2 27.0 56.8 40.4 68.6 11.5 23.9 

Idaho ............................................ 17 4 2,017 248 .7 – 7.3 .8 20.7 21.4 14.4 9.7 

Illinois ........................................... 254 158 44,782 21,552 18.1 22.3 16.3 13.2 30.2 42.0 12.1 13.5 

Indiana ......................................... 72 29 15,689 3,216 10.0 5.0 5.2 9.1 29.2 33.2 14.9 12.7 

Iowa .............................................. 50 9 9,214 1,506 1.1 1.3 2.3 3.5 29.0 68.9 12.5 16.6 

Kansas ......................................... 13 8 6,265 895 8.4 12.5 5.7 1.7 32.6 45.5 11.0 13.4 

Kentucky ...................................... 32 24 5,823 2,003 8.6 5.4 .7 .2 54.0 41.3 15.8 14.1 

Louisiana ...................................... 27 20 3,195 2,564 40.5 41.9 3.7 3.5 26.9 27.8 12.6 9.8 

Maine ........................................... 16 8 2,714 1,289 .4 .1 – .3 31.1 46.2 14.7 13.3 

Maryland ...................................... 19 15 2,812 1,807 49.3 39.6 .4 1.2 43.2 46.1 12.6 14.5 

Massachusetts ............................. 78 40 15,240 5,003 6.9 5.7 3.7 .4 43.5 45.4 15.4 14.3 

Michigan ....................................... 108 41 22,064 6,078 13.0 15.7 7.0 3.5 32.8 40.8 10.9 13.7 

Minnesota ..................................... 98 41 13,717 4,952 1.3 4.7 5.2 2.8 18.0 32.0 12.4 14.0 

Mississippi .................................... 18 14 2,045 1,375 48.7 74.7 1.1 .7 58.4 60.1 12.6 14.1 

Missouri ........................................ 45 26 6,133 2,595 11.7 11.8 1.1 2.0 40.6 45.3 19.3 15.8 

Montana ....................................... 7 5 1,056 467 .4 .2 1.9 2.1 18.8 27.8 13.4 16.3 

Nebraska ...................................... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) 614 5.6 12.9 4.5 12.2 29.2 41.9 3.4 16.6 

Nevada ......................................... 27 26 3,884 4,251 8.7 9.7 20.6 26.5 48.8 54.9 15.1 15.9 

New Hampshire ............................ 6 5 1,638 658 1.0 2.0 1.5 3.0 40.0 43.5 14.0 18.1 

New Jersey .................................. 56 44 10,919 7,050 16.3 17.5 20.4 14.5 46.5 48.8 19.2 20.4 

New Mexico .................................. 6 5 782 750 2.2 1.7 63.4 64.7 44.5 16.4 13.3 17.3 

New York ...................................... 118 47 17,508 6,309 4.6 2.3 4.3 2.7 42.3 40.8 12.8 12.9 

North Carolina .............................. 63 49 11,822 6,744 33.2 34.6 2.9 3.5 44.0 52.3 10.9 16.6 

North Dakota ................................ 9 ( 2 ) 1,463 ( 2 ) .2 – 1.8 – 20.4 76.6 9.4 25.0 

Ohio .............................................. 138 84 26,886 10,641 11.0 11.4 3.0 2.0 21.4 27.4 13.5 16.0 

Oklahoma ..................................... 11 8 3,371 1,382 8.0 13.5 3.2 12.7 26.4 20.0 9.2 18.2 

Oregon ......................................... 39 26 7,950 4,731 1.7 2.1 15.0 14.0 35.0 39.6 12.5 16.1 

Pennsylvania ................................ 95 74 31,169 14,893 6.1 8.2 1.3 1.5 27.4 37.0 15.7 19.3 

Rhode Island ................................ 6 7 555 665 5.2 3.2 24.1 23.5 55.5 48.7 16.4 13.1 

South Carolina ............................. 16 12 5,876 1,878 60.7 31.0 .2 .3 41.5 37.2 .9 2.4 

South Dakota ............................... – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – 3.1 – 10.7 – 31.1 – 6.6 

Tennessee ................................... 25 27 3,949 2,637 24.1 13.6 .1 – 32.6 45.7 13.6 15.9 

Texas ........................................... 103 95 22,826 20,270 17.5 18.9 25.6 34.1 43.2 41.5 9.9 10.7 

Utah .............................................. 22 13 4,129 1,548 1.0 2.4 7.0 9.4 32.1 37.0 12.8 12.7 

Vermont ........................................ 3 5 321 563 .6 1.4 – 1.4 27.7 26.8 15.3 16.3 

Virginia ......................................... 30 30 7,628 4,260 34.8 47.1 1.5 1.2 34.2 60.0 15.5 15.1 

Washington .................................. 61 51 12,712 10,272 3.8 4.3 19.0 13.0 35.6 35.0 13.6 14.7 

West Virginia ................................ ( 2 ) 7 ( 2 ) 655 – – – – 16.1 49.6 15.6 13.4 

Wisconsin ..................................... 109 34 23,978 5,519 3.6 4.7 10.6 1.9 30.7 40.3 14.8 13.9 

Wyoming ...................................... – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – – – 34.6 – 24.0 – 14.4 

Puerto Rico .................................. 23 15 4,354 2,006 ( 3

 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) 57.1 47.4 6.3 11.4 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. p

 = preliminary.

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

 = revised.

 3 Data are not available. NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 4. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment

insurance, selected quarters, 2001 and 2002

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

I IV I I IV I I IV I

 2001r 2001r 2002p 2001r 2001r 2002p 2001r 2001r 2002p 

 United States1 ................................... 1,765 2,700 1,669 342,954 541,410 301,181 340,151 497,136 236,891 

Northeast ................................................... 217 401 240 34,632 81,954 46,191 45,878 82,924 37,711 

 New England ......................................... 59 132 75 11,430 31,588 13,926 9,186 23,328 9,459 

 Middle Atlantic ....................................... 158 269 165 23,202 50,366 32,265 36,692 59,596 28,252 

South ......................................................... 415 542 453 91,924 102,445 79,137 89,967 103,324 70,983 

 South Atlantic ........................................ 215 292 227 44,097 59,847 39,630 43,897 54,899 32,054 

 East South Central ................................ 72 103 99 13,120 19,216 17,569 11,432 18,322 14,156 

 West South Central ............................... 128 147 127 34,707 23,382 21,938 34,638 30,103 24,773 

Midwest ..................................................... 500 897 438 95,425 168,496 71,750 96,955 170,280 57,921 

 East North Central ................................. 425 681 346 80,193 132,611 58,502 81,338 133,399 47,006 

 West North Central ................................ 75 216 92 15,232 35,885 13,248 15,617 36,881 10,915 

West .......................................................... 633 860 538 120,973 188,515 104,103 107,351 140,608 70,276 

 Mountain ............................................... 88 150 95 18,390 30,635 18,063 14,055 23,062 12,751 

 Pacific .................................................... 545 710 443 102,583 157,880 86,040 93,296 117,546 57,525 

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

 p = preliminary. Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and

 r = revised. Texas: East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin;

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North

census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana,

New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California,

New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and
Table 5. State distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

selected quarters, 2001 and 2002

State

I IV I I IV I I IV I

 2001r 2001r 2002p 2001r 2001r 2002p 2001r 2001r 2002p 

 Total1 ................................................... 1,765 2,700 1,669 342,954 541,410 301,181 340,151 497,136 236,891 

Alabama ................................................... 20 28 34 3,974 6,754 8,574 3,133 6,505 8,141 

Alaska ...................................................... ( 2 ) 5 4 ( 2 ) 1,047 303 ( 2 ) 580 303 

Arizona ..................................................... 32 25 17 7,899 3,747 3,426 6,759 4,300 2,670 

Arkansas .................................................. 8 6 4 2,168 1,758 868 1,270 711 557 

California .................................................. 445 588 355 80,827 126,973 65,628 75,642 93,932 40,991 

Colorado ................................................... 16 46 24 2,422 7,349 4,361 1,829 6,894 2,713 

Connecticut .............................................. 11 23 10 2,531 3,976 1,769 1,802 2,860 1,281 

Delaware .................................................. – 3 – – 359 – – 359 –

District of Columbia .................................. 7 ( 2 ) 4 1,186 ( 2 ) 972 1,186 ( 2 ) 972 

Florida ...................................................... 118 137 96 22,141 21,666 17,232 23,988 21,544 13,984 

Georgia .................................................... 14 21 14 2,279 10,998 2,781 1,623 4,545 1,754 

Hawaii ...................................................... 6 17 7 570 2,165 593 590 2,372 1,228 

Idaho ........................................................ 11 17 4 1,593 2,887 307 1,267 2,017 248 

Illinois ....................................................... 138 254 158 30,401 55,229 33,656 23,477 44,782 21,552 

Indiana ..................................................... 42 72 29 8,167 12,389 3,490 8,450 15,689 3,216 

Iowa .......................................................... 17 50 9 2,390 6,327 1,399 2,947 9,214 1,506 

Kansas ..................................................... 11 13 8 3,680 6,482 1,191 4,199 6,265 895 

Kentucky .................................................. 18 32 24 2,187 6,189 2,666 3,037 5,823 2,003 

Louisiana .................................................. 12 27 20 1,327 4,321 4,232 1,362 3,195 2,564 

Maine ....................................................... 7 16 8 1,796 5,103 1,930 1,028 2,714 1,289 

Maryland .................................................. 4 19 15 3,161 3,840 2,456 984 2,812 1,807 

Massachusetts ......................................... 30 78 40 4,707 19,373 8,099 4,640 15,240 5,003 

Michigan ................................................... 101 108 41 16,981 14,534 4,244 24,593 22,064 6,078 

Minnesota ................................................. 34 98 41 7,172 14,693 6,085 7,211 13,717 4,952 

Mississippi ................................................ 18 18 14 3,514 2,386 2,003 2,431 2,045 1,375 

Missouri .................................................... 10 45 26 1,708 6,748 3,408 864 6,133 2,595 

Montana ................................................... 4 7 5 252 2,118 696 321 1,056 467 

Nebraska .................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 670 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 614 

Nevada ..................................................... 6 27 26 1,859 7,177 4,526 921 3,884 4,251 

New Hampshire ........................................ 5 6 5 1,231 1,945 675 738 1,638 658 

New Jersey .............................................. 25 56 44 3,604 9,566 7,954 4,024 10,919 7,050 

New Mexico .............................................. 4 6 5 516 1,568 1,133 475 782 750 

New York .................................................. 47 118 47 6,423 21,798 7,280 6,031 17,508 6,309 

North Carolina .......................................... 39 63 49 8,958 14,362 9,577 7,067 11,822 6,744 

North Dakota ............................................ – 9 ( 2 ) – 1,546 ( 2 ) – 1,463 ( 2 )

Ohio .......................................................... 99 138 84 16,035 23,077 12,323 15,735 26,886 10,641 

Oklahoma ................................................. 7 11 8 1,147 2,145 1,315 1,019 3,371 1,382 

Oregon ..................................................... 57 39 26 11,169 8,619 5,098 11,169 7,950 4,731 

Pennsylvania ............................................ 86 95 74 13,175 19,002 17,031 26,637 31,169 14,893 

Rhode Island ............................................ 5 6 7 965 870 665 877 555 665 

South Carolina ......................................... 7 16 12 1,074 1,551 916 3,294 5,876 1,878 

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

Tennessee ............................................... 16 25 27 3,445 3,887 4,326 2,831 3,949 2,637 

Texas ....................................................... 101 103 95 30,065 15,158 15,523 30,987 22,826 20,270 

Utah .......................................................... 14 22 13 3,770 5,789 3,510 2,404 4,129 1,548 

Vermont .................................................... ( 2 ) 3 5 ( 2 ) 321 788 ( 2 ) 321 563 

Virginia ..................................................... 23 30 30 4,897 6,758 5,019 5,354 7,628 4,260 

Washington .............................................. 36 61 51 9,928 19,076 14,418 5,806 12,712 10,272 

West Virginia ............................................ 3 ( 2 ) 7 401 ( 2 ) 677 401 ( 2 ) 655 

Wisconsin ................................................. 45 109 34 8,609 27,382 4,789 9,083 23,978 5,519 

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

Puerto Rico .............................................. 21 23 15 2,791 4,691 2,109 3,395 4,354 2,006 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r

 = revised.

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

 p = preliminary.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance
Table 6. State distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

directly and indirectly attributed to the September 11 terrorist attacks, weeks ending September 15, 2001-March 30, 2002

State Layoff eventsp Separationsp Initial claimants for 

unemployment insurancep

 Total ...................................................................... 462 128,756 122,777 

Alabama ........................................................................... – – –

Alaska .............................................................................. – – –

Arizona ............................................................................. 5 505 555 

Arkansas .......................................................................... – – –

California .......................................................................... 106 22,184 23,084 

Colorado .......................................................................... 5 1,624 1,672 

Connecticut ...................................................................... 5 1,066 514 

Delaware .......................................................................... – – –

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

Florida .............................................................................. 58 7,058 8,437 

Georgia ............................................................................ 5 4,141 1,142 

Hawaii .............................................................................. 30 3,958 7,077 

Idaho ................................................................................ – – –

Illinois ............................................................................... 22 11,432 7,901 

Indiana ............................................................................. ( 1 ) ( 1 ) ( 1 )

Iowa ................................................................................. ( 1 ) ( 1 ) ( 1 )

Kansas ............................................................................. 3 2,628 2,798 

Kentucky .......................................................................... 5 417 437 

Louisiana .......................................................................... 8 1,888 1,070 

Maine ............................................................................... ( 1 ) ( 1 ) ( 1 )

Maryland .......................................................................... 5 1,695 1,092 

Massachusetts ................................................................. 14 3,679 3,459 

Michigan ........................................................................... ( 1 ) ( 1 ) ( 1 )

Minnesota ........................................................................ 5 5,979 4,236 

Mississippi ........................................................................ – – –

Missouri ............................................................................ 3 500 581 

Montana ........................................................................... – – –

Nebraska .......................................................................... – – –

Nevada ............................................................................. 42 14,943 17,681 

New Hampshire ............................................................... – – –

New Jersey ...................................................................... 10 1,740 1,800 

New Mexico ..................................................................... – – –

New York ......................................................................... 47 10,765 7,805 

North Carolina .................................................................. 9 5,522 3,780 

North Dakota .................................................................... 3 515 516 

Ohio ................................................................................. 6 768 943 

Oklahoma ......................................................................... 4 367 771 

Oregon ............................................................................. ( 1 ) ( 1 ) ( 1 )

Pennsylvania .................................................................... 4 962 4,582 

Rhode Island .................................................................... – – –

South Carolina ................................................................. – – –

South Dakota ................................................................... – – –

Tennessee ....................................................................... 6 1,280 1,764 

Texas ............................................................................... 23 9,064 7,511 

Utah ................................................................................. 4 870 436 

Vermont ........................................................................... – – –

Virginia ............................................................................. 6 1,584 967 

Washington ...................................................................... 11 8,886 6,936 

West Virginia .................................................................... – – –

Wisconsin ......................................................................... – – –

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

Puerto Rico ...................................................................... 4 583 453 

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

 p = preliminary.
Table 7. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

directly and indirectly related to the September 11 terrorist attacks, weeks ending September 15, 2001-March 30, 2002 

Industry Layoff eventsp Separationsp Initial claimants for 

unemployment insurancep

 Total ................................................................................ 462 128,756 122,777 

 Total, private ......................................................................... 460 128,356 122,531 

Mining ........................................................................... ( 1

 ) ( 1 ) ( 1 )

Construction .................................................................. 6 627 738 

Manufacturing .................................................................. 74 22,854 22,175 

Wholesale trade ............................................................... ( 1 ) ( 1 ) ( 1 )

Retail trade ..................................................................... 10 1,333 1,935 

Transportation and warehousing .......................................... 104 53,141 41,620 

Information ..................................................................... 9 1,401 3,319 

Finance and insurance ...................................................... 7 1,111 1,207 

Real estate and rental and leasing ....................................... 12 1,378 1,084 

Professional and technical services .................................... 3 380 203 

Management of companies and enterprises ........................... 3 634 651 

Administrative and waste services ....................................... 44 5,459 5,294 

Health care and social assistance ....................................... ( 1 ) ( 1 ) ( 1 )

Arts, entertainment, and recreation .................................... 5 704 472 

Accommodation and food services ....................................... 169 37,493 41,775 

Other services, except public administration ........................... 4 819 624 

Unclassified .................................................................. 5 569 1,007 

 Government ............................................................... 2 400 246 

 1 Data do not meet BLS or State agency disclosure standards.

 p

 = preliminary.