Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 04-150

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Thursday, February 12, 2004

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 2003

AND ANNUAL AVERAGES FOR 2003

In the fourth quarter of 2003, 1,956 mass layoff actions were taken by employers that resulted in the

separation of 359,085 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures released

by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both the total number of layoff events and

the number of separations were sharply lower than in October-December 2002 and were the lowest for a

fourth quarter since 1999. (See table A.) The decline over the year was most notable in general

merchandise stores, computer and electronic product manufacturing, and machinery manufacturing. In the

fourth quarter of 2003 the national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent, not seasonally adjusted; a year

earlier it was 5.6 percent. Nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, declined by 0.2 percent,

or 211,000 jobs, between October-December 2002 and October-December 2003.

The completion of seasonal work accounted for 50 percent of all events and 198,054 separations during

the period—the lowest level for a fourth quarter since 1999. Layoffs due to internal company restructuring

represented 14 percent of events and resulted in 49,091 separations, both lower than a year earlier.

Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 10 percent of all events and affected 31,711 workers, the lowest

level for any fourth quarter. Forty percent of the employers anticipating a recall expected to extend the offer

to all laid-off workers, the highest proportion for a fourth quarter since 2000.

For all of 2003, the total of extended mass layoff events was 7,245 and the total number of worker

separations was 1,452,427. These annual totals were lower than in 2002, (7,295 and 1,546,976,

respectively). Since their peak in 2001, the annual number of extended layoff events has fallen by 1,104,

or 13 percent, and the number of separations has declined by 298,941, or 17 percent. Additional

information on the annual data is available starting on page 7 of this release.

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

Extended mass layoff separations occurred in 420 of the 1,197 detailed industries for which data are

available. Manufacturing industries accounted for 26 percent of private-sector layoff events and 24 percent

of separations during October-December 2003. The 83,438 worker separations in manufacturing were the

lowest for any fourth quarter since the mass layoff series began in 1995. Layoff activity in this sector was

concentrated in food manufacturing (26,167, largely in the highly seasonal fruit and vegetable canning

industry), followed by nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing (7,429), transportation equipment

manufacturing (5,959), and computer and electronic product manufacturing (5,667). (See table 1.)
2

 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 ........... 1,765 342,954 340,210

April-June .................. 2,072 481,886 401,269

July-September .......... 1,815 384,403 371,541

October-December .... 2,697 542,125 502,502

 2002

January-March ........... 1,750 334,017 316,489

April-June .................. 1,905 432,869 353,017

July-September .......... 1,383 310,351 284,629

October-December ... 2,257 469,739 421,646

 2003

January-March .......... 1,700 334,605 334,117

April-June ................. 2,131 457,836 418,702

July-September .......... 1,458 300,901 269,323

October-December .... 1,956 359,085 272,807

Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity

 p=preliminary. r=revised.

Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

r

 r

r

r

p

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting accounted for 16 percent of private-sector layoff events and

21 percent of separations, with nearly all layoff activity concentrated in agriculture and forestry support

activities. Layoffs in construction comprised 24 percent of events and 18 percent of separations, mostly

in highway, street, and bridge construction. Cutbacks in administrative and waste services accounted for

10 percent of events and 9 percent of separations, mainly in temporary help services. The retail trade sector

accounted for an additional 4 percent of events and 7 percent of separations during the quarter, primarily in

supermarkets and other grocery stores.

Layoffs in government establishments accounted for 3 percent of all events and separations, mostly in

executive, legislative and general government and in the administration of environmental programs.

Reasons for Extended Layoff

Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 50 percent of the extended layoff events

and resulted in 198,054 separations in the fourth quarter. (See table 2.) Seasonal layoffs typically peak in

the fourth quarter. However, 2003 recorded the lowest level of seasonal separations for a fourth quarter
3

Table B. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from

extended layoff, fourth quarter 2002-fourth quarter 2003

 Anticipate a recall ..... 55.8 38.4 46.6 37.5 62.2

 Timeframe

 Within 6 months ........ 78.8 74.5 85.6 84.1 84.3

 Within 3 months...... 32.6 45.6 55.7 53.7 35.6

 Size

 At least half................ 86.7 80.1 86.9 84.5 90.7

 All workers............. 37.3 29.4 46.5 40.0 39.8

 Percentage of events

 p=preliminary. r=revised.

Nature of the recall IV

2002

I

2003

II

2003

III

2003

IV

2003 r p

since 1999. Seasonal layoffs were most numerous among workers in agriculture and forestry support

activities (largely among farm labor contractors and crew leaders), heavy and civil engineering construction

(mainly in highway, street, and bridge construction), crop production (mostly in vegetable and melon farming

and in strawberry farming), and in food processing.

Internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and

reorganization) accounted for 14 percent of layoff events and resulted in 49,091 separations. These layoffs

were mostly among workers in telecommunications, in administrative and support services, in credit

intermediation and related activities, and in computer and electronic product manufacturing. In the fourth

quarter of 2002, layoff events for these reasons represented 17 percent of events and involved 82,973

workers.

Contract completion accounted for 10 percent of events and resulted in 31,326 separations during the

fourth quarter. These layoffs were primarily in administrative and support services and in specialty trade

contractors.

Recall Expectations

Sixty-two percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the fourth quarter of 2003 indicated they

anticipated some type of recall. This compares with 56 percent of the employers anticipating a recall a year

earlier. (See table B.) Most of the employers not expecting a recall were in administrative and support

services, transportation equipment manufacturing, and computer and electronic product manufacturing.

Among establishments expecting a recall, most employers expected to recall over one-half of the

separated employees and to do so within 6 months. Forty percent of the employers expected to extend the

offer to all laid-off workers, the highest proportion for a fourth quarter since 2000.
4

 Layoff events

 Number Percent Number

Size

 Total........... 1,956 100.0 359,085 100.0

50-99............... 738 37.7 52,354 14.6

100-149........... 453 23.2 53,415 14.9

150-199........... 236 12.1 39,517 11.0

200-299........... 244 12.5 57,592 16.0

300-499........... 175 8.9 64,834 18.1

500-999........... 86 4.4 53,458 14.9

1,000 or more... 24 1.2 37,915 10.6

Table C. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff,

October-December 2003

p=preliminary.

 Percent

 Separations

p

Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 96 percent of the employers

expected a recall), employers expected to recall laid-off workers in 28 percent of the events, slightly higher

than a year earlier when 25 percent of employers expected a recall. In layoff events due to internal company

restructuring, employers anticipated a recall in only 7 percent of the events.

Size of Extended Layoff

Layoff events during the fourth quarter continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended

layoff-size spectrum, with 61 percent involving fewer than 150 workers. These events, however, accounted

for only 29 percent of all separations. (See table C.) Separations involving 500 or more workers accounted

for 25 percent of all separations, down from 31 percent a year earlier. The average size of layoffs (as measured by separations per layoff event) differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 82 separations in

nursing and residential care facilities to a high of 726 in food and beverage stores.

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 272,807 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass

layoffs in the fourth quarter of 2003. Of these claimants, 10 percent were black, 26 percent were Hispanic,

35 percent were women, and 14 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) Thirty-nine percent

of claimants were 30 to 44 years of age. Among the civilian labor force for the same period, 11 percent

were black, 13 percent were Hispanic, 47 percent were women, and 15 percent were 55 years of age or

older. Thirty-seven percent of the civilian labor force were ages 30 to 44.

Geographic Distribution

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

West (158,816), followed by the Midwest (116,116), the South (43,368), and the Northeast (40,785).

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

crop production, and food processing.

All four regions reported over-the-year decreases in separations, with the largest decrease occurring in

the Northeast (-45,497). Each of the nine geographic divisions reported over-the-year declines in laid-off
5

Table D. Mass layoff events and separations, selected metropolitan areas

 Metropolitan area

Events Separations

IV

2002

IV

2002

p=preliminary.

IV

2003 p p

IV

2003

Total, nonmetopolitan areas................... 338 262 57,936

Total, 331 metropolitan areas................ 1,380 1,084 270,024 201,823

Fresno, Calif. ................................... 67 61 22,179 20,713

Chicago, Ill. ..................................... 120 95 22,970 18,363

Salinas, Calif. ................................... 49 54 15,958 17,584

Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif. ....... 35 28 7,902 9,612

Bakersfield, Calif. ............................. 35 31 11,831 6,330

Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.-Wis...... 44 42 6,080 5,503

Detroit, Mich. .................................. 25 39 2,036 4,853

New York, N.Y. ............................. 38 26 7,847 4,481

Stockton-Lodi, Calif. ....................... 20 23 3,443 4,470

Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, Calif. ........ 25 26 5,158 4,304

43,640

workers, with the largest declines in the Middle Atlantic (-29,972), New England (-15,525), and East North

Central (-12,813) divisions.

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

California (125,775), followed by Illinois (39,238). These two states accounted for 37 percent of total layoff

events and 46 percent of the separations during the fourth quarter of 2003. They were followed by Ohio

(16,414), Florida (15,309), and Washington (14,471). (See table 5.) After excluding the substantial impact

of seasonal work, California still reported the most laid-off workers (46,119), largely due to layoffs in food

and beverage stores, administrative and support services, and agriculture and forestry support activities.

Over the year, New York reported the greatest decrease in laid-off workers (-20,698), followed by

Massachusetts (-10,304) and Wisconsin (-9,298). The largest increase occurred in Michigan (+7,059).

Fifty-five percent of events and 56 percent of separations occurred in metropolitan areas in the fourth

quarter of 2003, a decrease from 61 percent of events and 57 percent of separations during the fourth

quarter of 2002. Among the 331 metropolitan areas, Fresno, Calif., reported the highest number of

separations, 20,713, mainly in agriculture and forestry support activities. Next was Chicago, Ill., with 18,363

separations, largely in administrative and support services, specialty trade contractors, and heavy and civil

engineering construction. Six of the 10 areas reporting the largest number of extended mass layoffs in the

fourth quarter were in California. (See table D.) Employers located in nonmetropolitan areas separated

43,640 workers in mass layoffs, down from 57,936 workers in the fourth quarter of 2002.

Relative Impacts of Mass Layoffs

The index of mass layoff activity describes a geographic area’s share of national mass layoffs relative to

its share of national employment in establishments with at least 50 workers. This allows for geographic
6

Northeast ................... 97.2 59.7 -37.5

South ......................... 45.0 35.5 -9.5

Midwest ..................... 114.7 125.7 11.0

West .......................... 174.2 211.1 36.9

Table E. Index of mass layoff activity, fourth quarter 2002-fourth quarter 2003

Region Fourth quarter

2002

Fourth quarter

2003

 Over-the-year

change

p=preliminary.

p

comparisons that account for differences in each area’s share of employment. (See note and table 6.) A

separate index is calculated that excludes the impact of seasonal work and vacation periods from the

separations data. (See table 7.)

Among the four regions, the West, with an index of 211.1 in the fourth quarter, recorded the highest

concentration of mass layoffs relative to the region’s employment followed by the Midwest, 125.7. (See

table E.) The Northeast, 59.7, and the South, 35.5, reported indexes well below 100.0, indicating the

relative infrequency of layoffs in those regions.

Over the year, the indexes for the Northeast and South regions recorded declines of 37.5 and 9.5 points,

respectively, while those for the West and Midwest posted increases of 36.9 and 11.0 points, respectively.

Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific posted the highest index for the fourth quarter, 275.1,

primarily due to layoff activity in agriculture and forestry support activities, crop production, and food

processing. The next highest indexes were reported in the East North Central, 135.8, and West North

Central, 100.4. The East South Central division had the lowest index, 16.2, followed by the West South

Central, 23.1, and the South Atlantic divisions, 48.2.

Among the 47 states and the District of Columbia that reported private-sector extended mass layoffs

during the fourth quarter of 2003, 34 states and the District of Columbia reported indexes below 100.0,

indicating a relatively small share of layoffs. (See table 6.) Of the 13 States with indexes above 100.0,

California had the highest index of 308.1—due to the high concentrations of layoff activity in agriculture and

forestry support activities, crop production, and in food and beverage stores. (See chart 1.) Relative

concentrations of layoffs also were high in Montana (238.7), Washington (220.0), and Illinois (213.8).

Maryland, at 1.9, had the lowest relative concentration of mass layoffs followed by Tennessee (7.4), New

Mexico (10.0), and Arizona (10.3).

After the exclusion of layoffs due to seasonal work and vacation, the Pacific division recorded the highest

index, 207.8. This reflected a concentration of layoffs in food and beverage stores, administrative and support

services, and in agriculture and forestry support activities. (See chart 2.)

At the state level, California reported the highest index, excluding seasonal and vacation period events,

(244.4) for fourth quarter 2003, followed by Illinois (243.6) and Florida (166.7). The lowest indexes

occurred in Maryland (4.3), Utah (6.7), the District of Columbia (8.4), and Tennessee (16.7). (See table

7 and chart 2.)
7

Table F. Selected measures of mass layoff activity, 1996-2003

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

1996 ............................ 5,697 1,184,355 957,745

1997 ............................ 5,683 1,146,115 1,041,907

1998 ............................ 5,851 1,227,573 1,232,384

1999 ............................ 5,675 1,149,267 972,244

2000 ............................ 5,620 1,170,427 1,018,700

2001 ............................ 8,349 1,751,368 1,615,522

2002 ............................ 7,295 1,546,976 1,375,781

2003 ............................ 7,245 1,452,427 1,294,949

Period

r

r

p

Review of 2003

For all of 2003, employers reported 7,245 extended mass layoff actions, affecting 1,452,427 workers.

These totals were down from 7,295 events and 1,546,976 separations in 2002. Compared to their peak

levels in 2001, the number of events was down by 13 percent and the number of separations was down by

17 percent. (See table F.) The annual average national unemployment rate increased from 5.8 percent in

2002 to 6.0 percent in 2003, while nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 0.3 percent, or 409,000 jobs.

Thirteen percent of extended events in 2003 were permanent closures, accounting for 210,884 worker

separations. When compared to 2002, the number of permanent closures declined by 22 percent, resulting

in 92,787 fewer separations. Since 2001, when permanent closures were at their highest, the number of

closures was down by 26 percent and the number of associated separations was down by 44 percent.

During 2003, permanent closures were most numerous in the manufacturing sector, primarily in computer and

electronic products. Import competition was most often cited as the reason for closures in manufacturing

during 2003, accounting for 19 percent of the total.

In 2003, employers expected a recall in only 47 percent of the mass layoff actions, about the same as

a year earlier. In 5 of the past 8 years, a recall had been expected in about 60 percent of all layoff events.

Employers in agriculture (81 percent), in construction (72 percent), in arts, entertainment, and recreation

(70 percent) and in mining (70 percent), were more likely to have some type of recall than were those in

other industries. Employers in the finance and insurance sector had the lowest percentage of recall expectation (3 percent), followed by those in information (10 percent). Manufacturing industries accounted for

37 percent of events and 35 percent of separations for which the employer did not expect to have a recall.

These occurred primarily in computer and electronic products, transportation equipment, and primary metals.

In the private sector, manufacturing had the largest share of extended events and separations in 2003.

Manufacturing accounted for 31 percent of all mass layoff events and 27 percent of all separations, the

smallest shares on record. Since reaching a peak in 2001, the number of manufacturing events has declined

by 37 percent and the number of separations declined by 41 percent. In 2003, within manufacturing,

separations were most numerous in food manufacturing (76,071, largely in fruit and vegetable processing),

transportation equipment (50,744 mostly in aircraft manufacturing) and computer and electronic products

(42,155, mainly in semiconductors and related devices). Compared to 2002, 17 of the 21 manufacturing

subgroups had declines in the number of separations with the largest occurring in computer and electronic

products (-39,295) and apparel (-11,815). Textile mills had the largest increase (+3,048).

p=preliminary. r=revised.
8

In 2003, seasonal work continued to be the most cited reason for layoff, accounting for 32 percent of all

layoff events and 36 percent of all separations, unchanged from 2002. The layoffs in 2003 occurred

primarily in establishments engaged in agriculture and forestry support activities, crop production, and food

manufacturing.

Layoff activity due to internal company restructuring occurred largely among general merchandise stores,

air transportation, and computer and electronic products. Employers cited this reason in 1,417 events

(20 percent of the total), resulting in the separation of 304,546 workers (21 percent of the total).

Overseas relocation resulted in 13,013 workers being separated from their jobs in extended mass layoffs

in 2003. Nearly all separations caused by out-of-country moves were from the manufacturing sector.

Employers cited Mexico as the destination for relocation in 43 percent of these events.

The West reported more laid-off workers in 2003 than any other region, 564,248. Layoffs in the West

were mainly in food production (agriculture and forestry support activities, crop production, and food

manufacturing) and were primarily attributed to seasonal factors. The Northeast region continued to report

the lowest annual number of separations (232,838). Compared to 2002, each of the four geographic regions

reported a decrease in laid-off workers, the first time that all four regions had an over-the-year decrease.

The largest decline occurred in the South (-47,424).

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California continued to report the largest number of

separated workers in 2003 (428,067). After California were Illinois (132,251), Florida (105,928), and New

York (90,116). These four states accounted for 46 percent of events and 52 percent of separations for the

year. Total separations reported by California, Florida, and New York for 2003 were each the highest in

the program’s history. Arizona (-26,314) had the largest over-the-year decline in the number of separations;

California recorded the largest over-the-year increase (+70,520).

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 fourth quarter are preliminary and subject to

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

The index of mass layoff activity is calculated as the area’s share, or ratio, of the total number of private

sector separations in the U.S. divided by the same area’s share of U.S. total private sector employment in

establishments that employ at least 50 workers. It facilitates relative area-to-area comparisons by discounting

the absolute size of the area. An index at or near 100.0 indicates the area’s share of mass layoffs is in line

with its share of employment. An index below 100.0 indicates the area has relatively few layoffs, and,

conversely, an index over 100.0 indicates an area with a relatively high level of layoffs.

For additional information about the program, see the Technical Note.

The report on Mass Layoffs in January 2004 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 25,

2004.

_____________________________
9

NOTE: The fourth quarter of 2003 marks the final release of extended mass layoff data for

the total economy. Due to budget constraints in the Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program,

beginning with data for the first quarter of 2004, the scope of quarterly extended mass layoffs and

plant closings has been redefined to cover only the private nonfarm economy. Quarterly

information on layoff events in agriculture and government will no longer be collected. However,

the monthly reporting of the MLS program, which is based only on administrative data, will be

unaffected and will continue to cover the total economy.
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, 2002 and 2003

Industry

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

 2002r 2003r 2003p 2002r 2003r 2003p 2002r 2003r 2003p 

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,257 1,458 1,956 469,739 300,901 359,085 421,646 269,323 272,807 

Total, private ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,201 1,327 1,902 450,793 272,834 348,985 409,869 245,468 265,098 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 285 137 310 77,486 37,394 72,338 39,277 19,859 36,084 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 4 19 3,055 626 2,256 2,961 392 2,006 

 Utilities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 ( 2

 ) 5 1,454 ( 2 ) 841 895 ( 2 ) 705 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 462 106 452 68,133 13,898 63,382 72,730 17,394 55,554 

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 735 456 503 142,565 86,128 83,438 151,215 84,691 74,829 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 124 59 117 31,729 19,251 26,167 25,422 12,974 18,345 

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 15 965 ( 2 ) 2,133 859 ( 2 ) 1,871 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 20 18 4,121 7,294 2,790 5,124 7,369 2,219 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 6 8 3,479 1,260 921 3,650 914 877 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 28 25 5,395 4,466 3,444 5,026 4,026 2,430 

 Leather and allied products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 ( 2

 ) 3 860 ( 2 ) 423 1,006 ( 2 ) 242 

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 38 17 22 5,763 1,656 2,159 5,964 1,967 2,254 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 12 9 3,133 1,798 952 2,708 1,202 766 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 9 10 1,439 1,023 1,641 1,103 900 1,551 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 ( 2

 ) 14 2,942 ( 2 ) 2,280 3,151 ( 2 ) 1,942 

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 13 9 1,802 1,451 1,300 1,470 1,560 1,038 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 18 21 2,858 2,177 2,214 3,147 2,398 2,147 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 11 51 7,437 1,454 7,429 6,523 1,603 6,200 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 38 32 21 7,048 5,416 3,718 8,873 5,571 4,116 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 29 30 5,215 4,213 3,561 5,139 3,972 3,151 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 55 30 21 12,163 6,020 3,700 12,190 6,234 4,540 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 93 56 30 17,073 7,959 5,667 20,207 8,166 4,216 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 15 12 8,295 2,834 2,992 13,398 2,693 2,420 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 79 62 43 13,347 10,978 5,959 18,411 16,901 11,191 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 18 12 4,293 3,736 1,848 4,882 3,382 1,483 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 16 12 3,208 2,630 2,140 2,962 2,358 1,830 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 44 38 7,394 7,216 8,586 5,215 6,065 4,499 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 89 72 72 28,666 20,999 23,008 24,539 31,469 19,522 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 61 75 42 19,759 14,563 7,793 17,435 13,296 6,860 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 64 49 44 15,387 12,024 11,473 15,239 11,342 11,136 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 47 55 44 9,217 10,664 6,376 8,963 9,478 5,764 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 6 5 ( 2 ) 1,280 889 ( 2 ) 1,254 362 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 56 51 40 11,692 8,561 7,400 11,166 8,065 5,068 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,316 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 685 

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 176 128 182 34,330 38,519 30,275 35,426 23,748 24,573 

 Educational services ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 15 – ( 2 ) 1,564 – ( 2 ) 1,635 –

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 48 32 5,507 5,696 3,691 4,949 4,361 3,548 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 30 34 7,942 5,386 11,274 4,580 4,657 3,579 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 64 30 58 12,991 5,983 11,842 10,162 5,412 8,346 

 Other services, except public administration ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 15 16 2,712 1,495 2,562 2,368 1,418 1,901 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 2 1 629 335 245 536 335 77 

Government ..................................................................................................................................................................... 56 131 54 18,946 28,067 10,100 11,777 23,855 7,709 

 Federal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 10 10 4,104 2,977 1,266 2,352 3,168 1,673 

 State ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 24 16 7,613 5,341 3,989 5,198 4,818 2,639 

 Local ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 97 28 7,229 19,749 4,845 4,227 15,869 3,397 

 

 

 1 For the fourth quarter of 2003, data on layoffs were reported by employers r

 = revised.

in all states and the District of Columbia. NOTE: Industry data reflect the North American Industry

 

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Classification System (NAICS), 2002. Dash represents zero.

 p = preliminary.

Separations Initial claimants for

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

insurance, selected quarters, 2002 and 2003

Reason for separation

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

 2002r 2003r 2003p 2002r 2003r 2003p 2002r 2003r 2003p 

 Total, all reasons1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,257 1,458 1,956 469,739 300,901 359,085 421,646 269,323 272,807 

Automation ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Bankruptcy ..................................................................................................................................................................... 46 40 23 15,535 15,527 4,049 11,864 11,843 2,366 

Business ownership change ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 32 19 8,480 6,421 5,220 6,126 4,734 1,633 

Contract cancellation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 24 24 8,416 19,404 4,306 7,060 2,955 2,012 

Contract completed ..................................................................................................................................................................... 194 201 198 35,783 31,257 31,326 41,288 36,976 31,729 

Domestic relocation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 28 17 5,546 4,582 2,930 3,478 4,175 3,161 

Environment-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) 

Financial difficulty ..................................................................................................................................................................... 111 95 68 22,145 13,972 12,919 21,081 13,805 7,728 

Import competition ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 29 29 3,293 7,081 5,295 3,022 5,216 5,487 

Labor dispute ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 8 7 2,300 5,393 10,032 2,245 13,052 7,307 

Material shortage ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) – 379 ( 2 ) – 509 ( 2 ) –

Model changeover ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 340 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 374 ( 2 ) 

Natural disaster ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 741 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 429 

Overseas relocation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 14 7 3,407 3,684 735 2,976 3,256 642 

Plant or machine repair ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 5 6 877 618 815 981 674 598 

Product line discontinued ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 5 5 1,025 795 503 1,060 811 484 

Reorganization within company ..................................................................................................................................................................... 185 151 159 36,813 27,000 26,903 38,962 32,763 23,290 

Seasonal work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,015 308 984 226,347 79,722 198,054 167,818 49,888 124,834 

Slack work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 319 214 174 51,379 30,737 21,241 66,309 36,635 27,566 

Vacation period ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 28 8 ( 2 ) 5,412 1,187 ( 2 ) 4,411 1,039 

Weather-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 3 28 2,242 423 3,535 2,635 440 3,321 

Other ..................................................................................................................................................................... 59 62 35 11,614 10,326 4,331 11,091 8,778 4,996 

Not reported ..................................................................................................................................................................... 139 202 157 32,516 37,904 24,403 31,967 38,187 23,855 

 

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.

Initial claimants for

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

insurance, third and fourth quarters, 2003

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55and over

III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV

 2003r 2003p 2003r 2003p 2003r 2003p 2003r 2003p 2003r 2003p 2003r 2003p 

 Total1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,458 1,956 269,323 272,807 14.6 9.9 22.4 26.2 44.9 34.7 15.1 14.2 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 4 1,658 494 44.1 39.1 4.8 1.6 38.8 34.8 17.2 26.7 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 10 377 1,400 .3 3.5 19.9 22.6 31.0 27.2 19.4 12.8 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 5 2,278 635 2.0 6.6 58.1 40.0 32.7 43.6 15.5 14.2 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) 524 ( 2 ) 16.0 50.6 .6 7.0 59.4 39.1 19.1 8.2 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 427 538 90,000 75,108 8.0 5.0 43.8 60.8 48.6 44.0 11.7 11.4 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 21 1,678 2,391 9.7 3.9 19.5 32.9 50.7 26.8 15.2 16.1 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 16 1,142 1,460 15.0 9.7 14.4 4.9 40.8 27.6 23.0 15.5 

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

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

 ) 5 ( 2 ) 382 23.8 19.1 .3 12.6 70.1 51.3 13.7 12.3 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 112 100 16,481 10,975 20.0 15.7 29.8 25.9 46.8 45.5 18.3 16.4 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 21 2,618 2,766 64.9 55.1 .5 1.8 48.5 48.7 13.5 13.6 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 6 1,332 591 3.1 1.0 35.1 29.4 18.9 36.0 15.5 12.2 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 11 1,914 2,611 .3 .3 22.6 27.8 39.3 48.2 18.7 20.1 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 113 192 21,076 26,857 21.8 14.4 10.7 16.9 45.1 26.0 13.9 12.4 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 50 5,484 11,095 17.6 11.7 3.0 3.0 30.2 24.8 16.6 14.7 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 29 764 3,474 1.8 1.1 .3 4.2 50.7 15.9 15.1 16.0 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 10 2,098 1,305 19.8 5.4 3.0 8.4 52.4 20.5 16.5 15.4 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 10 1,298 1,185 7.5 5.9 .6 .3 56.0 58.6 21.0 12.0 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 14 789 1,304 34.3 51.1 2.8 1.5 34.5 32.0 13.3 18.0 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 9 262 1,096 1.1 1.6 – 1.5 70.2 29.2 24.0 15.9 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) 637 ( 2 ) 43.6 30.2 – 1.4 46.3 19.4 22.3 59.0 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 21 6,945 3,603 7.0 5.6 4.4 2.9 49.7 37.1 17.2 19.9 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 104 11,570 16,456 28.6 12.3 2.7 9.1 35.9 35.1 13.6 12.9 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 90 2,040 9,846 9.6 1.5 2.8 10.8 46.2 14.5 14.6 14.7 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 4 771 228 80.7 78.1 .3 .4 52.5 46.1 9.2 19.3 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 19 3,610 2,140 19.6 12.1 .4 .7 51.4 37.9 27.1 22.4 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 7 231 975 .4 .2 4.3 3.1 72.7 12.5 19.5 13.5 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 7 ( 2 ) 937 .5 1.1 .7 11.3 9.0 15.0 16.0 17.6 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 4 587 825 14.1 6.9 18.6 20.7 45.1 25.0 32.0 23.9 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 – 319 – .9 – 16.0 – 48.3 – 16.3 –

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 56 54 8,322 8,775 28.9 14.8 14.3 12.8 58.0 39.5 23.3 23.8 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3 543 163 2.2 .6 37.8 84.0 39.4 49.1 6.1 6.7 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 101 82 15,292 9,858 12.2 6.7 7.2 6.9 47.1 28.4 15.3 16.1 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 35 7,735 4,681 31.5 52.6 5.5 5.7 50.9 56.8 26.1 17.9 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 6 ( 2 ) 950 – .9 1.1 3.7 4.5 13.6 25.0 15.7 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 121 7,894 15,159 9.5 10.4 1.6 3.8 33.2 21.3 13.2 11.4 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 5 683 471 7.2 10.0 3.8 3.8 60.9 35.7 17.3 18.0 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 31 4,271 5,619 2.0 1.0 12.6 24.2 38.8 37.7 18.4 14.3 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 66 70 13,740 12,052 9.6 8.2 2.0 2.5 34.8 37.9 17.4 20.0 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 7 415 614 5.3 2.9 13.0 27.9 60.7 30.6 19.8 22.0 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4 1,061 406 60.9 32.5 .8 – 57.8 56.4 1.9 .5 

South Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3.9 – – – 72.4 55.4 – 14.9 

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 5 2,932 473 17.8 16.3 – – 53.5 47.6 21.0 35.7 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 39 10,542 7,708 16.3 17.2 37.5 38.1 36.5 28.7 11.7 12.1 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 ( 2 ) 630 .6 .8 11.1 9.4 3.1 16.7 22.2 11.1 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) – 1.2 – – – 10.8 – 9.6 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 22 2,361 4,131 36.0 23.2 1.1 1.3 59.4 44.7 16.9 15.8 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 56 6,235 7,092 4.5 2.3 21.3 41.8 38.0 38.5 18.6 14.9 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 5 172 492 – 1.0 – – 29.1 25.8 14.0 14.2 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 93 7,520 12,737 11.2 3.6 4.0 13.8 31.3 22.5 15.5 15.1 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) – .8 – – – 40.7 – 34.7 

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 7 3,003 987 ( 3

 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) 53.5 43.2 7.2 7.2 

 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, 2002 and 2003

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

 2002r 2003r 2003p 2002r 2003r 2003p 2002r 2003r 2003p 

 United States1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,257 1,458 1,956 469,739 300,901 359,085 421,646 269,323 272,807 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 406 290 260 86,282 43,408 40,785 89,342 46,437 37,541 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 115 67 54 24,728 11,844 9,203 19,355 9,083 6,856 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 291 223 206 61,554 31,564 31,582 69,987 37,354 30,685 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 397 298 277 71,931 52,486 43,368 78,269 50,627 36,078 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 226 186 194 41,803 35,024 31,620 41,589 31,430 23,972 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 51 23 12,117 8,599 3,200 8,743 6,659 2,380 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 106 61 60 18,011 8,863 8,548 27,937 12,538 9,726 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 750 325 722 136,131 60,512 116,116 138,552 62,651 101,030 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 562 275 560 103,343 51,555 90,530 106,819 53,544 82,304 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 188 50 162 32,788 8,957 25,586 31,733 9,107 18,726 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 704 545 697 175,395 144,495 158,816 115,483 109,608 98,158 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 88 60 56 24,251 9,850 12,017 15,343 7,393 8,348 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 616 485 641 151,144 134,645 146,799 100,140 102,215 89,810 

 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, 2002 and 2003

State

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

 2002r 2003r 2003p 2002r 2003r 2003p 2002r 2003r 2003p 

 Total1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,257 1,458 1,956 469,739 300,901 359,085 421,646 269,323 272,807 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 7 4 790 1,258 513 1,420 1,658 494 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 3 10 1,146 377 1,400 1,146 377 1,400 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 21 5 5,263 3,824 680 3,189 2,278 635 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 4 ( 2

 ) 1,525 1,179 ( 2 ) 4,114 524 ( 2 ) 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 488 427 538 123,479 120,621 125,775 78,397 90,000 75,108 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 12 21 7,755 2,217 4,439 5,630 1,678 2,391 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 12 16 2,963 1,632 2,806 2,977 1,142 1,460 

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

District of Columbia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) 5 409 ( 2 ) 382 409 ( 2 ) 382 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 105 112 100 17,066 18,504 15,309 16,207 16,481 10,975 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 14 21 6,515 2,662 3,361 7,120 2,618 2,766 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 3 6 2,468 1,559 776 1,901 1,332 591 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 12 11 1,982 1,675 2,097 1,256 1,914 2,611 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 213 113 192 45,739 26,804 39,238 39,022 21,076 26,857 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 74 21 50 13,945 4,934 7,687 17,064 5,484 11,095 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 6 29 2,881 960 4,174 4,322 764 3,474 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 10 10 3,459 2,080 1,881 3,215 2,098 1,305 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 14 10 4,682 2,075 1,722 3,584 1,298 1,185 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 9 14 2,983 1,139 1,982 2,761 789 1,304 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 4 9 4,659 348 1,864 2,759 262 1,096 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 7 ( 2

 ) 1,316 1,440 ( 2 ) 1,207 637 ( 2 ) 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 43 21 14,127 9,161 3,823 10,976 6,945 3,603 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 49 104 6,048 6,967 13,107 8,621 11,570 16,456 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 93 15 90 14,813 1,811 12,690 13,387 2,040 9,846 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 9 4 2,211 1,770 374 1,354 771 228 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 15 19 8,841 3,188 4,604 8,451 3,610 2,140 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 4 7 2,139 307 1,615 1,604 231 975 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 ( 2

 ) 7 1,367 ( 2 ) 1,193 931 ( 2 ) 937 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 5 4 3,955 1,168 1,029 2,214 587 825 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4 – 1,074 319 – 1,066 319 –

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 68 56 54 11,767 7,936 9,653 11,736 8,322 8,775 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 3 827 416 167 593 543 163 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 145 101 82 34,426 16,627 13,728 32,790 15,292 9,858 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 28 35 6,353 7,868 5,855 5,550 7,735 4,681 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 ( 2

 ) 6 1,427 ( 2 ) 970 1,427 ( 2 ) 950 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 106 51 121 14,229 5,395 16,414 18,908 7,894 15,159 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 7 5 902 549 435 1,105 683 471 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 42 22 31 7,983 2,582 4,377 7,983 4,271 5,619 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 78 66 70 15,361 7,001 8,201 25,461 13,740 12,052 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 4 7 1,155 384 627 1,214 415 614 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 8 4 4,171 1,129 589 5,217 1,061 406 

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

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 21 5 4,434 3,496 591 2,385 2,932 473 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 70 41 39 12,601 5,996 5,531 19,957 10,542 7,708 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 4 1,350 ( 2 ) 1,190 744 ( 2 ) 630 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 12 22 4,484 2,874 5,423 4,690 2,361 4,131 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 66 30 56 16,068 9,506 14,471 10,713 6,235 7,092 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 3 5 1,489 182 498 1,189 172 492 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 115 41 93 23,382 7,455 14,084 23,204 7,520 12,737 

Wyoming ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 18 7 769 2,231 594 664 3,003 987 

 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: Index of mass-layoff separations, private sector, fourth quarter 2002 and 2003 

IV IV III III IV IV

2002 2003p 2001 2002 2002 2003p

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1.00000 1.00000 1.00000 1.00000 100.0 100.0 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00175 .00147 .01306 .01296 13.4 11.3 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00254 .00401 .00186 .00188 136.9 212.9 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01152 .00195 .01863 .01889 61.8 10.3 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00338 .00172 .00808 .00821 41.8 20.9 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... .26016 .35272 .11484 .11449 226.5 308.1 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01316 .01272 .01548 .01502 85.0 84.7 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00657 .00804 .01292 .01294 50.9 62.2 

Delaware ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – .00351 .00352 – –

District of Columbia ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00091 .00082 .00434 .00452 20.9 18.2 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03702 .04351 .05690 .05751 65.1 75.7 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01445 .00963 .03031 .02995 47.7 32.2 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00547 .00222 .00381 .00385 143.7 57.7 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00440 .00601 .00342 .00346 128.5 173.8 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... .09432 .10828 .05105 .05065 184.8 213.8 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... .02833 .01773 .02380 .02395 119.0 74.0 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00639 .01181 .01027 .01029 62.3 114.7 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00767 .00539 .00953 .00945 80.5 57.1 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00891 .00493 .01287 .01287 69.2 38.3 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00613 .00521 .01251 .01249 49.0 41.7 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01034 .00534 .00399 .00400 258.9 133.7 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00270 .00036 .01815 .01839 14.9 1.9 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03031 .01049 .02659 .02624 114.0 40.0 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01290 .03593 .03765 .03786 34.3 94.9 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03243 .03610 .02105 .02114 154.0 170.8 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00468 .00107 .00787 .00787 59.4 13.6 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01880 .01251 .02001 .02021 94.0 61.9 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00386 .00463 .00190 .00194 202.7 238.7 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00303 .00342 .00652 .00645 46.5 53.0 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00877 .00295 .00928 .00934 94.6 31.6 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00238 – .00413 .00416 57.6 –

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... .02479 .02692 .03049 .03063 81.3 87.9 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00161 .00048 .00465 .00477 34.7 10.0 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... .07504 .03934 .06382 .06383 117.6 61.6 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01409 .01643 .02856 .02824 49.4 58.2 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00317 .00278 .00188 .00192 168.6 144.9 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03108 .04405 .04468 .04461 69.6 98.7 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00200 .00125 .01019 .00997 19.6 12.5 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01771 .01226 .01091 .01094 162.3 112.0 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03371 .02312 .04571 .04603 73.7 50.2 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00256 .00180 .00342 .00342 75.0 52.6 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00925 .00169 .01335 .01332 69.3 12.7 

South Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – .00223 .00225 – –

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00984 .00169 .02253 .02281 43.6 7.4 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... .02751 .01550 .07199 .07180 38.2 21.6 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00299 .00341 .00727 .00719 41.2 47.4 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00166 .00024 .00176 .00174 94.7 13.6 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00928 .01554 .02549 .02543 36.4 61.1 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03542 .04147 .01912 .01885 185.3 220.0 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00300 .00119 .00422 .00427 71.2 27.9 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... .04982 .03759 .02229 .02233 223.5 168.4 

Wyoming ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00217 .00229 .00112 .00116 194.2 198.3 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. to the comparable U.S. total. Covered employment refers to workers

 2 The share of separations is the proportion of each State's private sector who are covered by State unemployment insurance laws.

separations to the total number of private sector separations in the U.S. for 4 The index is the ratio of the share of separations to the share of 

the period. establishment employment, multiplied by 100.

 3 The share of establishment employment is the proportion of each State's p = preliminary.

private sector covered employment in establishments of 50 workers or more NOTE: Dash represents zero.

State

Index of mass-layoff 

separations4

Share of 

establishment employment3

Share of 

separations2
Table 7. State distribution: Index of mass-layoff separations (excluding seasonal work and vacation periods),A38

private sector, fourth quarter 2002 and 2003 

IV IV III III IV IV

2002 2003p 2001 2002 2002 2003p

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1.00000 1.00000 1.00000 1.00000 100.0 100.0 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00337 .00331 .01306 .01296 25.8 25.5 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – .00186 .00188 – –

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01446 .00439 .01863 .01889 77.6 23.2 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00504 .00387 .00808 .00821 62.4 47.1 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... .14499 .27978 .11484 .11449 126.2 244.4 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01782 .01600 .01548 .01502 115.2 106.6 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00557 .00659 .01292 .01294 43.1 51.0 

Delaware ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – .00351 .00352 – –

District of Columbia ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00047 .00038 .00434 .00452 10.8 8.4 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... .06924 .09587 .05690 .05751 121.7 166.7 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... .02733 .01576 .03031 .02995 90.2 52.6 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01026 .00445 .00381 .00385 269.4 115.5 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00291 .00170 .00342 .00346 84.9 49.3 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... .09166 .12338 .05105 .05065 179.6 243.6 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03383 .02080 .02380 .02395 142.2 86.9 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00449 .00555 .01027 .01029 43.7 53.9 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01474 .01213 .00953 .00945 154.7 128.4 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01229 .01111 .01287 .01287 95.5 86.3 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00949 .00774 .01251 .01249 75.9 62.0 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00867 .00344 .00399 .00400 217.1 86.2 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00476 .00080 .01815 .01839 26.2 4.3 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03557 .00778 .02659 .02624 133.8 29.7 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01758 .05487 .03765 .03786 46.7 144.9 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01213 .00622 .02105 .02114 57.6 29.4 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00899 .00241 .00787 .00787 114.2 30.6 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01612 .00367 .02001 .02021 80.6 18.2 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00218 – .00190 .00194 114.7 –

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00181 – .00652 .00645 27.8 –

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01685 .00664 .00928 .00934 181.7 71.1 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00252 – .00413 .00416 60.9 –

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03501 .03779 .03049 .03063 114.8 123.4 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00049 .00108 .00465 .00477 10.4 22.6 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... .07150 .03092 .06382 .06383 112.0 48.4 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... .02373 .02971 .02856 .02824 83.1 105.2 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00149 .00066 .00188 .00192 79.2 34.3 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03341 .05488 .04468 .04461 74.8 123.0 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00346 .00281 .01019 .00997 33.9 28.1 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... .02406 .01059 .01091 .01094 220.5 96.8 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... .05223 .04295 .04571 .04603 114.3 93.3 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00418 .00109 .00342 .00342 122.5 31.9 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01614 .00259 .01335 .01332 120.9 19.4 

South Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – .00223 .00225 – –

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01889 .00381 .02253 .02281 83.8 16.7 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... .04257 .03183 .07199 .07180 59.1 44.3 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00170 .00048 .00727 .00719 23.4 6.7 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00320 – .00176 .00174 181.9 –

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... .01218 .01474 .02549 .02543 47.8 58.0 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... .02374 .01694 .01912 .01885 124.2 89.9 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... .00468 .00191 .00422 .00427 111.0 44.7 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... .03218 .01658 .02229 .02233 144.4 74.3 

Wyoming ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – .00112 .00116 – –

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. to the comparable U.S. total. Covered employment refers to workers

 2 The share of separations is the proportion of each State's private sector who are covered by State unemployment insurance laws.

separations to the total number of private sector separations in the U.S. for 4 The index is the ratio of the share of separations (excluding seasonal 

the period. Seasonal work and vacation periods as reasons for layoff are work and vacation periods) to the share of establishment employment,

excluded from these calculations. multiplied by 100.

 3 The share of establishment employment is the proportion of each State's p = preliminary.

private sector covered employment in establishments of 50 workers or more NOTE: Dash represents zero.

State

Index of mass-layoff 

separations4

Share of 

separations2

Share of 

establishment employment3
AK HI

TX

OK

AR

AL MS

TN

SC

NC

LA

FL

GA

UT

NM AZ

CA

OR

WA

NV

CO

WY

ID

MT

KS MO

IA

MN

ND

SD

NE

KY

WI

IL IN OH

MI

WV

VA

MD

DE

PA

NY

NJ

VT

Pacific

Mountain West North Central East North Central

Middle

Atlantic

New England

West South

Central

East South

Central

Chart 1. Index of private-sector mass-layoff separation

fourth quarter 2003

20

16

12

80

40

39

Note: The index is the ratio of the share of private-sector

separations to the share of private-sector covered employment

in establishments of 50 or more workers, multiplied by 100.

Source: Mass Layoff Statistics
AK HI

TX

OK

AR

AL MS

TN

SC

NC

LA

FL

GA

UT

NM AZ

CA

OR

WA

NV

CO

WY

ID

MT

KS MO

IA

MN

ND

SD

NE

KY

WI

IL IN OH

MI

WV

VA

MD

DE

PA

NY

NJ

VT

Pacific

Mountain West North Central East North Central

Middle

Atlantic

New England

West South

Central

East South

Central

Chart 2. Index of private-sector mass-layoff separatio

(excluding seasonal work and vacation period),

fourth quarter 2003

20

16

13

80

40

39

Note: The index is the ratio of the share of private-sector

separations to the share of private-sector covered employment

in establishments of 50 or more workers, multiplied by 100.

Source: Mass Layoff Statistics