Technical information:  (202) 691-6392      USDL 05-1117
http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                            For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902      Thursday, June 23, 2005


                         MASS LAYOFFS IN MAY 2005
   
   In May 2005, employers took 1,196 mass layoff actions, seasonally
adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits
during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today.  Each action involved at least 50 persons from a
single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 128,771,
on a seasonally adjusted basis.  (See table 1.)  The number of layoff
events fell by 78, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by
8,066 from April.  In the manufacturing sector, 359 mass layoff events were
reported during May 2005, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 53,243 initial
claims.  Both figures were lower than a month earlier.  (See table 1.)
   
   From January through May 2005, the total number of events (seasonally
adjusted), at 6,249, and initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 665,130,
were lower than in January-May 2004 (6,643 and 678,344, respectively).
   
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   The 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial
claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 36,074 initial claims in
May, 36 percent of the total.  (See table A.)  The two industries with the
highest number of initial claims were motion picture and video production
with 5,578 and temporary help services with 5,338.  Together these two
industries accounted for 11 percent of all initial claims in May.
   
   The manufacturing sector accounted for 25 percent of all mass layoff
events and 30 percent of all initial claims filed in May 2005.  A year
earlier, manufacturing comprised 22 percent of events and 25 percent of
initial claims.  Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in May 2005
was highest in transportation equipment (10,906, mostly automotive-related),
followed by food processing (5,057).  (See table 3.)
   
   Administrative and waste services accounted for 11 percent of events
and 9 percent of initial claims filed in May, with layoffs mainly from
temporary help services.  Eleven percent of all layoff events and 8 per-
cent of initial claims filed during the month were from construction,
mostly among specialty trade contractors.  Accommodation and food services
accounted for 8 percent of events and initial claims in May, primarily from
food service contractors.  Transportation and warehousing accounted for
7 percent of events and initial claims during the month, largely from school
and employee bus transportation.  An additional 2 percent of events and 6 per-
cent of initial claims were from the information sector, mainly from motion
picture and video production.
   Government establishments accounted for 7 percent of events and 6 percent
of initial claims filed in May, mostly in executive, legislative, and general
government agencies and educational services.
   
   Over the year, the number of layoff events was little changed, while
the number of associated initial claims rose by 13,857 (not seasonally
adjusted).  The largest increases in initial claims were reported in
transportation equipment manufacturing (+7,995) and motion picture and
video production (+4,209).  The largest over-the-year decreases in initial
claims were reported in textile product mills (-2,560) and in performing
arts and spectator sports (-1,054).
   
                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Industries with the largest mass-layoff initial claims in
May 2005p
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          | Initial|        May peak
                 Industry                 | claims |--------------------------
                                          |        |   Year  | Initial claims
------------------------------------------|--------|---------|----------------
Motion picture and video production.......|  5,578 |   1999  |      8,985
Temporary help services...................|  5,338 |   2002  |     16,992
Food service contractors .................|  5,180 |   1998  |      7,267
Automobile manufacturing..................|  5,122 |   2003  |      7,851
School and employee bus transportation....|  4,122 |   2005  |      4,122
Child day care services...................|  3,353 |   2002  |      3,894
Professional employer organizations.......|  2,260 |   2003  |      3,446
Light truck and utility vehicle mfg.......|  1,850 |   2005  |      1,850
Industrial building contruction...........|  1,688 |   2003  |      3,463
Other social advocacy organizations.......|  1,583 |   2002  |      2,500
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  p=preliminary.


Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims
in May due to mass layoffs was in the Midwest (30,688).  (See table 5.)
Transportation equipment manufacturing accounted for almost one-third of
the this total, with food services and drinking places and administrative
and support services together accounting for 16 percent of all mass-layoff
initial claims in that region during the month.  The West had the next
largest number of initial claims (28,771), followed by the South (22,693)
and the Northeast (19,206).
   
   The number of initial claimants from mass layoffs increased over the
year in three of the four regions.  The largest increase occurred in the
Midwest (+8,394), followed by the Northeast (+7,294) and the West (+3,142).
The South had the only over-the-year decrease (-4,973).  Six of the nine
geographic divisions had over-the-year increases in the number of initial
claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest in the East North
Central division (+6,420) and Middle Atlantic (+5,262).  The largest over-
the-year decreases occurred in the South Atlantic (-3,285) and East South
Central (-2,166) divisions.
   
   Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial
claims filed due to mass layoff events in May (22,741), mostly in motion
picture and sound recording industries and in administrative and support
services.  Michigan had the next highest, with 9,725 initial claims re-
ported, followed by New York (8,875), and Texas (6,229).  These four
states accounted for 44 percent of all mass layoff events and 47 percent
of initial claims for unemployment insurance.  (See table 6.)
   
   Michigan had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial
claims (+6,356), followed by New York (+5,527).  The largest over-the-year
decreases occurred in Florida (-1,960) and Illinois (-1,700).
   
   From January to May, California reported 164,032 mass layoff initial
claims, 24 percent of the national total, the lowest proportion for a
January-to-May period since 1996.  The states with the next largest num-
ber of claims over this period were Ohio (47,543), New York (45,666), and
Michigan (42,479).

                                  - 3 -

Note
   
   The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or
more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the
layoffs.  For private nonfarm establishments, information on the length of
the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports
on mass layoffs lasting more than 30 days (referred to as "extended mass
layoffs").  The quarterly release provides more information on the industry
classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of
the laid-off workers.  Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs
of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months in a quarter
will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 30
days.  (See table 4.)  See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.


                      ______________________________


   The report on Mass Layoffs in June 2005 is scheduled to be released on
Tuesday, July 26, 2005.







                                  - 4 -

Technical Note
   
   
   The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program
that uses a standardized, automated approach to identifying, describing,
and tracking the effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each
state's unemployment insurance database.  Each month, states report on
establishments which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them
during a consecutive 5-week period.  These establishments then are con-
tacted by the state agency to determine whether these separations lasted
31 days or longer, and, if so, other information concerning the layoff is
collected.  States report on layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quart-
erly basis.
   
   A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly unemployment
insurance claims filings for the Sunday through Saturday weeks in that
month.  All weeks are included for the particular month, except if the
first day of the month falls on Saturday.  In this case, the week is
included in the prior month's tabulations.  This means that some months
will contain 4 weeks and others, 5 weeks, the number of weeks in a
given month may be different from year to year, and the number of weeks in
a year may vary.  Therefore, analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year
change in not seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect
into consideration.
   
   The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after it had been
terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding.  Prior to April 1995,
monthly layoff statistics were not available.
   
   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone number:  1-800-877-8339.
   
Definitions
   
   Initial claimant.  A person who files any notice of unemployment to
initiate a request either for a determination of entitlement to and
eligibility for compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment
within a benefit year or period of eligibility.
   
   Mass layoff event.  Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment
insurance benefits filed against an establishment during a 5-week period,
regardless of duration.
   
Seasonal adjustment

   Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS began publish-
ing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS series.  The six series are the
numbers of mass layoff events and mass layoff initial claims for the total,
private nonfarm, and manufacturing sectors.
   
   Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and removing the effect
on time series data of regularly recurring seasonal events such as changes
in the weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year.
The use of seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes
in time series, particularly those associated with general economic expan-
sions and contractions.
   
   The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjust-
ment method on a concurrent basis.  Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all
available monthly estimates, including those for the current month, in devel-
oping seasonal adjustment factors.  Revisions to the most recent 5 years
of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a year with the issuance of
December data.  Before the data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments
are made to the original data to adjust them for differences in the number
of weeks used to calculate the monthly data.  Because weekly unemployment
insurance claims are aggregated to form monthly data, a particular month's
value could be calculated with 5 weeks of data in one year and 4 weeks
in another.  The effects of these differences could seriously distort the
seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal adjustment process.
These effects are modeled in the X-12-ARIMA program and are permanently
removed from the final seasonally adjusted series.




Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, June 2001 to May 2005,
seasonally adjusted

                                      Total             Private nonfarm        Manufacturing

             Date
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial             
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants     Events  claimants             
                                       
             2001           

June .......................     1,610     195,617     1,433     180,821       739     104,155
July .......................     1,704     200,376     1,568     188,468       719      93,867
August .....................     1,744     206,528     1,586     195,051       788     106,632
September ..................     2,409     277,214     2,235     263,192       834     108,615
October ....................     2,109     233,569     1,986     223,808       897     118,136
November ...................     2,094     218,273     1,935     207,129       944     114,556
December ...................     1,799     194,759     1,658     183,178       722      93,193
             
             2002           

January ....................     1,801     208,835     1,659     195,862       739      96,689
February ...................     1,773     204,089     1,620     192,450       701      91,285
March ......................     1,674     187,924     1,517     175,998       610      75,367
April ......................     1,685     186,574     1,497     169,228       591      69,481
May ........................     1,720     191,841     1,558     178,993       611      74,809
June .......................     1,615     170,307     1,438     156,759       551      73,064
July .......................     1,637     179,165     1,457     164,398       568      73,230
August .....................     1,475     160,855     1,330     149,148       562      65,564
September ..................     1,909     217,475     1,742     202,640       607      79,413
October ....................     1,716     178,860     1,524     162,411       598      71,765
November ...................     1,644     176,462     1,500     165,578       607      70,640
December ...................     1,825     193,627     1,661     179,368       638      86,714
             
             2003           

January ....................     1,383     134,258     1,193     120,033       402      49,440
February ...................     1,771     185,502     1,589     173,392       643      75,331
March ......................     1,773     176,540     1,577     161,662       618      75,289
April ......................     1,735     176,645     1,574     165,416       646      86,857
May ........................     1,709     186,158     1,532     173,123       624      87,615
June .......................     1,704     163,646     1,515     148,547       636      70,888
July .......................     1,653     163,061     1,444     147,883       590      71,203
August .....................     1,502     170,353     1,364     156,731       540      71,944
September ..................     1,559     145,961     1,370     132,233       471      56,274
October ....................     1,541     154,908     1,312     136,604       412      49,518
November ...................     1,400     137,651     1,241     125,115       397      46,955
December ...................     1,425     141,780     1,281     129,464       420      53,436
             
             2004           

January ....................     1,458     146,147     1,257     127,917       413      50,074
February ...................     1,237     126,421     1,091     115,302       358      36,783
March ......................     1,348     142,480     1,211     134,118       409      63,380
April ......................     1,422     149,049     1,239     132,180       360      43,158
May ........................     1,178     114,247     1,016     100,499       314      37,950
June .......................     1,375     141,300     1,215     129,466       361      47,548
July .......................     1,363     139,374     1,200     127,011       390      49,276
August .....................     1,392     130,483     1,208     115,035       330      36,422
September ..................     1,281     123,761     1,153     114,223       332      45,917
October ....................     1,274     125,414     1,145     116,042       350      44,908
November ...................     1,361     130,168     1,201     117,545       402      43,504
December ...................     1,211     119,649     1,064     108,157       283      34,940
             
             2005           

January ....................     1,457     150,990     1,321     140,826       379      58,908
February ...................     1,128     117,684     1,001     107,415       345      43,186
March ......................     1,194     130,848     1,060     121,408       371      55,377
April(p) ...................     1,274     136,837     1,142     126,807       395      63,121
May(p) .....................     1,196     128,771     1,060     117,036       359      53,243


    p = preliminary. 





Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,  June 2001 to May 2005,
not seasonally adjusted            

                                      Total             Private nonfarm        Manufacturing

             Date
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants    Events   claimants 
             2001                      

June .......................     2,107     253,826     1,784     226,022       737     116,005
July .......................     2,117     273,807     1,952     259,128     1,144     168,877
August .....................     1,490     166,148     1,386     158,307       603      79,515
September ..................     1,327     160,402     1,214     151,161       485      58,544
October ....................     1,831     215,483     1,676     202,053       742     107,030
November ...................     2,721     295,956     2,373     270,268     1,122     151,969
December ...................     2,440     268,893     2,319     259,497     1,103     136,820
                       
             2002           

January ....................     2,146     263,777     2,028     252,245       892     128,825
February ...................     1,382     138,808     1,253     129,849       481      58,784
March ......................     1,460     161,316     1,335     151,305       500      59,613
April ......................     1,506     165,814     1,378     153,216       461      50,897
May ........................     1,723     179,799     1,571     166,801       488      52,720
June .......................     1,584     162,189     1,266     136,424       336      42,130
July .......................     2,042     245,294     1,819     226,892       907     135,271
August .....................     1,248     128,103     1,151     119,874       427      48,668
September ..................     1,062     124,522       957     114,736       352      43,755
October ....................     1,497     171,100     1,270     149,327       493      64,655
November ...................     2,153     240,171     1,860     216,237       719      92,712
December ...................     2,474     264,158     2,324     252,807       984     126,826

             2003           

January ....................     2,315     225,430     2,130     210,918       822      90,244
February ...................     1,363     124,965     1,222     116,264       435      48,161
March ......................     1,207     113,026     1,099     104,468       390      41,063
April ......................     1,581     161,412     1,470     152,937       499      62,349
May ........................     1,703     174,204     1,538     160,729       499      61,278
June .......................     1,691     157,552     1,336     127,743       389      40,845
July .......................     2,087     226,435     1,815     206,901       946     136,410
August .....................     1,258     133,839     1,163     124,131       405      52,620
September ..................       868      82,647       756      73,914       271      31,428
October ....................     1,523     158,240     1,265     137,706       438      53,741
November ...................     1,438     138,543     1,234     123,524       408      48,419
December ...................     1,929     192,633     1,793     182,750       648      77,915

             2004           

January ....................     2,428     239,454     2,226     220,687       848      89,551
February ...................       941      84,201       832      76,577       240      23,043
March ......................       920      92,554       847      87,782       258      34,686
April ......................     1,458     157,314     1,316     142,657       343      36,172
May ........................       988      87,501       878      78,786       219      22,141
June .......................     1,379     134,588     1,077     110,804       222      27,307
July .......................     2,094     253,929     1,860     234,877       885     145,895
August .....................       809      69,033       745      63,876       194      17,698
September ..................       708      68,972       637      63,102       189      25,808
October ....................     1,242     127,918     1,101     117,375       372      48,265
November ...................     1,399     130,423     1,201     115,549       412      44,243
December ...................     1,614     161,271     1,487     152,092       436      50,726

             2005           

January ....................     2,564     263,952     2,421     253,409       823     108,985
February ...................       810      74,644       722      68,372       230      24,931
March ......................       806      88,937       733      83,793       246      33,030
April(p) ...................     1,373     158,582     1,263     148,133       395      59,129
May(p) .....................       986     101,358       891      93,332       249      30,424


    p = preliminary. 





Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
                           
                                                                                                     Initial claimants for            
                                                             Mass layoff events                      unemployment insurance           
                    Industry         

                                                     May       March    April      May       May        March     April       May  
                                                     2004      2005     2005p     2005p      2004       2005      2005p      2005p 

	       Seasonally adjusted

      Total .....................................    1,178     1,194    1,274     1,196     114,247    130,848   136,837    128,771
    
 Total, private nonfarm .........................    1,016     1,060    1,142     1,060     100,499    121,408   126,807    117,036
  Manufacturing .................................      314       371      395       359      37,950     55,377    63,121     53,243

               Not seasonally adjusted
     
      Total(1) ..................................      988       806    1,373       986      87,501     88,937   158,582    101,358

Total, private ..................................      915       777    1,324       915      81,381     86,306   154,339     95,006
  Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ....       37        44       61        24       2,595      2,513     6,206      1,674

 Total, private nonfarm .........................      878       733    1,263       891      78,786     83,793   148,133     93,332
  Mining ........................................    ( 2 )     ( 2 )        3     ( 2 )       ( 2 )      ( 2 )       187      ( 2 )
  Utilities .....................................    ( 2 )     ( 2 )        4     ( 2 )       ( 2 )      ( 2 )       277      ( 2 )
  Construction ..................................       76        91      126       104       5,424      6,648     9,652      7,885
  Manufacturing .................................      219       246      395       249      22,141     33,030    59,129     30,424
      Food ......................................       41        50       84        52       3,897      5,049     9,653      5,057
      Beverage and tobacco products .............    ( 2 )         5        9     ( 2 )       ( 2 )        308       660      ( 2 )
      Textile mills .............................       12         8       15         5       1,099      1,162     2,912        507
      Textile product mills .....................       13         4        6         4       2,820        337       626        260
      Apparel ...................................       18         9       14        14       1,382      1,351     1,346      1,007
      Leather and allied products ...............    ( 2 )         4    ( 2 )         -       ( 2 )        634     ( 2 )          -
      Wood products .............................        5        17       17        15         389      1,361     3,252      2,191
      Paper .....................................        7     ( 2 )        9         9         665      ( 2 )       769        737
      Printing and related support activities ...       13         8       10        11         985        493       789        764
      Petroleum and coal products ...............        -     ( 2 )        -         -           -      ( 2 )         -          -

      Chemicals .................................    ( 2 )     ( 2 )    ( 2 )     ( 2 )       ( 2 )      ( 2 )     ( 2 )      ( 2 )
      Plastics and rubber products ..............        8         9       18         9         508        851     1,931        686
      Nonmetallic mineral products ..............    ( 2 )         8       13         7       ( 2 )        372     1,252        537
      Primary metals ............................    ( 2 )        10       16         6       ( 2 )      1,655     2,644        456
      Fabricated metal products .................        9        15       28        19         660      1,245     2,220      1,363
      Machinery .................................       14         9       16        14       1,359      1,101     2,028      1,129
      Computer and electronic products ..........       13        11       21        17       1,081      1,266     1,959      1,678
      Electrical equipment and appliances .......       10        10       16        12       1,572        785     3,888      1,715
      Transportation equipment ..................       28        48       77        40       2,911     13,543    20,879     10,906
      Furniture and related products ............       12         9       14         6       1,098        576     1,270        603
      Miscellaneous manufacturing ...............        5         5        6         4         376        363       503        262

  Wholesale trade ...............................       11         7       17        13         819        481     1,406      1,158
  Retail trade ..................................       91        64      109        69       7,851      5,811    12,287      5,519
  Transportation and warehousing ................       40        44       92        67       3,822      5,340    11,395      6,782
  Information ...................................       32        30       38        24       2,966      8,303     8,630      6,479
  Finance and insurance .........................       23        22       32        14       1,944      1,506     2,107      1,048
  Real estate and rental and leasing ............    ( 2 )         6        9     ( 2 )       ( 2 )        277       793      ( 2 )
  Professional and technical services ...........       44        22       65        35       4,116      3,709     7,778      4,895
  Management of companies and enterprises .......        4         3        6     ( 2 )         232        315       540      ( 2 )
  Administrative and waste services .............      119        89      206       113       9,839      6,572    19,862      9,384
  Educational services ..........................        4     ( 2 )        4         6         309      ( 2 )       260        460
  Health care and social assistance .............       67        16       27        61       5,500      1,097     1,921      5,205
  Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...........       23         7       32        15       2,006        516     2,689        806
  Accommodation and food services ...............       82        78       75        78       8,145      9,666     7,253      7,719
  Other services, except public administration ..       35     ( 2 )       21        32       3,112      ( 2 )     1,838      3,290
  Unclassified ..................................        1         2        2         1          62        100       129         42

 Government .....................................       73        29       49        71       6,120      2,631     4,243      6,352
  Federal .......................................        8         7        9        12       1,033        704       696      1,235
  State .........................................       17         8       12        12       1,389        802     1,054        712
  Local .........................................       48        14       28        47       3,698      1,125     2,493      4,405


   1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
   2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 
   p = preliminary.
   NOTE: Dash represents zero. 





Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2003 to May 2005,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                   Private nonfarm                               

                                 Total mass layoffs                             Extended mass layoffs           Realization
             Date                                       Mass layoffs          lasting more than 30 days          rates (1)   

                                          Initial               Initial                     Initial                      Initial 
                                Events   claimants    Events   claimants        Events     claimants        Events      claimants
            2003          

April ......................    1,581      161,412     1,470     152,937
May ........................    1,703      174,204     1,538     160,729					      
June .......................    1,691      157,552     1,336     127,743

Second Quarter .............    4,975      493,168     4,344     441,409         1,799         348,966       41.4         79.1

July .......................    2,087      226,435     1,815     206,901
August .....................    1,258      133,839     1,163     124,131					      
September ..................      868       82,647       756      73,914

Third Quarter ..............    4,213      442,921     3,734     404,946         1,190         227,909       31.9         56.3

October ....................    1,523      158,240     1,265     137,706
November ...................    1,438      138,543     1,234     123,524					      
December ...................    1,929      192,633     1,793     182,750

Fourth Quarter .............    4,890      489,416     4,292     443,980         1,690         326,328       39.4         73.5

           2004             

January ....................    2,428      239,454     2,226     220,687
February ...................      941       84,201       832      76,577					      
March ......................      920       92,554       847      87,782

First Quarter ..............    4,289      416,209     3,905     385,046         1,339         238,392       34.3         61.9

April ......................    1,458      157,314     1,316     142,657
May ........................      988       87,501       878      78,786					      
June .......................    1,379      134,588     1,077     110,804

Second Quarter .............    3,825      379,403     3,271     332,247         1,358         253,787       41.5         76.4

July .......................    2,094      253,929     1,860     234,877
August .....................      809       69,033       745      63,876					      
September ..................      708       68,972       637      63,102

Third Quarter ..............    3,611      391,934     3,242     361,855           886         148,180       27.3         41.0

October ....................    1,242      127,918     1,101     117,375
November ...................    1,399      130,423     1,201     115,549					      
December ...................    1,614      161,271     1,487     152,092

Fourth Quarter .............    4,255      419,612     3,789     385,016         1,427         262,006       37.7         68.1

           2005             

January ....................    2,564      263,952     2,421     253,409
February ...................      810       74,644       722      68,372					      
March ......................      806       88,937       733      83,793

First Quarter ..............    4,180      427,533     3,876     405,574    (2)(p) 989  (2)(p) 127,950    (p)25.5      (p)31.5

April(p) ...................    1,373      158,582     1,263     148,133
May(p)  ....................      986      101,358       891      93,332


    1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days.  The
initial claimant realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants associated with
layoffs lasting more than 30 days. 
    2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more data on these layoffs become available.
Experience suggests that the number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards by less than 10 percent and
the number of initial claimants associated with such events increases by 25-40 percent. 
    p = preliminary. 





Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,
not seasonally adjusted

                           
                                                                                     Initial claimants for            
                                          Mass layoff events                         unemployment insurance           
 Census region and division
 
                                  May      March     April         May       May         March      April        May  
                                  2004     2005      2005p        2005p      2004        2005       2005p       2005p 

        United States(1) ....     988       806      1,373         986      87,501      88,937     158,582     101,358

Northeast ...................     128       105        255         186      11,912      10,919      28,268      19,206
    
    New England .............      21        14         54          27       2,007       1,147       6,114       4,039
    Middle Atlantic .........     107        91        201         159       9,905       9,772      22,154      15,167

South .......................     285       154        268         232      27,666      17,171      35,412      22,693
    
    South Atlantic ..........     138        78        142         114      12,730       6,642      14,586       9,445
    East South Central ......      63        30         55          51       7,512       4,926       9,490       5,346
    West South Central ......      84        46         71          67       7,424       5,603      11,336       7,902

Midwest .....................     237       214        314         248      22,294      28,413      42,151      30,688
    
    East North Central ......     172       166        269         193      17,057      22,547      36,185      23,477
    West North Central ......      65        48         45          55       5,237       5,866       5,966       7,211

West ........................     338       333        536         320      25,629      32,434      52,751      28,771
    
    Mountain ................      39        37         64          36       3,580       3,386       7,514       2,859
    Pacific .................     299       296        472         284      22,049      29,048      45,237      25,912


    1 See footnote 1, table 3.
    p = preliminary.
    NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the census divisions are: New England: 
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and 
Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, 
Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: 
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North 
Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. 





Table 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                     Initial claimants for            
                                         Mass layoff events                          unemployment insurance           
           State         
                              May         March      April       May         May          March      April       May  
                              2004        2005       2005p      2005p        2004         2005       2005p      2005p 

   Total(1) .............      988         806       1,373       986        87,501       88,937     158,582    101,358

Alabama .................       11           7          10         9         2,586          725       1,314      1,204
Alaska ..................    ( 2 )           -           5     ( 2 )         ( 2 )            -         719      ( 2 )
Arizona .................       14          10          32        12         1,438          929       4,574      1,015
Arkansas ................        7           4           5         6           525          269         309        514
California ..............      272         274         421       252        20,148       26,727      39,775     22,741
Colorado ................        5           3           8         6           502          643         753        458
Connecticut .............        5       ( 2 )           3        10           327        ( 2 )         234        847
Delaware ................        -           -           -         -             -            -           -          -
District of Columbia ....        -           -           -     ( 2 )             -            -           -      ( 2 )
Florida .................       67          36          62        53         5,152        2,669       5,192      3,192
Georgia .................       25          15          27        22         2,674        1,324       3,444      1,998
Hawaii ..................    ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         3         ( 2 )        ( 2 )       ( 2 )        241
Idaho ...................        4           5           5         4           347          460         503        223

Illinois ................       48          21          55        39         5,640        2,035       6,502      3,940
Indiana .................       22          20          33        23         2,155        2,177       4,251      2,327
Iowa ....................        6          10          11         6           515          804       1,466        485
Kansas ..................        5           3           4         9           348          202         315        764
Kentucky ................       26          13          28        18         2,452        1,912       6,696      1,601
Louisiana ...............       21           4          16        10         1,869          267       1,437        998
Maine ...................    ( 2 )       ( 2 )           7         3         ( 2 )        ( 2 )         665        234
Maryland ................        7           -           8     ( 2 )           488            -         748      ( 2 )
Massachusetts ...........       11           8          16        10         1,333          684       1,339      2,676
Michigan ................       33          46          49        49         3,369        5,002       5,355      9,725
Minnesota ...............       12          12          14         9           959        1,110       2,273      1,314
Mississippi .............       10           -           3         5           879            -         201        562
Missouri ................       27          19          10        21         2,227        3,469       1,349      3,858

Montana .................    ( 2 )       ( 2 )           3         3         ( 2 )        ( 2 )         299        358
Nebraska ................        8           4           3         6           556          281         272        397
Nevada ..................        3           9           6         3           291          590         567        191
New Hampshire ...........        -           -           4         3             -            -         379        227
New Jersey ..............       25          14          44        30         2,768        1,326       4,232      2,650
New Mexico ..............        9           5           4         4           715          413         319        348
New York ................       40          35          65        80         3,348        3,150       8,072      8,875
North Carolina ..........       16          11          25         9         1,346          879       2,588      1,094
North Dakota ............        4           -           -     ( 2 )           290            -           -      ( 2 )
Ohio ....................       38          31          80        42         3,305        8,919      15,288      3,349
Oklahoma ................        4           3           5     ( 2 )           347          939       2,174      ( 2 )
Oregon ..................        9          10          22        12           562        1,337       2,349      1,502
Pennsylvania ............       42          42          92        49         3,789        5,296       9,850      3,642

Rhode Island ............    ( 2 )       ( 2 )          12     ( 2 )         ( 2 )        ( 2 )       2,191      ( 2 )
South Carolina ..........        7           5          11        16         1,429          498       1,659      1,566
South Dakota ............        3           -           3     ( 2 )           342            -         291      ( 2 )
Tennessee ...............       16          10          14        19         1,595        2,289       1,279      1,979
Texas ...................       52          35          45        49         4,683        4,128       7,416      6,229
Utah ....................    ( 2 )           3           5         4         ( 2 )          235         428        266
Vermont .................    ( 2 )       ( 2 )          12         -         ( 2 )        ( 2 )       1,306          -
Virginia ................       14          11           7        11         1,536        1,272         716      1,365
Washington ..............       15          11          22        16         1,146          910       2,221      1,365
West Virginia ...........    ( 2 )           -       ( 2 )         -         ( 2 )            -       ( 2 )          -
Wisconsin ...............       31          48          52        40         2,588        4,414       4,789      4,136
Wyoming .................        -           -       ( 2 )         -             -            -       ( 2 )          -

Puerto Rico .............        4          10          19        15           640        1,303       2,342      1,308


    1 See footnote 1, table 3.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 
    p = preliminary.
    NOTE: Dash represents zero.