Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0703 

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

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, June 23, 2009 

MASS LAYOFFS IN MAY 2009 

Employers took 2,933 mass layoff actions in May that resulted in the separation of 312,880 

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 May increased by 221 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 41,654. 

Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 1,232 and associated initial claims increased by 132,322. Initial claims rose to its highest level on record, while events matched the peak 

level from March 2009, with data available back to 1995. In May, 1,331 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 165,802 initial claims. Over the 

year, manufacturing events and initial claims more than doubled. (See table 1.) 

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Events

Total

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

 June 2004-May 2009

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Claims

Total

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

 June 2004-May 2009

During the 18 months from December 2007 through May 2009, the total number of mass layoff 

events (seasonally adjusted) was 37,059, and the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted) was 

3,811,307. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of 

Economic Research.) 

The national unemployment rate was 9.4 percent in May 2009, seasonally adjusted, up from 8.9 

percent the prior month and from 5.5 percent a year earlier. In May, total nonfarm payroll employment 

decreased by 345,000 over the month and by 5,366,000 from a year earlier. 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

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

not seasonally adjusted

Year Initial claims

Temporary help services 1

 ................................... 16,658 2002 16,992 

Automobile manufacturing .................................. 14,004 2009 14,004 

Food service contractors ...................................... 11,216 2009 11,216 

Professional employer organizations 1

 ................ 5,898 2009 5,898 

Child day care services ........................................ 4,396 2008 4,541 

All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing ....... 3,985 2009 3,985 

Motor vehicle power train components mfg. ...... 3,900 2009 3,900 

Motion picture and video production .................. 3,602 1999 8,985 

Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing ..... 3,570 2009 3,570 

Department stores, except discount ..................... 3,379 2009 3,379 

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

Industry Initial claims May peak

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in May was 2,738, and the number of associated initial claims 

was 289,628. (See table 2.) Over the year, increases were recorded in both the number of mass layoff 

events (+1,186) and initial claims (+130,157). This year, both average weekly events and initial 

claimants reached their highest May levels in program history; data are available back to 1995. 

(Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.) 

Eleven of the 19 major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial 

claimants for the month of May—mining; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; 

finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; management of companies and enterprises; 

administrative and waste services; health care and social assistance; and accommodation and food 

services. Government also reported a program high in terms of average weekly initial claimants for the 

month of May. 

The manufacturing sector accounted for 37 percent of all mass layoff events and 43 percent of 

initial claims filed in May 2009; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 25 percent of events and 32 

percent of initial claims. This May, the number of manufacturing claimants was greatest in transportation equipment (46,816) and machinery (12,472). (See table 3.) The administrative and waste 

services sector accounted for 11 percent of mass layoff events and associated initial claims during the 

month. 

Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims, 7 reached their 

May peak: automobile manufacturing; light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing; motor vehicle 

power train components manufacturing; all other motor vehicle parts manufacturing; department stores, 

except discount; professional employer organizations; and food service contractors. The industry with 

the largest number of initial claims was temporary help services (16,658). (See table A.) 
3

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Of the 4 census regions, the Midwest registered the highest number of initial claims in May due to 

mass layoffs (105,264), followed by the South (72,375) and the West (70,576). (See table 5.) Initial 

claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the year in all 4 regions, with the Midwest (+59,802) 

and the South (+29,543) experiencing the largest increases. In 2009, all regions except the West reported their highest May levels of average weekly initial claims in program history. 

Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (84,281) had the highest number of initial 

claims due to mass layoffs in May, followed by the Pacific (57,286) and the Middle Atlantic (35,548). 

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

Central (+47,949), the South Atlantic (+18,356), and the Pacific (+17,276). This year, 6 of the 9 divisions—all except New England, West South Central, and Pacific—reached May program highs in terms 

of average weekly initial claims.

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

with 47,091. The states with the next highest number of mass layoff initial claims were Michigan 

(26,344), Pennsylvania (20,392), and Illinois (19,717). (See table 6.) Forty-four states and the District 

of Columbia registered over-the-year increases in initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by 

Michigan (+18,205), California (+13,006), Illinois (+11,659), and Pennsylvania (+11,417). In 2009, 30 

states reached program highs in average weekly initial claims for the month of May—Alaska, Arizona, 

Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, 

Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, 

Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and 

Wyoming.

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 June 2009 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, July 23. 
Technical Note 

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

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job 

cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment 

insurance database. Each month, states report on employers 

which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during 

a consecutive 5-week period. These employers then are 

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these 

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

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report 

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

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly 

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday 

through Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect into 

consideration. 

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 

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

funding. Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were 

not available. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

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

1-800-877-8339. 

Definitions 

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include 

those covered by state unemployment insurance laws. 

Information on employers is obtained from the Quarterly 

Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which 

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

Industry. Employers are classified according to the 

2007 version of the North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS). For temporary help and professional 

employer organization industries, monthly MLS-related 

statistics generally reflect layoffs related to underlying client 

companies in other industries. An individual layoff action at 

a client company can be small, but when initial claimants 

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

mass layoff event may trigger. 

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

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a 

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or 

period of eligibility. 

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for 

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an employer 

during a 5-week period, regardless of duration. 

Seasonal adjustment 

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS 

began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS 

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

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

and manufacturing sectors. 

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and 

removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring 

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

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

seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental 

changes in time series, particularly those associated with 

general economic expansions and contractions. 

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

ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis. 

Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly 

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

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

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

seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments are made to the 

original data to adjust them for differences in the number of 

weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly 

unemployment insurance claims are aggregated to form 

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

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

effects of these differences could seriously distort the 

seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal 

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

ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the 

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

seasonally adjusted

2005

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 

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

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

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

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

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, June 2005 to May 2009,

not seasonally adjusted

2005

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 

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

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

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

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

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

May March April May May March April May

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 1,701 2,933 2,712 2,933 180,558 299,388 271,226 312,880 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,563 2,751 2,519 2,736 170,538 283,989 256,111 296,108 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 538 1,259 1,111 1,331 75,520 155,909 135,252 165,802 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 1,552 2,191 2,547 2,738 159,471 228,387 256,930 289,628 

Total, private ........................................................ 1,467 2,140 2,464 2,599 152,510 223,981 250,548 276,113 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 29 33 79 27 2,048 2,584 7,227 2,066 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,438 2,107 2,385 2,572 150,462 221,397 243,321 274,047 

 Mining .............................................................. 5 31 39 32 458 3,751 3,267 3,057 

 Utilities ............................................................. 4 3 ( 2 ) 4 475 234 ( 2 ) 466 

 Construction .................................................... 167 166 194 255 12,411 11,612 13,490 19,684 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 388 940 887 1,005 51,698 114,747 100,872 123,683 

 Food ............................................................ 48 63 81 65 4,800 6,077 8,371 7,211 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 5 9 ( 2 ) 7 273 1,305 ( 2 ) 607 

 Textile mills .................................................. 6 29 16 13 520 3,108 2,409 1,059 

 Textile product mills ..................................... 8 6 9 8 580 554 765 775 

 Apparel ........................................................ 14 9 19 17 1,171 883 1,610 1,360 

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

 Wood products ............................................ 24 62 39 43 2,455 5,799 3,437 4,219 

 Paper ........................................................... 11 27 26 30 1,091 2,749 2,584 3,854 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 9 23 25 34 833 2,124 2,275 3,521 

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

 Chemicals .................................................... 9 21 21 23 696 1,746 1,453 2,146 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 21 60 51 52 1,793 6,151 6,393 5,187 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 14 46 34 35 1,175 4,095 3,192 2,388 

 Primary metals ............................................. 9 71 70 77 1,217 8,681 8,636 8,785 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 29 88 97 100 2,596 8,186 7,698 9,483 

 Machinery .................................................... 25 110 100 118 3,758 18,081 18,614 12,472 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 14 68 69 60 1,250 8,130 5,770 5,732 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 13 47 43 37 1,845 6,476 5,169 3,506 

 Transportation equipment ............................ 101 155 148 238 21,667 26,012 19,246 46,816 

 Furniture and related products .................... 20 24 21 24 3,285 3,020 1,783 2,568 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 5 19 14 17 445 1,354 1,118 1,402 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 21 59 55 64 1,513 4,696 4,343 6,022 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 109 178 153 202 10,090 19,491 16,211 18,360 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 99 91 231 89 11,176 8,809 28,962 7,835 

 Information ....................................................... 56 75 75 67 9,251 8,559 7,934 9,132 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 38 57 67 71 2,666 4,469 6,220 6,374 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 6 16 13 14 407 980 1,078 985 

 Professional and technical services ................ 66 81 97 83 6,924 7,191 10,085 7,030 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 4 10 10 12 383 923 854 1,329 

 Administrative and waste services .................. 192 227 300 310 16,175 18,762 25,498 32,973 

 Educational services ........................................ 6 8 ( 2 ) 10 383 467 ( 2 ) 758 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 85 24 49 87 7,643 1,820 3,343 8,402 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 32 17 47 37 1,993 1,259 4,074 2,676 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 122 115 134 189 13,212 13,090 13,168 21,484 

 Other services, except public administration ... 38 9 23 41 3,604 537 2,168 3,797 

 Unclassified .................................................... – – 1 – – – 86 –

Government ......................................................... 85 51 83 139 6,961 4,406 6,382 13,515 

 Federal ............................................................ 16 5 6 37 1,656 470 461 4,585 

 State ................................................................ 14 11 20 25 867 1,066 1,631 2,185 

 Local ................................................................ 55 35 57 77 4,438 2,870 4,290 6,745 

 1

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

 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

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

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants

2007

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009

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

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

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

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

 44.1 p 67.1 

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

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

 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

May March April May May March April May

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,552 2,191 2,547 2,738 159,471 228,387 256,930 289,628 

Northeast .......................................................... 266 317 504 451 25,619 29,493 56,253 41,413 

 New England ................................................ 32 68 88 67 3,218 7,021 9,192 5,865 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 234 249 416 384 22,401 22,472 47,061 35,548 

South ................................................................ 402 589 655 742 42,832 61,432 62,714 72,375 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 199 276 368 370 15,761 27,819 33,338 34,117 

 East South Central ....................................... 116 158 160 171 16,810 15,629 16,166 18,081 

 West South Central ...................................... 87 155 127 201 10,261 17,984 13,210 20,177 

Midwest ............................................................ 390 607 608 826 45,462 81,957 72,383 105,264 

 East North Central ........................................ 312 466 482 649 36,332 64,595 60,241 84,281 

 West North Central ....................................... 78 141 126 177 9,130 17,362 12,142 20,983 

West ................................................................. 494 678 780 719 45,558 55,505 65,580 70,576 

 Mountain ....................................................... 62 109 125 135 5,548 10,991 11,993 13,290 

 Pacific ........................................................... 432 569 655 584 40,010 44,514 53,587 57,286 

 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

May March April May May March April May

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

 Total 1

 .............................................. 1,552 2,191 2,547 2,738 159,471 228,387 256,930 289,628 

Alabama ............................................. 35 45 27 40 4,044 4,985 2,745 4,037 

Alaska ................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 12 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 828 1,230 

Arizona ............................................... 9 22 41 28 872 2,483 4,985 2,484 

Arkansas ............................................. 7 10 12 18 648 806 1,057 2,319 

California ............................................ 382 498 567 487 34,085 38,130 43,675 47,091 

Colorado ............................................. 8 13 19 15 930 1,578 1,696 1,762 

Connecticut ......................................... 11 11 11 17 924 928 884 1,389 

Delaware ............................................ 3 4 11 3 203 509 988 172 

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

Florida ................................................. 125 107 152 181 8,841 8,594 11,010 12,446 

Georgia ............................................... 32 46 50 56 3,170 4,152 6,006 5,187 

Hawaii ................................................. 11 5 10 8 1,118 376 934 900 

Idaho ................................................... 12 16 10 9 1,131 1,664 754 680 

Illinois .................................................. 59 109 105 135 8,058 18,096 17,550 19,717 

Indiana ................................................ 44 68 80 86 4,943 10,781 9,659 10,416 

Iowa .................................................... 12 38 30 31 3,033 6,140 2,636 4,379 

Kansas ................................................ 12 19 7 31 893 2,259 737 3,551 

Kentucky ............................................. 39 72 83 85 8,666 7,861 9,194 9,894 

Louisiana ............................................ 22 16 27 35 3,101 1,411 2,670 3,160 

Maine .................................................. – 9 6 7 – 835 493 644 

Maryland ............................................. 4 8 12 10 318 531 1,115 1,201 

Massachusetts .................................... 9 25 38 23 946 2,422 3,770 2,281 

Michigan ............................................. 85 87 74 180 8,139 11,121 7,139 26,344 

Minnesota ........................................... 10 30 35 38 1,075 3,665 3,103 4,224 

Mississippi .......................................... 18 12 15 9 1,682 745 1,350 726 

Missouri .............................................. 35 42 46 54 3,298 3,430 4,719 6,336 

Montana .............................................. 6 7 4 7 437 667 335 856 

Nebraska ............................................ 5 ( 2 ) 4 13 413 ( 2 ) 390 1,306 

Nevada ............................................... 14 27 26 52 1,057 2,351 2,123 5,297 

New Hampshire .................................. 5 9 10 7 384 1,213 848 526 

New Jersey ......................................... 38 39 66 45 3,813 3,217 7,334 4,394 

New Mexico ........................................ 9 9 14 13 690 858 909 1,089 

New York ............................................ 95 70 182 112 9,613 6,974 24,349 10,762 

North Carolina .................................... 9 44 28 33 1,163 6,277 2,582 5,351 

North Dakota ...................................... ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) 8 ( 2 ) 1,259 ( 2 ) 869 

Ohio .................................................... 67 93 115 145 7,621 13,067 14,791 16,920 

Oklahoma ........................................... 3 17 14 13 624 1,483 2,464 1,772 

Oregon ................................................ 24 42 43 41 3,449 4,118 5,554 4,775 

Pennsylvania ...................................... 101 140 168 227 8,975 12,281 15,378 20,392 

Rhode Island ...................................... 3 9 8 7 243 889 1,649 563 

South Carolina .................................... 11 48 60 31 809 6,157 6,482 3,021 

South Dakota ...................................... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 323 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Tennessee .......................................... 24 29 35 37 2,418 2,038 2,877 3,424 

Texas .................................................. 55 112 74 135 5,888 14,284 7,019 12,926 

Utah .................................................... 4 14 10 10 431 1,313 1,055 1,020 

Vermont .............................................. 4 5 15 6 721 734 1,548 462 

Virginia ................................................ 11 14 42 49 904 1,229 4,052 6,168 

Washington ......................................... 13 23 30 36 1,211 1,833 2,596 3,290 

West Virginia ...................................... 3 4 12 5 277 301 1,028 429 

Wisconsin ........................................... 57 109 108 103 7,571 11,530 11,102 10,884 

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

Puerto Rico ......................................... 17 22 13 23 2,626 2,035 1,321 2,830 

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

State