Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 03-311

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2003

In the first quarter of 2003, 1,508 mass layoff actions were taken by employers that resulted in the separation of 272,133 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 lower than in January-March 2002 and were the lowest for the first quarter since

2000. (See table A.) The decline from first quarter 2002 was most notable in administrative and support

services, general merchandise stores, and computer and electronic products manufacturing.

The completion of seasonal work accounted for 26 percent of all events and 76,203 separations during

the period. Layoffs due to internal company restructuring accounted for 23 percent of events and resulted in

77,977 separations, both lower than a year earlier. Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 14 percent

of all events and affected 50,894 workers. A year earlier, such closures occurred in 20 percent of all events

and affected 92,795 workers. Forty-one percent of the employers with layoffs in the first quarter indicated

that they anticipated some type of recall, higher than a year ago (35 percent).

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

Extended mass layoff separations occurred in 468 of the 1,197 detailed industries for which data are

available. Manufacturing industries accounted for 36 percent of private-sector layoff events and 32 percent of separations during January-March 2003. The 84,296 worker separations were the lowest for a

first quarter since 1998. Separations in this sector were concentrated in computer and electronic products

(15,634, mostly in semiconductors and related devices), followed by transportation equipment (11,262,

mainly in automobiles and aircraft) and food manufacturing (11,245, largely in the highly seasonal fruit and

vegetable canning industry). (See table 1.) The level and proportion of first-quarter layoff events and

separations in manufacturing have declined substantially since the 2001 peak for the January-March period.

Retail trade accounted for 9 percent of private-sector layoff events and 14 percent of separations,

with the layoff activity concentrated in general merchandise stores. Layoffs in agriculture, forestry, fishing

and hunting comprised 9 percent of events and 12 percent of separations, mostly among farm labor contractors. Layoffs in construction accounted for 14 percent of events and 10 percent of separations, mainly

among specialty trade contractors. The administrative and waste services sector accounted for an additional

10 percent of events and 9 percent of separations during the quarter, primarily from temporary help services.

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

executive, legislative, and general government agencies and the postal service.
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 .................. 2,072 481,886 401,270

July-September .......... 1,815 384,403 370,942

October-December .... 2,698 542,284 502,724

 2002

January-March ........... 1,747 333,097 315,781

April-June .................. 1,905 432,914 352,807

July-September .......... 1,382 310,347 278,483

October-December ... 2,259 468,982 421,669

 2003

January-March .......... 1,508 272,133 210,674

Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity

 p=preliminary. r=revised.

r

Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

r

r

r

 p

r

Reasons for Extended Layoff

Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 26 percent of the extended layoff events

and resulted in 76,203 separations in the first quarter. (See table 2.) Seasonal layoffs were most numerous

among workers in agriculture and forestry support services (largely among farm labor contractors) and crop

production (mostly in grape vineyards).

Internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and reorganization) accounted for 23 percent of layoff events and resulted in 77,997 separations. These layoffs were

mostly among workers in general merchandise stores.

Lack of demand for products and services (slack work) accounted for 17 percent of events and resulted

in 35,107 separations during the first quarter, mostly in computer and electronic products manufacturing and

in transportation equipment manufacturing.

Recall Expectations

Forty-one percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the first quarter of 2003 indicated they

anticipated some type of recall. This compares with 35 percent of the employers anticipating a recall a year

earlier. (See table B.) Most of the employers not expecting a recall were in general merchandise stores,

computer and electronic products manufacturing, and administrative and support services.
3

Table B. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from

extended layoff, first quarter 2002–first quarter 2003

 Anticipate a recall ..... 35.3 52.8 36.4 55.7 41.2

 Timeframe

 Within 6 months ........ 77.3 82.0 77.5 78.8 74.2

 Within 3 months...... 46.5 57.4 51.5 32.6 46.3

 Size

 At least half................ 84.9 91.3 82.5 86.7 79.7

 All workers............. 27.7 42.8 32.6 37.4 29.3

 Percentage of events

 p=preliminary. r=revised.

Nature of the recall I

2002

II

2002

III

2002

IV

2002

I

2003 r p

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

the offer to all laid-off workers.

Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 88 percent of the employers expected a recall), employers expected to recall laid-off workers in 25 percent of the events. In layoff

events due to internal company restructuring, employers anticipated a recall in only 6 percent of the events.

Size of Extended Layoff

Layoff events during the first quarter continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 64 percent involving fewer than 150 workers. These events, however, accounted

for only 31 percent of all separations. (See table C.) Separations involving 500 or more workers accounted for 29 percent of all separations, down slightly from 32 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 71

separations in miscellaneous store retailers to a high of 527 in warehousing and storage.

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 210,674 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass

layoffs in the first quarter of 2003. Of these claimants, 13 percent were black, 38 percent were women,

19 percent were Hispanic, and 14 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) Forty percent

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

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

older. Thirty-seven percent of the civilian labor force were ages 30 to 44.
4

 Layoff events

 Number Percent Number

Size

 Total........... 1,508 100.0 272,133 100.0

50-99............... 634 42.0 44,812 16.5

100-149........... 333 22.1 38,449 14.1

150-199........... 176 11.7 29,677 10.9

200-299........... 174 11.5 40,550 14.9

300-499........... 110 7.3 39,436 14.5

500-999........... 50 3.3 31,401 11.5

1,000 or more... 31 2.1 47,808 17.6

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

 January-March 2003

p=preliminary.

 Percent

 Separations

p

Geographic Distribution

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

West (98,030), followed by the Midwest (68,658), the South (64,754), and the Northeast (40,691).

(See table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the West were mainly agriculture related.

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

the South (-23,923), closely followed by the West (-20,857). Six of the nine geographic divisions reported

over-the-year declines in laid-off workers, with the largest decline in the South Atlantic division. This was

followed closely by declines in the Mountain, East South Central, and Middle Atlantic divisions.

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

in California (67,087), followed by Illinois (29,995). These two states accounted for 31 percent of total

layoff events and 36 percent of the separations during the first quarter of 2003. They were followed by

Texas (18,236), New York (14,203), Florida (11,487), North Carolina (11,050), and Washington (10,579).

(See table 5.) After excluding the substantial impact of seasonal work, California still reported the most laidoff workers (35,777), largely due to layoffs in computer and electronic products manufacturing, general merchandise stores, and administrative and support services.

Over the year, Florida reported the greatest decrease in laid-off workers (-12,206), followed by

Pennsylvania (-9,698) and Alabama (-8,406). The largest increase occurred in New York (+4,366).

Note

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

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

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

the employer is contacted for additional information. Data for the first quarter are preliminary and subject
5

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. For additional information about the program, see the

Technical Note.

______________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in May 2003 will be issued on Thursday, June 26, 2003.
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

I IV I I IV I I IV I

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

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,747 2,259 1,508 333,097 468,982 272,133 315,781 421,669 210,674 

Total, private ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,712 2,204 1,458 324,272 450,141 265,208 308,319 409,983 204,494 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 103 285 128 25,535 77,538 31,954 15,951 40,510 15,767 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 24 17 4,217 3,054 2,255 4,061 2,960 2,530 

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

 ) 7 6 ( 2 ) 1,539 808 ( 2 ) 950 533 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 195 463 211 21,739 68,259 26,098 27,552 72,875 24,229 

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 660 736 525 116,996 142,034 84,296 117,412 150,803 73,142 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 69 124 69 12,363 31,738 11,245 12,371 25,350 9,777 

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 6 8 1,108 941 922 749 1,228 658 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 24 9 3,397 4,121 1,697 3,400 5,118 1,402 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 11 5 410 3,479 459 385 3,675 503 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45 32 20 10,594 5,395 4,342 9,914 5,021 2,770 

 Leather and allied products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 8 – 322 860 – 392 1,006 –

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 38 30 2,079 5,760 3,870 3,512 5,960 3,552 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 19 12 2,135 3,133 2,474 1,891 2,721 2,335 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 8 11 3,835 1,441 1,134 3,239 1,107 965 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 18 3 249 2,942 238 247 3,150 251 

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 12 9 3,473 1,802 1,633 2,618 1,345 1,281 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 20 15 2,087 2,858 1,816 1,912 3,118 1,498 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 42 31 3,522 7,347 4,819 2,986 6,494 4,287 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 38 29 6,440 7,065 4,658 8,061 8,890 3,876 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 52 35 28 5,733 5,221 3,375 6,290 5,145 2,972 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 55 42 4,720 12,156 6,359 5,218 13,320 6,898 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 121 93 86 27,692 17,080 15,634 27,118 19,274 12,809 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 28 23 4,120 7,802 3,399 5,032 12,722 2,788 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 71 80 54 16,293 13,392 11,262 16,354 18,315 9,757 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 24 18 3,262 4,293 1,925 3,693 4,882 2,579 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 21 23 3,162 3,208 3,035 2,030 2,962 2,184 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 38 35 32 5,096 7,402 4,344 4,098 5,221 3,325 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 157 89 124 50,115 28,664 37,048 36,929 24,149 22,321 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 62 61 62 11,461 19,770 16,762 11,313 17,120 13,276 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 70 64 63 9,928 14,925 12,715 11,216 14,892 10,141 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 55 47 39 9,819 9,217 8,332 9,067 8,978 5,743 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 411 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 319 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 62 56 36 7,486 11,692 6,297 7,847 11,205 4,306 

 Management of companies and enterprises ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 1,608 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,506 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 163 176 142 39,139 34,383 24,724 42,869 35,562 21,535 

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

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

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 33 18 3,390 5,507 1,746 2,047 4,926 1,713 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 33 12 5,710 7,946 2,798 2,003 4,622 1,350 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 64 29 8,388 12,987 3,621 10,722 10,185 3,513 

 Other services, except public administration ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 18 7 1,642 2,712 623 1,688 2,355 523 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 3 – 1,082 629 – 929 563 –

Government ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 55 50 8,825 18,841 6,925 7,462 11,686 6,180 

 Federal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 10 11 4,339 4,104 1,487 3,568 2,334 1,353 

 State ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 19 18 2,720 7,613 2,499 2,516 5,229 2,375 

 Local ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 26 21 1,766 7,124 2,939 1,378 4,123 2,452 

 

 

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

 = revised.

in all states and the District of Columbia, except Wyoming. 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

I IV I I IV I I IV I

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

 Total, all reasons1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,747 2,259 1,508 333,097 468,982 272,133 315,781 421,669 210,674 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 500 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 459 

Bankruptcy ..................................................................................................................................................................... 59 46 41 22,294 15,539 17,826 15,003 11,174 9,473 

Business ownership change ..................................................................................................................................................................... 72 33 29 15,837 8,503 4,992 9,408 5,870 3,239 

Contract cancellation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 48 44 31 7,827 8,423 5,717 6,790 7,194 3,245 

Contract completed ..................................................................................................................................................................... 184 194 202 32,643 35,813 32,172 44,042 41,350 30,160 

Domestic relocation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 18 21 4,822 5,053 2,685 4,603 3,982 2,159 

Energy-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

Environment-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 – – 718 – – 597 – –

Financial difficulty ..................................................................................................................................................................... 127 111 110 22,859 21,692 19,580 22,913 20,545 15,878 

Import competition ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 19 22 4,620 3,293 6,028 3,744 3,020 4,275 

Labor dispute ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 11 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,300 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,245 ( 2 ) 

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 379 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 509 ( 2 ) 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,891 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,108 

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

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

Non-natural disaster ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

Overseas relocation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 21 19 4,853 3,407 3,965 4,245 3,021 2,303 

Plant or machine repair ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 5 6 543 877 725 454 981 660 

Product line discontinued ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 9 13 1,494 1,025 2,532 1,359 1,060 2,202 

Reorganization within company ..................................................................................................................................................................... 240 186 163 50,822 36,752 35,599 43,053 37,953 22,900 

Seasonal work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 357 1,016 388 69,630 226,530 76,203 55,253 169,547 51,982 

Slack work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 438 319 261 67,215 51,407 35,107 79,544 66,363 33,272 

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

 ) 5 – ( 2 ) 485 – ( 2 ) 647 

Weather-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 19 15 1,253 2,211 1,447 1,766 2,597 1,523 

Other ..................................................................................................................................................................... 47 59 44 6,029 11,615 6,758 8,760 11,138 8,291 

Not reported ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 139 127 17,177 32,521 15,891 12,239 31,947 14,983 

 

1See footnote 1, table 1. r

 = revised.

 

2Data 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, fourth quarter, 2002 and first quarter, 2003

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55and over

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

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

 Total1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,259 1,508 421,669 210,674 11.4 13.1 21.0 19.0 35.5 37.9 14.2 14.4 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 3 1,418 944 24.8 20.0 3.9 1.6 69.0 26.7 17.7 21.3 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 8 1,146 722 3.3 2.9 27.4 5.8 26.4 28.3 14.3 15.8 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 13 3,189 1,751 6.7 2.0 24.8 40.6 40.4 26.7 16.6 13.6 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 6 4,147 649 13.2 22.0 1.2 4.2 36.9 28.7 12.1 16.3 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 488 339 78,618 43,214 4.2 6.0 61.2 50.1 39.8 40.6 12.5 12.9 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 21 5,612 3,274 5.8 6.7 23.9 18.3 29.7 37.6 13.9 14.8 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 16 2,866 1,931 10.5 17.1 5.9 9.9 23.0 55.2 16.5 14.0 

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

District of Columbia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 409 485 19.6 32.6 22.2 1.6 33.0 55.5 14.7 11.1 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 105 74 16,191 9,125 21.4 20.8 24.3 25.2 46.7 45.2 16.8 18.2 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 24 7,120 2,902 39.6 56.5 5.9 5.4 47.2 50.1 14.0 15.9 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 6 1,901 773 .7 .6 49.9 28.8 67.4 52.4 14.2 20.7 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 8 1,256 1,781 1.2 1.2 7.3 6.0 27.5 35.5 13.3 13.3 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 213 134 38,981 19,404 15.5 18.3 17.0 12.8 29.0 38.2 12.5 13.2 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 74 43 17,064 6,274 7.6 7.4 2.8 4.2 29.7 30.7 13.5 16.5 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 15 4,322 1,855 .9 1.8 2.5 1.4 25.9 50.2 12.4 17.7 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 12 2,722 2,762 16.1 14.0 7.0 3.2 38.5 32.5 13.3 21.7 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 19 3,584 2,436 6.3 7.8 1.1 .2 39.6 39.3 16.6 14.8 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 17 2,761 1,278 47.5 47.7 3.0 3.4 26.3 20.4 12.7 11.0 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 11 2,759 1,649 .2 .2 .1 .2 49.8 25.2 17.5 17.6 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 3 1,207 187 25.0 11.8 1.0 5.3 45.6 41.2 30.6 41.2 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 45 10,975 5,171 5.9 7.5 2.4 1.0 39.4 41.0 15.1 13.7 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 34 8,526 4,079 15.9 17.1 12.5 3.7 36.4 38.8 12.7 11.3 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 93 33 13,387 3,815 2.4 5.3 8.0 3.4 21.2 30.5 14.6 13.9 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 5 1,347 544 54.2 88.8 .5 .2 48.3 69.1 16.3 11.0 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 11 8,451 1,525 10.5 7.8 .5 .2 40.9 56.3 20.6 20.1 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 ( 2

 ) 1,723 ( 2 ) .4 .7 2.1 1.5 17.3 19.6 15.8 15.2 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 4 930 384 1.3 1.6 11.1 9.1 13.3 21.4 20.2 15.9 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) 2,214 ( 2 ) 8.7 9.0 15.0 25.9 41.1 35.6 21.4 15.8 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4 1,066 473 .8 1.9 4.5 2.1 41.1 46.5 22.2 16.9 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 68 34 11,736 3,531 16.0 20.1 17.4 9.8 43.5 46.6 19.4 20.4 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 458 289 2.8 2.4 66.8 71.6 32.8 27.3 15.9 15.6 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 145 92 32,783 11,202 12.1 12.6 8.1 8.3 37.8 35.8 15.3 12.0 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 36 6,239 5,720 36.6 40.9 4.6 4.4 47.1 46.8 13.8 13.0 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 3 1,427 306 .6 .3 3.4 1.6 13.9 43.5 14.2 18.0 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 106 63 18,908 7,651 13.6 12.3 3.4 2.0 20.0 27.5 12.1 13.6 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 9 1,105 1,240 8.9 12.7 9.1 3.5 19.8 27.9 15.0 16.9 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 42 40 7,998 6,169 2.2 1.2 14.9 12.3 35.4 40.5 14.5 17.6 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 78 68 25,440 12,146 6.3 9.2 2.6 3.3 34.9 33.6 15.8 18.2 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 – 1,211 – 3.1 – 28.1 – 56.0 – 21.6 –

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 11 5,217 910 49.7 58.2 .2 .5 39.6 50.9 2.3 5.2 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) – – – 3.4 – 49.7 – 25.9 

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 15 3,385 1,458 20.9 19.5 .1 – 36.0 43.3 16.9 18.1 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 70 90 19,957 20,536 18.5 16.6 34.0 29.7 31.4 30.9 11.2 10.7 

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

 ) 744 ( 2 ) .3 1.8 8.3 5.5 24.9 – 12.5 21.8 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) – .3 – – – 65.0 – 22.0 –

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 20 4,498 2,880 41.2 48.1 3.1 .9 53.0 59.4 14.4 15.4 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 66 49 10,713 7,308 3.8 4.6 35.6 12.4 36.3 37.4 13.3 19.0 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 6 1,189 708 .8 .1 – – 49.3 23.2 17.2 14.1 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 115 49 22,302 8,483 4.1 6.7 12.5 4.8 29.3 34.6 16.8 13.5 

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

 ) ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 ) 1.0 ( 1 ) 1.0 ( 1 ) 40.4 ( 1 ) 26.9 ( 1 ) 

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 12 664 1,343 ( 3

 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) 49.8 38.6 12.8 10.6 

 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

I IV I I IV I I IV I

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

 United States1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,747 2,259 1,508 333,097 468,982 272,133 315,781 421,669 210,674 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 259 406 270 51,777 86,272 40,691 52,165 89,199 36,103 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 77 115 76 14,832 24,725 14,870 12,695 19,240 9,224 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 182 291 194 36,945 61,547 25,821 39,470 69,959 26,879 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 485 398 342 88,677 71,871 64,754 94,602 79,774 52,002 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 252 227 178 46,859 41,778 33,273 42,445 42,070 22,917 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 104 65 42 19,507 12,082 8,020 17,695 9,734 5,382 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 129 106 122 22,311 18,011 23,461 34,462 27,970 23,703 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 441 750 403 73,756 135,113 68,658 72,444 137,020 56,685 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 345 562 323 59,878 102,818 53,344 59,183 105,781 45,891 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 96 188 80 13,878 32,295 15,314 13,261 31,239 10,794 

West1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 562 705 493 118,887 175,726 98,030 96,570 115,676 65,884 

 Mountain1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 109 89 51 24,094 24,346 12,244 16,197 15,300 7,698 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 453 616 442 94,793 151,380 85,786 80,373 100,376 58,186 

 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

I IV I I IV I I IV I

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

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,747 2,259 1,508 333,097 468,982 272,133 315,781 421,669 210,674 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 8 3 9,359 790 953 9,884 1,418 944 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 10 8 303 1,146 722 303 1,146 722 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 21 13 5,125 5,263 3,472 4,825 3,189 1,751 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 7 6 899 1,525 2,203 823 4,147 649 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 362 488 339 73,196 123,700 67,087 61,057 78,618 43,214 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 33 21 5,046 7,755 5,991 3,017 5,612 3,274 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 17 16 2,340 2,963 2,948 2,701 2,866 1,931 

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

District of Columbia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 3 4 404 409 485 404 409 485 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 113 105 74 23,693 17,066 11,487 20,709 16,191 9,125 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 28 24 4,291 6,515 2,480 3,033 7,120 2,902 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 10 6 904 2,468 1,125 1,612 1,901 773 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 7 8 905 1,982 1,750 557 1,256 1,781 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 157 213 134 33,892 45,739 29,995 27,342 38,981 19,404 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 74 43 3,490 13,945 5,935 3,433 17,064 6,274 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 22 15 1,399 2,881 2,107 1,718 4,322 1,855 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 13 12 1,257 2,966 3,815 1,032 2,722 2,762 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 28 19 2,673 4,682 3,281 2,226 3,584 2,436 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 22 17 4,574 2,983 1,803 3,188 2,761 1,278 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 13 11 1,930 4,659 2,593 1,317 2,759 1,649 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 7 3 2,703 1,316 219 2,092 1,207 187 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 65 45 8,299 14,127 8,869 6,441 10,975 5,171 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 54 34 4,414 6,016 3,090 8,012 8,526 4,079 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 93 33 6,085 14,813 5,647 6,381 13,387 3,815 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 14 5 3,118 2,211 1,041 2,010 1,347 544 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 43 11 3,408 8,841 2,492 2,684 8,451 1,525 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 11 ( 2

 ) 826 2,259 ( 2 ) 610 1,723 ( 2 ) 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 9 4 1,234 1,367 769 1,093 930 384 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 7 ( 2

 ) 4,557 3,955 ( 2 ) 4,300 2,214 ( 2 ) 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 8 4 675 1,074 460 854 1,066 473 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 68 34 9,304 11,767 3,512 9,178 11,736 3,531 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 4 4 1,224 802 289 916 458 289 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 53 145 92 9,837 34,419 14,203 10,283 32,783 11,202 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 29 36 9,577 6,483 11,050 8,066 6,239 5,720 

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

 ) 8 3 ( 2 ) 1,427 351 ( 2 ) 1,427 306 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 84 106 63 12,323 14,229 6,339 13,450 18,908 7,651 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 7 9 1,315 902 1,219 1,620 1,105 1,240 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 42 40 5,459 7,998 6,273 5,121 7,998 6,169 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 75 78 68 17,804 15,361 8,106 20,009 25,440 12,146 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 10 – 752 1,152 – 752 1,211 –

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 20 11 928 4,171 1,331 2,383 5,217 910 

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

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

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 15 15 4,357 4,399 2,745 3,575 3,385 1,458 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 95 70 90 15,523 12,601 18,236 28,831 19,957 20,536 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 5 ( 2

 ) 6,305 1,350 ( 2 ) 1,866 744 ( 2 ) 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) – 836 ( 2 ) – 630 ( 2 ) –

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 27 20 4,327 4,329 5,193 4,811 4,498 2,880 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 66 49 14,931 16,068 10,579 12,280 10,713 7,308 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 8 6 936 1,489 1,028 947 1,189 708 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 115 49 5,759 22,889 7,985 6,946 22,302 8,483 

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

 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 1 ) 

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 3 12 2,089 769 2,091 2,670 664 1,343 

 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