For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Friday, April 23, 2010 USDL-10-0492 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 • mlsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/mls 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

MASS LAYOFFS – MARCH 2010

Employers took 1,628 mass layoff actions in March that resulted in the separation of 150,864 workers, 

seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, 

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in March increased by 58 from the prior month, while 

the number of associated initial claims decreased by 4,854. The number of events has decreased in 5 of 

the last 7 months, and the number of initial claims has decreased in 6 of the last 7 months. In March, 356 

mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 39,290 

initial claims. Both figures registered their lowest levels since August 2007. (See table 1.) 

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Events

Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

April 2005-March 2010

Total

Private nonfarm

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

Claims

Total

Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

April 2005-March 2010

Private nonfarm

During the 28 months from December 2007 through March 2010, the total number of mass layoff events 

(seasonally adjusted) was 56,937, and the associated number of initial claims was 5,731,683. (December 

2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.) 

The national unemployment rate was 9.7 percent in March 2010, seasonally adjusted, unchanged from 

the prior month but up from 8.6 percent a year earlier. In March, nonfarm payroll employment increased 

by 162,000 over the month but was down by 2,320,000 from a year earlier. 
- 2 - 

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

The number of mass layoff events in March was 1,197 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the number 

of associated initial claims was 111,727. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events decreased by 

994, and associated initial claims decreased by 116,660. (See table 2.) Fifteen of the 19 major industry 

sectors in the private economy reported over-the-year decreases in initial claimants, led by manufacturing (-85,002). (See table 3.) Manufacturing also reported a program low in terms of average weekly 

initial claimants for the month of March. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing 

lengths of months. See the Technical Note.) 

The manufacturing sector accounted for 23 percent of all mass layoff events and 27 percent of initial 

claims filed in March 2010. A year earlier, manufacturing made up 43 percent of events and 50 percent 

of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in March 2010 was greatest in transportation equipment and food. Nineteen of the 21 manufacturing subsectors experienced over-the-year 

reductions in initial claims, led by transportation equipment (-18,884) and machinery (-15,708). (See 

table 3.) 

The six-digit industry with the largest number of initial claims in March 2010 was food service contractors. (See table A.) Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims, 

warehouse clubs and supercenters reached a program high for the month of March. (Data begin in April 

1995.) 

Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in March 2010,

not seasonally adjusted

Year Initial claims

Food service contractors ................................... 6,677 2007 7,636 

Temporary help services 1 .................................. 6,647 2002 14,338 

Department stores, except discount .................... 3,339 1999 3,799 

School and employee bus transportation ............. 3,180 2008 8,073 

Automobile manufacturing .................................. ( 2 ) 1996 15,411 

Motion picture and video production .................. 2,933 2005 7,192 

Professional employer organizations 1

 ................. 2,561 2009 4,892 

Supermarkets and other grocery stores .............. 2,012 2009 2,220 

Warehouse clubs and supercenters ..................... 1,897 2010 1,897 

Discount department stores ................................ 1,821 2007 3,670 

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

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

Industry Initial claims March peak

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

All regions and all divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims due to mass layoffs 

in March. Among the 4 census regions, the Midwest (-54,366) and South (-34,841) registered the largest 
- 3 - 

over-the-year declines in initial claims. Of the 9 geographic divisions, the East North Central (-42,982) 

and the South Atlantic (-17,057) had the largest over-the-year declines in initial claims. (See table 5.) 

California recorded the highest number of initial claims in March, followed by Pennsylvania, Illinois, 

Texas, and New York. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by Illinois (-10,617), Ohio (-10,140), and California (-9,950). (See table 6.) 

In 2010, three states and the District of Columbia reached or matched March program lows for average 

weekly initial claims: Delaware, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the 

effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.) 

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 Extended Mass Layoffs in the First Quarter 2010 news release is scheduled to be released on 

Wednesday, May 12, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). The Mass Layoffs in April 2010 news release is 

scheduled to be released on Friday, May 21, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). 
Technical Note 

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

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job 

cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment 

insurance database. Each month, states report on employers 

which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during 

a consecutive 5-week period. These employers then are 

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these 

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

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report 

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

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly 

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday 

through Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect into 

consideration. 

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 

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

funding. Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were 

not available. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339 

Definitions 

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include 

those covered by state unemployment insurance laws. 

Information on employers is obtained from the Quarterly 

Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which 

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

Industry. Employers are classified according to the 

2007 version of the North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS). For temporary help and professional 

employer organization industries, monthly MLS-related 

statistics generally reflect layoffs related to underlying client 

companies in other industries. An individual layoff action at 

a client company can be small, but when initial claimants 

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

mass layoff event may trigger. 

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

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a 

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or 

period of eligibility. 

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for 

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an employer 

during a 5-week period, regardless of duration. 

Seasonal adjustment 

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS 

began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS 

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

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

and manufacturing sectors. 

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and 

removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring 

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

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

seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental 

changes in time series, particularly those associated with 

general economic expansions and contractions. 

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

ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis. 

Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly 

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

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

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

seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments are made to the 

original data to adjust them for differences in the number of 

weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly 

unemployment insurance claims are aggregated to form 

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

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

effects of these differences could seriously distort the 

seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal 

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

ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the 

final seasonally adjusted series.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2006 to March 2010,

seasonally adjusted

2006

April .............................................................. 1,189 123,056 1,055 112,922 352 48,731 

May .............................................................. 1,121 117,834 1,003 107,929 302 40,703 

June ............................................................. 1,150 125,318 1,039 115,883 349 43,476 

July ............................................................... 1,182 121,056 1,056 111,432 373 51,691 

August .......................................................... 1,238 135,707 1,104 125,704 372 58,962 

September ................................................... 1,154 124,200 1,043 115,261 393 45,972 

October ........................................................ 1,208 123,691 1,094 115,102 409 53,957 

November .................................................... 1,244 135,465 1,128 125,976 413 58,509 

December .................................................... 1,227 134,176 1,123 124,570 376 51,403 

2007

January ........................................................ 1,264 130,834 1,113 119,874 404 55,217 

February ....................................................... 1,191 121,289 1,075 112,607 374 54,581 

March ........................................................... 1,225 126,391 1,113 117,760 386 48,298 

April .............................................................. 1,268 129,098 1,135 118,175 362 43,205 

May .............................................................. 1,172 118,648 1,070 111,103 345 44,391 

June ............................................................. 1,241 131,394 1,125 122,123 338 37,931 

July ............................................................... 1,274 130,331 1,169 122,381 403 55,973 

August .......................................................... 1,247 126,108 1,158 118,575 323 34,902 

September ................................................... 1,255 123,632 1,160 116,744 436 51,814 

October ........................................................ 1,370 137,108 1,248 128,387 449 58,360 

November .................................................... 1,415 148,952 1,289 139,665 424 58,543 

December .................................................... 1,569 155,095 1,448 145,666 483 60,368 

2008

January ........................................................ 1,481 151,269 1,348 140,570 436 57,147 

February ....................................................... 1,578 162,152 1,432 150,712 470 60,276 

March ........................................................... 1,487 151,539 1,372 141,574 436 56,919 

April .............................................................. 1,327 133,318 1,201 122,651 460 59,377 

May .............................................................. 1,604 170,619 1,465 160,529 468 62,345 

June ............................................................. 1,674 170,329 1,523 158,084 501 68,403 

July ............................................................... 1,531 152,447 1,389 141,707 461 61,417 

August .......................................................... 1,845 189,798 1,711 179,737 607 78,172 

September ................................................... 2,222 235,755 2,049 220,832 634 81,989 

October ........................................................ 2,287 239,768 2,125 226,098 721 95,301 

November .................................................... 2,489 240,181 2,334 227,368 929 107,072 

December .................................................... 2,461 243,505 2,277 229,171 962 115,961 

2009

January ........................................................ 2,279 251,807 2,115 238,990 764 109,124 

February ....................................................... 2,737 289,162 2,592 274,040 1,186 141,264 

March ........................................................... 2,913 295,970 2,715 279,671 1,202 146,381 

April .............................................................. 2,663 263,162 2,461 247,329 1,033 125,093 

May .............................................................. 2,794 306,788 2,589 289,012 1,183 145,166 

June ............................................................. 2,598 260,596 2,371 241,864 1,072 135,844 

July ............................................................... 2,039 196,578 1,818 176,542 565 66,918 

August .......................................................... 2,480 238,911 2,244 218,425 798 87,201 

September ................................................... 2,326 221,639 2,109 204,462 783 90,440 

October ........................................................ 2,055 205,502 1,856 187,880 594 65,801 

November .................................................... 1,813 163,823 1,650 151,810 485 54,858 

December .................................................... 1,726 153,127 1,542 138,747 433 44,072 

2010

January ........................................................ 1,761 182,261 1,585 168,466 486 62,556 

February ....................................................... 1,570 155,718 1,406 142,240 376 43,100 

March ........................................................... 1,628 150,864 1,432 136,446 356 39,290 

Date

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2006 to March 2010,

not seasonally adjusted

2006

April .............................................................. 1,140 121,589 1,038 112,964 296 39,538 

May .............................................................. 872 84,809 794 78,663 192 23,570 

June ............................................................. 1,489 164,761 1,224 140,687 319 41,095 

July ............................................................... 1,511 166,857 1,335 154,342 648 96,152 

August .......................................................... 708 72,844 656 69,054 203 28,494 

September ................................................... 865 87,699 785 81,274 296 39,076 

October ........................................................ 964 98,804 820 88,133 311 46,737 

November .................................................... 1,315 136,186 1,172 125,009 455 58,473 

December .................................................... 2,249 254,503 2,126 244,783 735 105,462 

2007

January ........................................................ 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 456 53,615 

February ....................................................... 935 86,696 861 82,097 273 36,170 

March ........................................................... 1,082 123,974 1,015 118,431 367 49,886 

April .............................................................. 1,219 127,444 1,115 118,040 309 35,229 

May .............................................................. 923 85,816 856 81,153 224 26,527 

June ............................................................. 1,599 172,810 1,318 148,669 313 36,571 

July ............................................................... 1,599 175,419 1,450 164,939 684 101,390 

August .......................................................... 963 93,458 908 88,345 220 23,361 

September ................................................... 717 67,385 667 64,026 246 29,381 

October ........................................................ 1,083 108,455 929 97,716 338 50,918 

November .................................................... 1,799 198,220 1,593 181,184 514 75,413 

December .................................................... 2,167 224,214 2,071 216,898 699 91,754 

2008

January ........................................................ 1,647 154,503 1,520 144,191 488 54,418 

February ....................................................... 1,269 119,508 1,178 113,587 361 42,527 

March ........................................................... 1,089 114,541 1,039 110,147 333 43,740 

April .............................................................. 1,272 130,810 1,172 121,625 394 48,188 

May .............................................................. 1,552 159,471 1,438 150,462 388 51,698 

June ............................................................. 1,622 166,742 1,315 140,916 309 42,097 

July ............................................................... 1,891 200,382 1,687 186,018 760 108,733 

August .......................................................... 1,427 139,999 1,343 133,146 414 51,912 

September ................................................... 1,292 129,586 1,202 122,505 361 46,391 

October ........................................................ 2,125 221,784 1,917 205,553 689 100,457 

November .................................................... 2,574 241,589 2,389 226,657 997 107,620 

December .................................................... 3,377 351,305 3,232 340,220 1,378 172,529 

2009

January ........................................................ 3,806 388,813 3,633 375,293 1,461 172,757 

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

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

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

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

June ............................................................. 2,519 256,357 2,051 216,063 674 85,726 

July ............................................................... 3,054 336,654 2,659 296,589 1,133 154,208 

August .......................................................... 1,428 125,024 1,334 117,193 436 41,151 

September ................................................... 1,371 123,177 1,258 115,141 448 51,126 

October ........................................................ 1,934 193,904 1,678 172,883 566 69,655 

November .................................................... 1,870 164,496 1,679 150,751 517 55,053 

December .................................................... 2,310 214,648 2,166 203,655 615 64,540 

2010

January ........................................................ 2,860 278,679 2,682 265,074 962 104,846 

February ....................................................... 1,183 102,818 1,091 96,022 282 30,728 

March ........................................................... 1,197 111,727 1,111 105,514 273 29,745 

Date

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants
Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

March January February March March January February March

2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 2,913 1,761 1,570 1,628 295,970 182,261 155,718 150,864 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 2,715 1,585 1,406 1,432 279,671 168,466 142,240 136,446 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 1,202 486 376 356 146,381 62,556 43,100 39,290 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 2,191 2,860 1,183 1,197 228,387 278,679 102,818 111,727 

Total, private ........................................................ 2,140 2,739 1,128 1,149 223,981 268,595 98,241 107,880 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 33 57 37 38 2,584 3,521 2,219 2,366 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 2,107 2,682 1,091 1,111 221,397 265,074 96,022 105,514 

 Mining .............................................................. 31 20 5 5 3,751 1,561 761 374 

 Utilities ............................................................. 3 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 234 ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 166 328 166 117 11,612 24,148 12,200 8,206 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 940 962 282 273 114,747 104,846 30,728 29,745 

 Food ............................................................ 63 93 45 53 6,077 9,134 4,031 6,122 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 9 13 6 4 1,305 839 407 716 

 Textile mills .................................................. 29 28 5 4 3,108 3,807 431 350 

 Textile product mills ..................................... 6 18 5 3 554 2,503 557 172 

 Apparel ........................................................ 9 23 4 10 883 2,128 265 578 

 Leather and allied products ......................... ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 499 ( 2 ) –

 Wood products ............................................ 62 62 27 16 5,799 6,657 1,850 1,445 

 Paper ........................................................... 27 16 10 5 2,749 1,421 721 313 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 23 23 12 14 2,124 2,415 960 1,224 

 Petroleum and coal products ....................... ( 2 ) 7 ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) 469 ( 2 ) 185 

 Chemicals .................................................... 21 23 9 13 1,746 2,058 872 1,064 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 60 62 10 9 6,151 5,466 1,014 686 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 46 44 12 11 4,095 3,131 794 785 

 Primary metals ............................................. 71 56 9 8 8,681 5,734 981 773 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 88 99 12 18 8,186 9,256 681 1,361 

 Machinery .................................................... 110 89 20 22 18,081 12,322 2,466 2,373 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 68 37 18 16 8,130 4,239 1,538 1,278 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 47 33 12 6 6,476 3,360 1,386 1,195 

 Transportation equipment ............................ 155 175 45 43 26,012 23,150 10,104 7,128 

 Furniture and related products .................... 24 48 16 10 3,020 5,088 1,346 1,625 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 19 10 ( 2 ) 5 1,354 1,170 ( 2 ) 372 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 59 67 27 29 4,696 5,310 1,754 2,016 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 178 259 128 124 19,491 28,109 10,802 13,337 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 91 212 51 62 8,809 23,788 5,372 6,444 

 Information ....................................................... 75 84 40 52 8,559 12,581 3,753 5,715 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 57 47 32 43 4,469 3,681 2,671 3,636 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 16 ( 2 ) 9 8 980 ( 2 ) 622 409 

 Professional and technical services ................ 81 71 33 45 7,191 6,390 2,292 4,610 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 10 15 6 ( 2 ) 923 1,462 1,990 ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services .................. 227 326 191 163 18,762 30,020 13,594 13,281 

 Educational services ........................................ 8 18 4 10 467 2,460 242 824 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 24 46 31 33 1,820 3,019 2,118 2,066 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 17 35 16 20 1,259 2,860 1,419 1,558 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 115 163 61 112 13,090 12,838 5,044 12,269 

 Other services, except public administration ... 9 20 8 10 537 1,458 552 670 

 Unclassified ..................................................... – – 1 – – – 108 –

Government ......................................................... 51 121 55 48 4,406 10,084 4,577 3,847 

 Federal ............................................................ 5 8 8 8 470 698 631 636 

 State ................................................................ 11 37 12 15 1,066 3,278 947 1,324 

 Local ................................................................ 35 76 35 25 2,870 6,108 2,999 1,887 

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

 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

Industry
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2008 to March 2010,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Second Quarter ......................... 4,446 457,023 3,925 413,003 1,756 339,630 44.7 82.2 

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

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

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

Third Quarter ............................. 4,610 469,967 4,232 441,669 1,581 304,340 37.4 68.9 

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

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

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

Fourth Quarter ........................... 8,076 814,678 7,538 772,430 3,582 766,780 47.5 99.3 

2009

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

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

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

First Quarter ............................... 8,259 835,638 7,913 807,445 3,979 835,420 50.3 103.5 

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

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

June ........................................... 2,519 256,357 2,051 216,063 

Second Quarter ......................... 7,804 802,915 7,008 733,431 3,395 730,946 48.4 99.7 

July ............................................ 3,054 336,654 2,659 296,589 

August ........................................ 1,428 125,024 1,334 117,193 

September ................................. 1,371 123,177 1,258 115,141 

Third Quarter ............................. 5,853 584,855 5,251 528,923 2,035 402,927 38.8 76.2 

October ...................................... 1,934 193,904 1,678 172,883 

November .................................. 1,870 164,496 1,679 150,751 

December .................................. 2,310 214,648 2,166 203,655 

Fourth Quarter ........................... 6,114 573,048 5,523 527,289 2,p 2,043 2,p 292,696 p

 37.0 p 55.5 

2010

January ...................................... 2,860 278,679 2,682 265,074 

February .................................... 1,183 102,818 1,091 96,022 

March ......................................... 1,197 111,727 1,111 105,514 

First Quarter ............................... 5,240 493,224 4,884 466,610 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards

rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated

associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days. with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

 2

 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more p = preliminary.

Date

Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

Mass layoffs
Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

March January February March March January February March

2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010

 United States 1

 ......................................... 2,191 2,860 1,183 1,197 228,387 278,679 102,818 111,727 

Northeast .......................................................... 317 593 215 195 29,493 58,748 21,705 19,419 

 New England ................................................ 68 70 39 26 7,021 6,503 4,682 2,168 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 249 523 176 169 22,472 52,245 17,023 17,251 

South ................................................................ 589 753 319 262 61,432 74,105 29,681 26,591 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 276 404 178 136 27,819 37,846 13,052 10,762 

 East South Central ....................................... 158 220 69 54 15,629 23,085 9,917 5,470 

 West South Central ...................................... 155 129 72 72 17,984 13,174 6,712 10,359 

Midwest ............................................................ 607 807 221 252 81,957 83,185 21,128 27,591 

 East North Central ........................................ 466 604 169 184 64,595 63,706 16,776 21,613 

 West North Central ....................................... 141 203 52 68 17,362 19,479 4,352 5,978 

West ................................................................. 678 707 428 488 55,505 62,641 30,304 38,126 

 Mountain ....................................................... 109 94 58 77 10,991 8,992 4,276 6,324 

 Pacific ........................................................... 569 613 370 411 44,514 53,649 26,028 31,802 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, 

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana,

comprise the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas,

Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota;

and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, 

Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon,

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington.

Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama,

Census region and division
Table 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

March January February March March January February March

2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010

 Total 1

 .............................................. 2,191 2,860 1,183 1,197 228,387 278,679 102,818 111,727 

Alabama ............................................. 45 93 17 18 4,985 11,204 1,758 1,517 

Alaska ................................................. ( 2 ) 9 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 713 267 ( 2 ) Arizona ............................................... 22 17 8 17 2,483 1,502 700 1,417 

Arkansas ............................................. 10 9 ( 2 ) 3 806 1,433 ( 2 ) 214 

California ............................................ 498 533 335 373 38,130 46,474 23,191 28,180 

Colorado ............................................. 13 13 10 7 1,578 1,301 706 626 

Connecticut ......................................... 11 6 10 9 928 406 847 746 

Delaware ............................................ 4 4 5 – 509 287 378 –

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

Florida ................................................. 107 141 87 68 8,594 9,909 5,523 4,311 

Georgia ............................................... 46 83 34 13 4,152 8,861 2,708 1,202 

Hawaii ................................................. 5 9 ( 2 ) 7 376 735 ( 2 ) 534 

Idaho ................................................... 16 11 11 9 1,664 1,068 709 661 

Illinois .................................................. 109 112 40 60 18,096 11,615 4,311 7,479 

Indiana ................................................ 68 59 22 22 10,781 6,470 1,907 3,057 

Iowa .................................................... 38 54 13 13 6,140 6,647 1,122 2,135 

Kansas ................................................ 19 27 – 4 2,259 2,432 – 313 

Kentucky ............................................. 72 76 32 25 7,861 8,044 6,844 3,276 

Louisiana ............................................ 16 18 12 16 1,411 1,566 1,442 1,615 

Maine .................................................. 9 8 ( 2 ) 3 835 789 ( 2 ) 233 

Maryland ............................................. 8 29 7 6 531 2,586 724 557 

Massachusetts .................................... 25 27 8 7 2,422 2,341 646 725 

Michigan ............................................. 87 144 32 29 11,121 16,035 3,694 4,729 

Minnesota ........................................... 30 36 13 13 3,665 3,614 1,456 921 

Mississippi .......................................... 12 11 5 5 745 735 282 241 

Missouri .............................................. 42 74 24 31 3,430 5,567 1,667 2,112 

Montana .............................................. 7 9 4 ( 2

 ) 667 1,012 258 ( 2 )

Nebraska ............................................ ( 2 ) 7 ( 2 ) 6 ( 2 ) 548 ( 2 ) 409 

Nevada ............................................... 27 26 16 26 2,351 2,463 1,331 2,131 

New Hampshire .................................. 9 12 7 5 1,213 962 1,095 297 

New Jersey ......................................... 39 87 16 28 3,217 7,506 1,408 3,024 

New Mexico ........................................ 9 8 6 9 858 560 391 847 

New York ............................................ 70 236 52 60 6,974 28,309 6,833 6,046 

North Carolina .................................... 44 27 5 16 6,277 2,072 451 1,610 

North Dakota ...................................... 4 4 ( 2 ) – 1,259 595 ( 2 ) –

Ohio .................................................... 93 145 35 34 13,067 14,121 3,790 2,927 

Oklahoma ........................................... 17 17 3 4 1,483 1,666 306 1,287 

Oregon ................................................ 42 35 19 18 4,118 3,730 1,571 2,080 

Pennsylvania ...................................... 140 200 108 81 12,281 16,430 8,782 8,181 

Rhode Island ...................................... 9 13 7 ( 2

 ) 889 1,696 1,545 ( 2 )

South Carolina .................................... 48 67 11 14 6,157 7,274 886 1,513 

South Dakota ...................................... 5 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 323 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Tennessee .......................................... 29 40 15 6 2,038 3,102 1,033 436 

Texas .................................................. 112 85 56 49 14,284 8,509 4,894 7,243 

Utah .................................................... 14 10 ( 2 ) 5 1,313 1,086 ( 2 ) 393 

Vermont .............................................. 5 4 6 ( 2 ) 734 309 483 ( 2 ) Virginia ................................................ 14 49 22 18 1,229 6,570 1,704 1,416 

Washington ......................................... 23 27 11 12 1,833 1,997 769 949 

West Virginia ...................................... 4 ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) 301 ( 2 ) 509 ( 2 ) Wisconsin ........................................... 109 144 40 39 11,530 15,465 3,074 3,421 

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

Puerto Rico ......................................... 22 19 21 21 2,035 1,892 2,459 1,702 

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

State