1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 02-627

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Wednesday, November 13, 2002

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2002

In the third quarter of 2002, 1,309 mass layoff actions were taken by employers that resulted in the

separation of 284,154 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. For the third consecutive quarter, both the

total number of layoff events and the number of separations were lower than in the same quarter a year

earlier. (See table A.) The decline from third quarter 2001 was most notable in air transportation and in

hotels and motels. For the first three quarters of 2002, the number of worker separations totaled 1,050,546,

down from 1,209,243 during the same period in 2001.

Layoffs due to internal company restructuring accounted for 29 percent of events and resulted in 89,071

separations, the highest for a third quarter on record. The completion of seasonal work accounted for

23 percent of all events and 84,499 separations. Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 21 percent of

all events and affected 74,000 workers, down from 77,725 workers in July-September 2001. Thirty-eight

percent of the employers with layoffs in the third quarter indicated that they anticipated some type of recall,

somewhat higher than a year ago.

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

Extended mass layoff separations occurred in 411 of the 1,197 detailed industries for which data are

available. Manufacturing industries accounted for 38 percent of private-sector layoff events and 37 percent

of all separations during July-September 2002. A year earlier, manufacturing accounted for 41 percent of

private-sector events and 35 percent of separations. Layoff activity in this sector was concentrated in

computer and electronic products (19,565, mainly in semiconductors and related devices), followed by food

manufacturing (19,484, largely in fruit and vegetable canning) and transportation equipment (14,618, mostly in

aircraft manufacturing). (See table 1.)

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting accounted for 11 percent of private-sector layoff events and

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

activities. Layoffs in administrative and waste services comprised 9 percent of events and 10 percent of

separations, mostly in temporary help services. Cutbacks in transportation and warehousing accounted for an

additional 6 percent of events and 9 percent of separations, mainly in general long distance freight trucking.

Extended mass layoffs in retail trade accounted for an additional 4 percent of events and 6 percent of all

separations, mostly in general merchandise stores.
2

 1998

January-March ........... 1,320 208,082 247,315

April-June .................. 1,563 391,461 402,276

July-September .......... 1,234 248,054 256,803

October-December .... 1,734 379,976 325,990

 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 .... 2,698 542,221 502,287

 2002

January-March ........... 1,748 333,609 314,966

April-June .................. 1,905 432,783 347,321

July-September .......... 1,309 284,154 193,385

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

Layoffs in government establishments accounted for 5 percent of all events and separations, mostly in

educational services.

Reasons for Extended Layoff

Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 23 percent of the extended layoff events

and resulted in 84,499 separations in the third quarter. (See table 2.) These layoffs were most numerous

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

manufacturing (mainly in fruit and vegetable canning), and in crop production (mostly in grape vineyards).

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

reorganization) accounted for 29 percent of layoff events and resulted in 89,071 separations. These layoffs

were mostly among workers in truck transportation and in computer and electronic product manufacturing.

Lack of demand for products and services (slack work) accounted for 19 percent of events and resulted

in 39,274 separations during the third quarter, mostly in transportation equipment and in computer and

electronic product manufacturing.
3

 Anticipate a recall ..... 35.7 49.1 35.3 52.8 37.7

 Timeframe

Within 6 months ....... 74.7 80.8 77.3 82.0 77.3

 Within 3 months...... 47.4 30.8 46.5 57.4 51.8

 Size

At least half............... 76.5 87.3 84.9 91.3 82.4

 All workers............. 29.8 36.2 27.7 42.8 32.2

 Percentage of events

 p=preliminary. r=revised.

Table B. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from

extended layoff, third quarter 2001–third quarter 2002

Nature of the recall III

2001

IV

2001

I

2002

II

2002

III

2002p

Recall Expectations

Thirty-eight percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the third quarter of 2002 indicated they

anticipated some type of recall. This compares with 36 percent of the employers anticipating a recall a year

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

products manufacturing and administrative and support services.

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

separated employees and to do so within 6 months. Thirty-two 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 92 percent of the employers

expected a recall), employers expected to recall laid-off workers in 20 percent of the events, the smallest

proportion since the program began in 1995. In layoff events due to internal company restructuring,

employers anticipated a recall in only 5 percent of the events.

Size of Extended Layoff

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

layoff-size spectrum, with 58 percent involving fewer than 150 workers. These events, however, accounted

for only 24 percent of all separations. (See table C.) Separations involving 500 or more workers accounted

for 40 percent of all separations, up from 35 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 75 separations in

accommodations to a high of 511 in amusement, gambling, and recreation.

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 193,385 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass

layoffs in the third quarter of 2002. Of these claimants, 15 percent were black, 44 percent were women,

r
4

 Layoff events

 Number Percent Number Size

 Total........... 1,309 100.0 284,154 100.0

50-99............... 476 36.4 33,403 11.8

100-149........... 288 22.0 33,498 11.8

150-199........... 151 11.5 24,833 8.7

200-299........... 171 13.1 39,920 14.0

300-499........... 107 8.2 39,820 14.0

500-999........... 79 6.0 51,078 18.0

1,000 or more... 37 2.8 61,602 21.7

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

 July-September 2002

p=preliminary.

Percent

 Separations

18 percent were Hispanic, and 15 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) Thirty-nine

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

12 percent were black, 46 percent were women, 11 percent were Hispanic, and 14 percent were

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

Geographic Distribution

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

West (107,579), followed by the Midwest (64,504), the South (61,735), and the Northeast (50,336).

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

food manufacturing, and crop production.

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

the West (-34,093). Seven of the nine geographic divisions reported over-the-year declines in laid-off

workers, with the largest declines in the East North Central, Middle Atlantic, and Pacific divisions.

Separations rose in the New England and West North Central divisions.

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

California (77,504), followed by Illinois (28,695). These two states accounted for 31 percent of total layoff

events and 37 percent of the separations during the third quarter of 2002. They were followed by Texas

(17,753), Florida (16,041), and New York (14,766). (See table 5.) After excluding the substantial impact

of seasonal work, California still reported the most laid-off workers (33,708), largely due to layoffs in

computer and electronic product manufacturing and in administrative and support services.

Over the year, California reported the greatest decrease in laid-off workers (-21,324), followed by New

York (-17,488) and Nevada (-13,251). The largest increases occurred in Kansas (+7,277) and Washington

(+4,592).

p
5

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 third quarter are preliminary and subject

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

but survey data suggest that there is a seasonal pattern to layoffs. Thus, comparisons between consecutive

quarters should not be used as an indicator of trend. For additional information about the program, see the

Technical Note.

______________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in October 2002 will be issued on Tuesday, November 26, 2002.
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, 2001 and 2002

Industry

III II III III II III III II III

 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,815 1,905 1,309 384,403 432,783 284,154 370,942 347,321 193,385 

Total, private ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,772 1,767 1,246 372,736 384,271 271,350 360,044 317,394 184,334 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 143 142 131 42,345 39,713 40,198 24,345 23,206 11,727 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 15 9 3,054 2,792 1,342 2,440 2,486 1,282 

 Utilities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 8 ( 2

 ) 1,483 1,379 ( 2 ) 1,265 1,259 ( 2 ) 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 77 129 61 9,731 20,264 7,759 11,652 22,964 8,426 

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 722 485 475 129,038 87,948 99,791 140,518 84,359 74,457 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 63 73 50 11,491 14,805 19,484 10,716 13,117 7,350 

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

 ) 6 5 ( 2 ) 1,736 487 ( 2 ) 1,020 359 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 12 18 4,149 2,632 2,950 4,833 2,334 2,883 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 – ( 2

 ) 763 – ( 2 ) 903 – ( 2 ) 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 33 31 10,741 4,316 7,109 10,931 5,505 5,405 

 Leather and allied products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 6 446 ( 2 ) 484 521 ( 2 ) 440 

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 13 12 765 1,269 1,551 996 1,889 1,446 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 17 14 4,226 2,876 1,959 3,696 2,183 1,729 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 17 9 1,870 2,744 1,262 950 2,121 936 

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

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

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 14 9 5,589 1,708 2,440 3,618 1,653 927 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 10 16 2,867 2,265 2,434 2,922 1,430 1,705 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 9 9 1,036 1,496 1,180 1,338 1,828 998 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45 29 29 6,963 4,216 4,540 9,265 5,612 4,631 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 55 19 22 8,786 2,326 3,535 9,312 2,840 2,219 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 72 33 39 12,819 6,885 6,448 14,233 5,566 7,304 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 168 91 101 30,822 15,897 19,565 32,401 16,062 16,273 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 25 26 7,398 3,541 4,792 10,054 4,371 3,981 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 63 57 53 12,194 14,936 14,618 16,622 12,476 11,346 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 15 9 3,258 2,845 1,333 4,426 2,757 1,475 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 8 12 2,375 979 2,537 2,359 1,107 2,399 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 44 34 5,561 6,432 5,280 6,064 5,621 3,568 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 96 105 54 20,009 38,380 15,430 19,574 28,321 8,840 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 123 131 77 49,434 25,748 23,644 39,847 23,939 17,822 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 82 96 65 14,867 21,271 12,586 13,416 22,500 10,969 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 49 46 47 9,898 8,729 9,012 8,021 7,632 7,016 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 3 ( 2

 ) 2,960 790 ( 2 ) 1,318 788 ( 2 ) 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 58 82 55 10,906 26,793 8,374 9,735 14,942 6,476 

 Management of companies and enterprises ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 ( 2

 ) 700 1,017 ( 2 ) 691 1,242 ( 2 ) 

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 126 143 118 25,234 27,392 28,221 30,667 31,989 22,446 

 Educational services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 7 7 212 918 754 200 830 646 

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 129 37 3,444 16,728 4,017 2,660 14,536 2,918 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 49 22 5,841 24,924 6,685 2,965 4,902 1,898 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 143 95 31 34,024 24,824 3,705 39,451 19,416 2,831 

 Other services, except public administration ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 53 12 2,410 8,149 1,929 1,974 6,382 1,254 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 1 – 1,585 80 – 3,241 80 –

Government ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 138 63 11,667 48,512 12,804 10,898 29,927 9,051 

 Federal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 17 8 3,955 5,610 1,879 3,551 6,158 1,440 

 State ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 13 13 1,021 4,489 2,770 1,253 4,518 2,471 

 Local ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 108 42 6,691 38,413 8,155 6,094 19,251 5,140 

 

 

 1 For the third quarter of 2002, data on layoffs were reported by employers and tabulation of economic data by industry. NAICS is the product of a 

in all states and the District of Columbia. cooperative effort on the part of the statistical agencies of the United States, 

 

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Canada, and Mexico. Due to differences in NAICS and SIC structures, data by

 p = preliminary. industry for 2002 will not be comparable to the SIC-based data for earlier years.

 r = revised. However, the quarterly historical industry series from second quarter 1995 to 

 NOTE: Beginning with data for January 2002, the 2002 version of the North fourth quarter 2001 are available on both SIC and NAICS bases. Dash 

American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the basis for the assignment represents zero.

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, 2001 and 2002

Reason for separation

III II III III II III III II III

 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 

 Total, all reasons1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,815 1,905 1,309 384,403 432,783 284,154 370,942 347,321 193,385 

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

 ) 3 3 ( 2 ) 298 406 ( 2 ) 570 238 

Bankruptcy ..................................................................................................................................................................... 62 51 52 17,171 15,232 21,947 11,632 10,972 14,598 

Business ownership change ..................................................................................................................................................................... 56 41 41 11,907 7,079 10,918 11,519 5,630 5,801 

Contract cancellation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 48 38 52 8,805 5,227 12,665 8,496 5,581 6,345 

Contract completed ..................................................................................................................................................................... 123 242 147 19,568 45,505 23,695 22,125 54,031 25,070 

Domestic relocation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 25 25 4,564 4,936 4,396 4,071 3,710 2,566 

Energy-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 944 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,692 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Financial difficulty ..................................................................................................................................................................... 183 124 114 45,805 37,380 22,288 36,973 28,002 16,394 

Import competition ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 16 16 5,433 4,427 2,880 5,402 3,502 2,088 

Labor dispute ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 6 4 2,887 992 814 2,602 1,043 808 

Material shortage ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 – 450 949 – 421 718 –

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

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

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

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

Non-natural disaster ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 4 ( 2

 ) 2,185 399 ( 2 ) 1,713 408 ( 2 ) 

Overseas relocation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 13 19 4,297 4,212 4,691 3,098 2,096 2,846 

Plant or machine repair ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 7 7 785 1,526 825 943 1,466 632 

Product line discontinued ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 10 10 732 969 1,548 557 997 936 

Reorganization within company ..................................................................................................................................................................... 184 193 170 37,563 34,015 33,918 35,743 34,988 25,766 

Seasonal work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 303 659 299 76,331 177,013 84,499 54,583 112,549 35,937 

Slack work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 530 278 252 97,137 50,019 39,274 122,626 52,602 35,040 

Vacation period ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 84 15 11,535 22,753 3,594 8,166 11,924 2,067 

Weather-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 8 ( 2

 ) – 895 ( 2 ) – 895 ( 2 ) 

Other ..................................................................................................................................................................... 103 48 39 25,794 10,959 6,791 25,905 8,044 7,235 

Not reported ..................................................................................................................................................................... 52 46 39 10,134 6,928 8,348 10,741 6,812 8,328 

 

1 See footnote 1, table 1. r

 = revised.

 

2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 

p

 = preliminary.

Initial claimants for

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

insurance, second and third quarters, 2002

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55and over

II III II III II III II III II III II III

 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 2002r 2002p 

 Total1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,905 1,309 347,321 193,385 18.4 14.8 18.1 18.2 51.2 43.7 16.0 15.5 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 ( 2

 ) 4,511 ( 2 ) 53.2 41.1 7.7 .5 60.9 23.2 16.4 33.0 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 – 635 – 4.4 – 1.9 – 55.4 – 16.9 –

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 50 28 9,180 3,974 1.9 4.7 60.5 45.8 48.1 39.4 14.3 12.8 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 3 736 191 50.4 22.5 1.4 7.9 66.2 54.5 11.7 12.6 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 343 302 59,105 36,640 6.6 5.7 43.5 42.7 45.9 44.5 13.2 14.0 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 21 2,547 2,578 5.8 7.2 17.1 12.8 60.1 41.6 11.4 12.6 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 12 4,754 1,470 10.9 13.5 8.2 7.8 62.9 49.1 15.4 16.3 

Delaware ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) – 23.9 – 1.6 – 48.4 – 12.5 –

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

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 57.8 56.0 1.9 .6 78.5 68.0 15.6 9.1 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 183 99 29,656 12,735 28.8 22.2 23.3 13.5 49.9 46.4 18.2 19.8 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 15 3,106 2,400 60.4 48.6 .4 6.3 66.9 49.9 13.3 9.3 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 445 ( 2 ) .2 .9 12.4 8.7 54.2 13.7 34.4 15.1 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 ( 2

 ) 573 ( 2 ) 1.4 – 18.3 40.9 60.7 65.2 15.2 25.8 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 162 109 35,133 16,792 24.0 25.9 8.7 11.5 53.0 44.1 15.2 12.3 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 26 5,965 4,721 23.8 6.4 3.5 2.5 66.5 30.9 19.0 15.0 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 5 615 476 .7 .8 1.0 .2 40.2 33.8 17.6 14.9 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 15 2,360 4,678 15.4 14.6 2.2 3.3 57.9 35.2 15.6 15.3 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 21 2,241 2,608 6.3 3.5 .1 .8 53.1 51.8 17.7 18.9 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 38 12 4,936 1,078 58.4 49.4 2.7 2.6 68.2 54.5 13.0 9.6 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 ( 2

 ) 1,517 ( 2 ) .4 – .2 – 45.4 21.1 10.5 13.6 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 6 1,757 838 58.5 37.0 1.0 1.7 66.6 33.2 15.3 27.3 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 51 42 9,945 6,298 9.0 5.5 3.1 2.1 61.0 48.5 17.7 17.9 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 11 4,969 1,425 19.7 22.6 5.1 1.8 50.4 57.3 15.7 16.2 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 31 22 6,225 2,718 6.7 3.5 2.3 2.0 57.2 41.1 16.8 14.8 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 6 796 692 66.8 74.0 1.0 .1 65.2 51.3 8.8 12.3 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 54 24 8,330 3,835 27.6 21.3 1.8 1.4 67.8 56.1 22.7 15.8 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 – 432 – .7 – 3.2 – 56.0 – 13.2 –

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) 421 6.1 12.4 2.5 2.9 44.3 39.2 18.2 15.4 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 10 614 921 28.5 7.8 19.5 21.2 70.4 28.7 14.7 22.1 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) – 2.1 – – – 21.0 – 8.6 –

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 85 56 17,638 6,617 21.6 22.1 13.0 15.9 63.9 53.8 26.2 20.3 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) 704 ( 2 ) 1.0 .8 39.3 54.9 50.6 35.4 12.1 19.2 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 69 86 12,158 13,405 13.2 16.6 6.5 8.6 47.6 49.6 15.5 17.5 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37 31 6,230 5,062 50.2 29.2 3.2 1.8 54.7 46.2 13.8 16.2 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 – 1,348 – .7 – 2.9 – 39.8 – 14.4 –

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 62 50 10,873 7,330 16.7 13.5 1.6 1.6 43.9 30.0 15.1 18.5 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 4 1,190 597 17.1 18.4 2.3 13.2 55.9 29.3 16.3 13.6 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 25 5,727 2,884 3.0 2.9 11.9 9.3 47.4 41.3 18.6 14.9 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 105 59 25,206 11,568 10.5 6.9 2.6 3.1 48.7 36.3 20.4 18.2 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3 330 230 6.7 3.5 25.5 29.6 47.0 46.1 23.9 20.4 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 7 1,008 942 44.4 54.0 .1 .1 57.3 59.9 6.0 2.0 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) – – – – – 66.8 – 20.2 –

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 19 2,941 1,373 24.2 29.1 – – 56.2 42.8 14.3 21.0 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 108 77 34,320 21,218 22.4 18.2 33.9 36.0 40.6 41.7 10.2 12.1 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 ( 2

 ) 1,071 ( 2 ) 1.7 1.1 14.4 7.1 56.7 23.3 9.3 26.1 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 ( 2

 ) 1,066 ( 2 ) .4 2.2 .1 1.2 44.9 25.1 18.3 14.3 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 20 5,208 2,711 41.9 33.3 .9 .7 58.7 60.7 19.5 19.5 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 55 41 10,023 6,197 4.7 4.4 15.1 22.4 40.5 43.3 17.0 15.0 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 5 785 516 .4 .2 – – 18.3 24.0 16.2 15.9 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 39 18 5,836 3,035 9.5 5.2 3.1 4.0 51.7 44.4 19.2 16.8 

Wyoming ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – – – – – – – –

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 12 3,378 2,742 ( 3

 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) 45.1 51.7 7.6 7.3 

 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, 2001 and 2002

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

III II III III II III III II III

 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 

 United States1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,815 1,905 1,309 384,403 432,783 284,154 370,942 347,321 193,385 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 374 371 262 70,465 71,340 50,336 77,081 72,847 40,412 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 86 112 61 14,014 24,327 15,329 14,175 17,845 8,822 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 288 259 201 56,451 47,013 35,007 62,906 55,002 31,590 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 425 533 329 86,569 105,577 61,735 91,799 100,935 53,321 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 252 296 185 41,118 59,060 32,682 47,477 49,264 25,379 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 73 75 48 14,685 13,902 8,204 12,289 10,489 4,858 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 100 162 96 30,766 32,615 20,849 32,033 41,182 23,084 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 355 455 284 85,697 99,134 64,504 74,381 82,483 45,431 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 279 332 214 67,808 74,519 46,031 57,994 62,776 33,303 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 76 123 70 17,889 24,615 18,473 16,387 19,707 12,128 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 661 546 434 141,672 156,732 107,579 127,681 91,056 54,221 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 101 104 64 27,845 55,897 14,199 29,252 15,121 8,281 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 560 442 370 113,827 100,835 93,380 98,429 75,935 45,940 

 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, 2001 and 2002

State

III II III III II III III II III

 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 2001r 2002r 2002p 

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,815 1,905 1,309 384,403 432,783 284,154 370,942 347,321 193,385 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 29 ( 2

 ) 4,599 5,154 ( 2 ) 3,684 4,511 ( 2 ) 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 5 – – 635 – – 635 –

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 50 28 4,290 26,095 8,295 3,895 9,180 3,974 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 9 3 1,222 1,206 542 1,389 736 191 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 465 343 302 98,828 80,590 77,504 82,650 59,105 36,640 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 20 21 4,780 21,872 3,111 4,451 2,547 2,578 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 30 12 1,828 6,512 3,590 1,149 4,754 1,470 

Delaware ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) – 455 ( 2 ) – 445 ( 2 ) –

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

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

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 144 183 99 22,952 37,564 16,041 27,686 29,656 12,735 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 16 15 2,686 3,518 3,101 2,660 3,106 2,400 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 5 ( 2

 ) 3,185 475 ( 2 ) 5,587 445 ( 2 ) 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 6 ( 2

 ) 1,249 1,543 ( 2 ) 851 573 ( 2 ) 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 127 162 109 41,015 45,891 28,695 29,316 35,133 16,792 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 41 26 7,014 12,060 5,524 7,165 5,965 4,721 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 7 5 2,701 693 556 2,752 615 476 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 17 15 804 3,654 8,081 714 2,360 4,678 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 21 21 4,536 2,953 3,876 3,822 2,241 2,608 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 38 12 2,416 7,298 1,761 2,621 4,936 1,078 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 14 ( 2

 ) 1,160 2,176 ( 2 ) 814 1,517 ( 2 ) 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 14 6 829 2,317 1,495 469 1,757 838 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 59 51 42 9,256 14,054 10,011 10,534 9,945 6,298 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 42 28 11 6,407 5,100 3,427 7,944 4,969 1,425 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 31 22 7,113 8,765 4,336 6,456 6,225 2,718 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 8 6 1,789 1,310 1,057 1,017 796 692 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 54 24 6,469 9,303 4,741 5,624 8,330 3,835 

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

 ) 6 – ( 2 ) 1,015 – ( 2 ) 432 –

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

 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 759 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 421 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 5 10 14,237 703 986 16,535 614 921 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) – 1,270 ( 2 ) – 1,163 ( 2 ) –

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 53 85 56 9,516 17,297 8,382 10,347 17,638 6,617 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 7 ( 2

 ) 1,275 1,257 ( 2 ) 1,275 704 ( 2 ) 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 139 69 86 32,254 12,225 14,766 26,393 12,158 13,405 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45 37 31 9,221 8,112 7,453 8,505 6,230 5,062 

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

 ) 8 – ( 2 ) 1,575 – ( 2 ) 1,348 –

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 62 50 6,843 6,789 5,711 7,273 10,873 7,330 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 7 4 1,371 962 793 3,456 1,190 597 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 34 25 4,491 6,239 3,742 4,445 5,727 2,884 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 96 105 59 14,681 17,491 11,859 26,166 25,206 11,568 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 3 387 261 344 361 330 230 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 7 7 1,332 490 797 2,881 1,008 942 

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

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 17 19 3,761 4,485 3,052 3,766 2,941 1,373 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 69 108 77 25,757 23,149 17,753 24,567 34,320 21,218 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 10 ( 2

 ) 1,854 3,412 ( 2 ) 1,712 1,071 ( 2 ) 

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

 ) 11 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,066 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,066 ( 2 ) 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 27 20 2,256 5,128 2,926 3,638 5,208 2,711 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 55 41 7,323 12,896 11,915 5,747 10,023 6,197 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 7 5 432 812 694 238 785 516 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 39 18 6,529 4,679 2,674 6,296 5,836 3,035 

Wyoming ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – – – – –

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 17 12 4,987 2,760 2,616 3,641 3,378 2,742 

 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