Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0185 

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

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, February 25, 2009 

MASS LAYOFFS IN JANUARY 2009 

Employers took 2,227 mass layoff actions in January that resulted in the separation of 237,902 

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

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

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

decreased by 48 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims increased by 

11,785. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 751, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 88,834. In January, 738 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 102,577 initial claims. Over the month, mass layoff 

events in manufacturing decreased by 133, and initial claims decreased by 2,825. (See table 1.) 

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Events

Total

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

 February 2004-January 2009

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Claims

Total

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

 February 2004-January 2009

During the 14 months from December 2007 through January 2009, the total number of mass layoff 

events (seasonally adjusted) was 25,712, and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was 

2,632,336. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.) 

The national unemployment rate was 7.6 percent in January 2009, seasonally adjusted, up from 7.2 

percent the prior month and from 4.9 percent a year earlier. In January, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 598,000 over the month and by 3,500,000 from a year earlier. 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

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

Year Initial claims

Temporary help services ...................................... 25,467 1998 26,224 

School and employee bus transportation ............. 12,071 2005 14,526 

Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing ..... 11,404 2009 11,404 

Professional employer organizations ................... 11,345 2009 11,345 

Automobile manufacturing .................................. 7,770 2001 21,093 

Hotels and motels, except casino hotels .............. 6,592 2009 6,592 

Motion picture and video production .................. 6,020 1998 12,038 

Discount department stores ................................. 5,561 2004 6,063 

All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing ....... 5,397 2009 5,397 

All other plastics product manufacturing ............ 4,478 2009 4,478 

Industry Initial claims January peak

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in January was 3,806 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the 

number of associated initial claims was 388,813. (See table 2.) Average weekly layoff events rose from 

412 in January 2008 to 761 in January 2009, and average weekly initial claimants more than doubled 

from 38,626 to 77,763. This year, both average weekly events and initial claimants reached their highest 

January levels in program history (with data available back to 1996). Eleven major industry sectors 

reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the month of January—mining; 

manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance; real 

estate and rental and leasing; administrative and waste services; educational services; health care and 

social assistance; and accommodation and food services. 

The manufacturing sector accounted for 38 percent of all mass layoff events and 44 percent of 

initial claims filed in January 2009; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 30 percent of events and 35 

percent of initial claims. This January, the number of manufacturing claimants was greatest in transportation equipment (57,173) and machinery (14,120). (See table 3.) The administrative and waste services industry accounted for 12 percent of mass layoff events and associated initial claims during the 

month. 

The six-digit NAICS industry with the largest number of initial claims was temporary help services 

(25,467). Among the 10 industries with the highest levels of initial claims, 5 reached program highs for 

the month of January—all other plastics product manufacturing; light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing; all other motor vehicle parts manufacturing; professional employer organizations; and hotels and 

motels, except casino hotels. (See table A.) 

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Of the 4 census regions, the South registered the highest number of initial claims in January due to 

mass layoffs (115,630), followed by the Midwest (114,195), the West (81,846), and the Northeast 

(77,142). (See table 5.) Average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the 

year in all 4 regions, with the South (+14,934) and the Midwest (+12,282) experiencing the largest 
3

increases. In 2009, the Northeast, Midwest, and the South regions reported their highest January levels 

of average weekly initial claims in program history. 

Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (93,852) had the highest number of initial 

claims due to mass layoffs in January, followed by the Pacific (69,189) and the Middle Atlantic 

(68,728). (See table 5.) All divisions experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly initial 

claims, led by the East North Central (+10,279) and the South Atlantic (+7,779). This year, 6 of the 9 

divisions reached January program highs in terms of average weekly initial claims—New England, 

Middle Atlantic, East North Central, South Atlantic, West South Central, and Mountain. 

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

with 54,153. The states with the next highest number of mass layoff initial claims were New York 

(31,893), Pennsylvania (29,656), and Ohio (27,971). (See table 6.) In 2009, 18 states reached program 

highs in average weekly initial claims for the month of January—Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, 

Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, 

Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia. Forty-eight states registered over-the-year 

increases in average weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by Michigan (+3,540), 

Pennsylvania (+3,520), and Ohio (+3,256). 

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 February 2009 is scheduled to be released on Friday, 

March 20. 
Technical Note 

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

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job 

cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment 

insurance database. Each month, states report on employers 

which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during 

a consecutive 5-week period. These employers then are 

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these 

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

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report 

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

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly 

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday 

through Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are 

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

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

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

will contain 4 weeks and others, 5 weeks, the number of 

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

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

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

seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect into 

consideration. 

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after 

it had been terminated in November 1992 due to lack of 

funding. Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were 

not available. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-

877-8339. 

Definitions 

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include those 

covered by state unemployment insurance laws. Information 

on employers is obtained from the Quarterly Census of 

Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which is 

administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

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

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a 

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or 

period of eligibility. 

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for 

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an employer 

during a 5-week period, regardless of duration. 

 

Seasonal adjustment 

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS 

began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS 

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

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

and manufacturing sectors. 

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and 

removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring 

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

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

seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental 

changes in time series, particularly those associated with 

general economic expansions and contractions. 

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

ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis. 

Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly 

estimates, including those for the current month, in 

developing seasonal adjustment factors. Revisions to the 

most recent 5 years of seasonally adjusted data will be made 

once a year with the issuance of December data. Before the 

data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments are made to 

the original data to adjust them for differences in the number 

of weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly 

unemployment insurance claims are aggregated to form 

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

with 5 weeks of data in 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, February 2005 to January 2009,

seasonally adjusted

2005

February ...................................................... 1,087 117,129 964 106,399 350 42,747 

March ........................................................... 1,204 129,993 1,056 119,466 368 52,667 

April .............................................................. 1,244 134,425 1,111 123,958 396 60,052 

May .............................................................. 1,264 137,475 1,121 124,468 397 54,998 

June ............................................................. 1,196 126,416 1,082 117,568 367 58,003 

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

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

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

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

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

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

2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009

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

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, February 2005 to January 2009,

not seasonally adjusted

2005

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

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

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

2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009

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

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

January November December January January November December January

2008 2008 2008 2009 2008 2008 2008 2009

Seasonally adjusted

 Total .............................................................. 1,476 2,333 2,275 2,227 149,068 225,639 226,117 237,902 

 Total, private nonfarm ....................................... 1,350 2,185 2,100 2,070 139,076 213,288 212,559 225,490 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 435 868 871 738 56,579 100,643 105,402 102,577 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 1,647 2,574 3,377 3,806 154,503 241,589 351,305 388,813 

Total, private ....................................................... 1,592 2,502 3,278 3,709 148,901 235,560 343,963 380,158 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 72 113 46 76 4,710 8,903 3,743 4,865 

 Total, private nonfarm ....................................... 1,520 2,389 3,232 3,633 144,191 226,657 340,220 375,293 

 Mining .............................................................. 8 22 43 50 550 2,004 4,191 4,538 

 Utilities ............................................................. ( 2 ) 3 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 332 355 ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 198 382 544 388 13,532 29,775 40,579 27,762 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 488 997 1,378 1,461 54,418 107,620 172,529 172,757 

 Food ............................................................ 57 71 77 84 5,024 7,123 7,797 8,083 

 Beverage and tobacco products ................. 7 9 12 6 531 620 1,222 511 

 Textile mills ................................................. 13 19 44 35 1,258 2,558 4,725 4,322 

 Textile product mills .................................... 8 10 7 19 950 669 672 2,811 

 Apparel ........................................................ 17 16 22 33 1,630 1,783 2,479 3,189 

 Leather and allied products ......................... ( 2 ) 3 4 6 ( 2 ) 270 800 504 

 Wood products ............................................ 46 93 86 104 4,780 9,439 8,465 9,870 

 Paper ........................................................... 6 28 34 38 469 2,645 4,384 3,977 

 Printing and related support activities ......... 11 14 20 38 766 1,527 1,904 4,187 

 Petroleum and coal products ...................... ( 2 ) 11 12 8 ( 2 ) 929 1,124 515 

 Chemicals ................................................... 10 20 23 26 898 2,042 2,046 1,883 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 37 74 136 110 2,855 7,013 14,215 11,156 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 38 55 89 56 2,602 4,937 9,104 4,441 

 Primary metals ............................................ 16 74 83 98 1,491 7,813 8,558 9,660 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 40 104 145 151 3,144 8,905 12,576 13,746 

 Machinery .................................................... 23 62 75 121 2,901 9,019 7,531 14,120 

 Computer and electronic products .............. 18 40 53 76 1,222 3,592 5,245 6,747 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 7 27 51 53 784 2,891 9,049 5,807 

 Transportation equipment ........................... 86 190 352 316 17,920 25,042 64,336 57,173 

 Furniture and related products .................... 34 55 37 48 4,127 6,716 4,764 6,928 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 9 22 16 35 721 2,087 1,533 3,127 

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 30 65 60 86 2,848 4,779 5,374 7,612 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 119 155 142 329 12,839 13,429 12,104 33,622 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 124 99 196 236 13,031 7,749 22,751 25,081 

 Information ...................................................... 43 48 71 69 4,668 5,390 9,138 9,405 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 50 48 40 88 4,285 3,591 2,998 7,683 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 8 18 16 26 462 1,084 1,382 1,870 

 Professional and technical services ................ 41 66 76 87 3,829 6,695 6,280 7,032 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... ( 2 ) 10 17 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 656 2,433 ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services .................. 232 280 348 473 20,639 26,341 31,069 46,646 

 Educational services ....................................... 7 5 11 14 851 365 634 1,952 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 27 33 36 41 1,767 2,775 2,626 4,279 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 38 33 23 49 2,445 2,642 1,503 4,421 

 Accommodation and food services ................. 88 115 199 197 6,064 10,682 22,312 17,360 

 Other services, except public administration ... 13 10 24 25 1,381 748 1,821 2,155 

 Unclassified .................................................... – – 2 1 – – 141 49 

Government ........................................................ 55 72 99 97 5,602 6,029 7,342 8,655 

 Federal ............................................................ 13 11 10 13 1,106 860 1,011 1,302 

 State ................................................................ 9 21 19 25 804 1,797 1,296 2,155 

 Local ................................................................ 33 40 70 59 3,692 3,372 5,035 5,198 

 1

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

 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, January 2007 to January 2009,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2007

January ...................................... 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 

February .................................... 935 86,696 861 82,097 

March ......................................... 1,082 123,974 1,015 118,431 

First Quarter ............................... 3,424 345,654 3,139 325,003 1,110 199,250 35.4 61.3 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fourth Quarter ........................... 5,049 530,889 4,593 495,798 1,814 r

 347,151 39.5 70.0 

2008

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

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

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

First Quarter ............................... 4,005 388,552 3,737 367,925 1,340 r

 259,084 35.9 r 70.4 

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

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

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

Second Quarter ......................... 4,446 457,023 3,925 413,003 1,756 r

 339,184 44.7 r 82.1 

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

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

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

Third Quarter ............................. 4,610 469,967 4,232 441,669 r

 1,582 r 300,337 r 37.4 r 68.0 

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

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

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

Fourth Quarter ........................... 8,076 814,678 7,538 772,430 2,p 3,140 2,p 463,715 p

 41.7 p 60.0 

2009

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

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

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

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

associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days. r = revised.

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

data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

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

January November December January January November December January

2008 2008 2008 2009 2008 2008 2008 2009

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,647 2,574 3,377 3,806 154,503 241,589 351,305 388,813 

Northeast .......................................................... 349 314 491 787 32,949 28,791 44,901 77,142 

 New England ................................................ 30 40 70 97 2,056 3,505 7,024 8,414 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 319 274 421 690 30,893 25,286 37,877 68,728 

South ................................................................ 324 616 815 1,052 32,769 56,608 94,307 115,630 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 157 304 362 574 15,997 25,648 33,456 58,892 

 East South Central ....................................... 129 196 296 279 13,585 19,725 42,388 32,215 

 West South Central ...................................... 38 116 157 199 3,187 11,235 18,463 24,523 

Midwest ............................................................ 416 824 1,278 1,024 42,229 85,730 146,155 114,195 

 East North Central ........................................ 324 645 961 821 33,964 65,287 108,017 93,852 

 West North Central ....................................... 92 179 317 203 8,265 20,443 38,138 20,343 

West ................................................................. 558 820 793 943 46,556 70,460 65,942 81,846 

 Mountain ....................................................... 44 126 139 149 3,757 11,050 12,780 12,657 

 Pacific ........................................................... 514 694 654 794 42,799 59,410 53,162 69,189 

 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

January November December January January November December January

2008 2008 2008 2009 2008 2008 2008 2009

 Total 1

 .............................................. 1,647 2,574 3,377 3,806 154,503 241,589 351,305 388,813 

Alabama ............................................. 82 48 88 100 10,160 5,289 14,160 10,588 

Alaska ................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 10 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 788 

Arizona ............................................... 4 20 13 24 290 1,603 1,213 1,941 

Arkansas ............................................. 4 21 25 13 293 2,026 2,517 1,462 

California ............................................ 468 580 546 651 38,715 47,690 43,265 54,153 

Colorado ............................................. 7 15 24 24 654 1,162 2,023 1,814 

Connecticut ......................................... ( 2 ) 3 10 14 ( 2 ) 186 799 1,349 

Delaware ............................................ ( 2 ) 6 8 5 ( 2 ) 415 817 1,052 

District of Columbia ............................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Florida ................................................. 70 151 104 235 5,366 10,582 6,931 19,301 

Georgia ............................................... 51 51 83 137 4,718 4,970 8,508 16,654 

Hawaii ................................................. 3 9 15 14 217 641 1,650 998 

Idaho ................................................... 7 27 25 21 496 2,298 2,347 1,746 

Illinois .................................................. 68 126 202 130 9,106 11,564 25,885 13,443 

Indiana ................................................ 34 111 156 117 2,955 13,420 16,762 10,734 

Iowa .................................................... 26 49 82 64 3,163 8,213 10,005 7,353 

Kansas ................................................ 8 14 38 21 490 1,321 7,949 2,447 

Kentucky ............................................. 28 78 131 80 2,304 9,210 21,570 12,492 

Louisiana ............................................ 7 13 17 29 739 1,093 2,430 3,396 

Maine .................................................. ( 2 ) 4 7 18 ( 2 ) 451 530 1,618 

Maryland ............................................. 9 7 15 31 708 828 1,002 2,535 

Massachusetts .................................... 11 18 38 33 791 1,459 4,289 2,782 

Michigan ............................................. 86 157 248 229 7,004 14,657 24,508 26,453 

Minnesota ........................................... 19 60 67 41 1,751 5,442 7,374 3,289 

Mississippi .......................................... 6 34 27 25 324 2,736 2,399 2,353 

Missouri .............................................. 37 44 107 62 2,664 3,087 10,625 5,239 

Montana .............................................. 6 11 8 14 579 1,226 630 1,491 

Nebraska ............................................ ( 2 ) 4 12 5 ( 2 ) 450 1,334 1,070 

Nevada ............................................... 15 33 41 33 1,151 2,992 4,303 2,805 

New Hampshire .................................. ( 2 ) 4 4 7 ( 2 ) 311 255 465 

New Jersey ......................................... 35 46 80 90 2,613 5,665 6,910 7,179 

New Mexico ........................................ 4 9 16 13 473 554 1,170 822 

New York ............................................ 152 79 111 279 18,636 7,366 10,511 31,893 

North Carolina .................................... 3 34 33 41 350 3,410 3,314 4,149 

North Dakota ...................................... ( 2 ) 5 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,631 666 ( 2 )

Ohio .................................................... 71 120 224 199 9,352 11,680 27,836 27,971 

Oklahoma ........................................... 4 18 20 21 317 1,708 3,210 2,772 

Oregon ................................................ 28 60 51 76 2,769 7,259 4,413 9,005 

Pennsylvania ...................................... 132 149 230 321 9,644 12,255 20,456 29,656 

Rhode Island ...................................... 9 – 7 17 562 – 820 1,526 

South Carolina .................................... 12 36 84 102 1,991 3,916 9,381 10,703 

South Dakota ...................................... – 3 3 6 – 299 185 530 

Tennessee .......................................... 13 36 50 74 797 2,490 4,259 6,782 

Texas .................................................. 23 64 95 136 1,838 6,408 10,306 16,893 

Utah .................................................... ( 2 ) 10 12 19 ( 2 ) 1,161 1,094 1,978 

Vermont .............................................. 4 11 4 8 248 1,098 331 674 

Virginia ................................................ 8 16 27 15 1,027 1,316 2,782 3,313 

Washington ......................................... 14 44 40 43 1,047 3,724 3,663 4,245 

West Virginia ...................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 416 1,127 

Wisconsin ........................................... 65 131 131 146 5,547 13,966 13,026 15,251 

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

Puerto Rico ......................................... 10 14 16 29 1,120 1,686 1,285 2,992 

1

 See footnote 1, table 3.

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

 NOTE: Dash represents zero.

State