1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-2237

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally 

adjusted, November 2000-October 2005

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

2001 

Note: Shaded area represents recession period.

2002 2003 2004 2005 

Private nonfarm

Total

Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally 

adjusted, November 2000-October 2005

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 

Manufacturing

Total

Private nonfarm

Note: Shaded area represents recession period.

MASS LAYOFFS IN OCTOBER 2005

In October 2005, employers took 1,088 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new

filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.

Department of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment,

and the number of workers involved totaled 106,238, on a seasonally adjusted basis. (See table 1.) The

number of layoff events in October declined by 1,132 from September (as revised, see box note) to 1,088,

the lowest number of events for any month since October 2000. The number of associated initial claims fell

by 181,454 from September (as revised) to 106,238 and was at its lowest total for any month since August

1998. In the manufacturing sector, 316 mass layoff events were reported during October 2005, seasonally

adjusted, resulting in 45,589 initial claims; both figures were sharply lower than a month earlier. (See table 1.)

 Revisions to September Data

Data for September have been revised to reflect additional layoff reports that came in after the

cutoff date for the initial September release, Mass Layoffs in September 2005, issued October 25,

2005. MLS data are always preliminary when first released, but the monthly data are typically not

revised. The decision to issue revised September data was based on the large number of additional

events reported following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
2

Table A. Industries with the largest mass-layoff initial claims in October 2005 p

Industry Initial claims

October peak

Year

Initial claims

Automobile manufacturing ...................................... 6,029 2001 7,563

Temporary help services ........................................ 5,036 1998 18,760

Motion picture and video production ..................... 4,113 1997 7,692

Light truck and utility vehicle mfg. .......................... 3,252 2001 8,763

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ............... 2,991 1998 9,617

Professional employer organizations ....................... 2,638 2001 3,523

Fruit and vegetable canning .................................... 1,937 2002 4,500

Food service contractors ....................................... 1,895 2005 1,895

Motor home manufacturing .................................... 1,846 2005 1,846

Supermarkets and other grocery stores .................. 1,575 13,682

p = preliminary.

2003

These over-the-month declines in the number of events and initial claims reflect the falloff from the large

number of layoffs in Louisiana and Mississippi during September that followed Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

In Louisiana and Mississippi, there were 817 layoff events identified as potentially related to Hurricanes

Katrina and Rita for September. Thus far, about half of the employers involved have been contacted to learn

more about the layoff, including the reason for it. The BLS has not had sufficient time to review and analyze

the data from these employer interviews. As more data are collected and reviewed, BLS will provide the results in regularly scheduled MLS news releases. For additional information on the storms’ impacts on MLS

data, including questions and answers on concepts and definitions, data collection, and future publication

plans, please see http://www.bls.gov/katrina/mlsquestions.htm or call (202) 691-6392.

From January through October 2005, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 13,123, was

lower than in January-October 2004 (13,328), while the number of initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at

1,445,739, was higher (1,338,676).

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

In October, the 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 31,312 initial claims, 34 percent of the total. (See table A.) The two industries with

the highest number of initial claims were automobile manufacturing, with 6,029, and temporary help services,

with 5,036. Together, these two industries accounted for 12 percent of all initial claims during the month.

The manufacturing sector accounted for 28 percent of all mass layoff events and 41 percent of all initial

claims filed in October 2005. A year earlier, manufacturing comprised 30 percent of events and 38 percent

of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in October 2005 was highest in transportation

equipment (15,841, largely automotive-related), followed by food manufacturing (5,666). (See table 3.)

Administrative and waste services accounted for 15 percent of events and 12 percent of initial claims filed

in October, with layoffs largely from temporary help services. Ten percent of all layoff events and 7 percent

of initial claims filed during the month were from agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, mostly among farm

labor contractors and crew leaders. Construction accounted for 10 percent of events and 6 percent of initial
3

claims in October, primarily among specialty trade contractors. Retail trade accounted for 8 percent of

events and 6 percent of initial claims during the month, mainly from general merchandise stores. An

additional 3 percent of events and 6 percent of initial claims were from the information sector, mostly from

motion pic-ture and sound recording industries.

Government establishments accounted for 6 percent of events and 5 percent of initial claims filed in

October, mostly among executive, legislative, and general government agencies.

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of layoff events decreased by 337 over the year to 905,

and the number of associated initial claims fell by 35,977 to 91,941. This was the second lowest event total

and the lowest initial claims total for any October on record. This may be due in part to a calendar effect;

October 2005 contained 4 weeks for possible mass layoffs, compared with 5 weeks in each October of the

prior 2 years. (See the Technical Note for an explanation of how the number of weeks for data collection

can vary from month to month.) The largest over-the-year decreases in initial claims were reported in

accommodation (-4,385), administrative and support services (-4,316), and food manufacturing (-3,383).

The largest over-the-year increase in initial claims was in transportation equipment manufacturing (+3,108).

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Among the four census regions, the largest number of initial claims in October due to mass layoffs was

in the West (31,122). (See table 5.) Administrative and support services, agriculture and forestry support

activities, and motion picture and sound recording industries accounted for 43 percent of the West total.

The Midwest had the next largest number of initial claims (27,841), followed by the South (17,616) and the

Northeast (15,362).

The number of initial claimants from mass layoffs decreased over the year in each of the four regions.

The largest decrease occurred in the West (-13,128), followed by the South (-12,630), the Midwest

(-8,018), and the Northeast (-2,201). Each of the nine geographic divisions had over-the-year decreases

in the number of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest in the Pacific (-12,803), followed

by the South Atlantic (-6,334) and East North Central (-5,561) divisions.

Among the states, California recorded the largest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events

in October (25,317). Pennsylvania had the next highest initial claims total, with 7,075 initial claims, followed

by Michigan (6,276), Illinois (5,717), Ohio (4,820), and New York (4,806). These six states accounted for

62 percent of all mass layoff events and 59 percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance. (See

table 6.)

California had the largest over-the-year decrease in the number of initial claims (-9,579). Florida had

the next largest over-the-year decrease (-7,031), followed by Texas (-3,484) and Ohio (-3,373). The

largest over-the-year increase occurred in Michigan (+2,508).

From January to October, California reported 299,888 mass-layoff initial claims, 21 percent of the

national total. Louisiana had the next largest number of claims over this period (115,702), followed by

Michigan (95,969) and Ohio (94,499).

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
4

more than 30 days (referred to as “extended mass layoffs”). The quarterly release provides more information on the industry classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of the laid-off

workers. Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for

the 3 months in a quarter will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 30 days.

(See table 4.) See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.

______________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in November 2005 is scheduled to be released on Thursday,

December 22, 2005.
Technical Note

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state

program that uses a standardized, automated approach to

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job

cutbacks, using data from each state’s unemployment insurance

database. Each month, states report on establishments which

have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during a

consecutive 5-week period. These establishments then are

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-theyear change in not seasonally adjusted series should take this

calendar effect into consideration.

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after it

had been terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding.

Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were not available.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200;

TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Definitions

Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or

period of eligibility.

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an

establishment during a 5-week period, regardless of duration.

Seasonal adjustment

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS

began 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 one year and 4 weeks in another. The effects of these differences could seriously distort

the seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal

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

ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the final

seasonally adjusted series.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, November 2001 to October 2005,

seasonally adjusted

2001

November ............................................................... 2,094 218,273 1,935 207,129 944 114,556 

December ............................................................... 1,799 194,759 1,658 183,178 722 93,193 

2002

January ................................................................... 1,801 208,835 1,659 195,862 739 96,689 

February ................................................................. 1,773 204,089 1,620 192,450 701 91,285 

March ...................................................................... 1,674 187,924 1,517 175,998 610 75,367 

April ......................................................................... 1,685 186,574 1,497 169,228 591 69,481 

May ......................................................................... 1,720 191,841 1,558 178,993 611 74,809 

June ........................................................................ 1,615 170,307 1,438 156,759 551 73,064 

July ......................................................................... 1,637 179,165 1,457 164,398 568 73,230 

August ..................................................................... 1,475 160,855 1,330 149,148 562 65,564 

September .............................................................. 1,909 217,475 1,742 202,640 607 79,413 

October ................................................................... 1,716 178,860 1,524 162,411 598 71,765 

November ............................................................... 1,644 176,462 1,500 165,578 607 70,640 

December ............................................................... 1,825 193,627 1,661 179,368 638 86,714 

2003

January ................................................................... 1,383 134,258 1,193 120,033 402 49,440 

February ................................................................. 1,771 185,502 1,589 173,392 643 75,331 

March ...................................................................... 1,773 176,540 1,577 161,662 618 75,289 

April ......................................................................... 1,735 176,645 1,574 165,416 646 86,857 

May ......................................................................... 1,709 186,158 1,532 173,123 624 87,615 

June ........................................................................ 1,704 163,646 1,515 148,547 636 70,888 

July ......................................................................... 1,653 163,061 1,444 147,883 590 71,203 

August ..................................................................... 1,502 170,353 1,364 156,731 540 71,944 

September .............................................................. 1,559 145,961 1,370 132,233 471 56,274 

October ................................................................... 1,541 154,908 1,312 136,604 412 49,518 

November ............................................................... 1,400 137,651 1,241 125,115 397 46,955 

December ............................................................... 1,425 141,780 1,281 129,464 420 53,436 

2004

January ................................................................... 1,458 146,147 1,257 127,917 413 50,074 

February ................................................................. 1,237 126,421 1,091 115,302 358 36,783 

March ...................................................................... 1,348 142,480 1,211 134,118 409 63,380 

April ......................................................................... 1,422 149,049 1,239 132,180 360 43,158 

May ......................................................................... 1,178 114,247 1,016 100,499 314 37,950 

June ........................................................................ 1,375 141,300 1,215 129,466 361 47,548 

July ......................................................................... 1,363 139,374 1,200 127,011 390 49,276 

August ..................................................................... 1,392 130,483 1,208 115,035 330 36,422 

September .............................................................. 1,281 123,761 1,153 114,223 332 45,917 

October ................................................................... 1,274 125,414 1,145 116,042 350 44,908 

November ............................................................... 1,361 130,168 1,201 117,545 402 43,504 

December ............................................................... 1,211 119,649 1,064 108,157 283 34,940 

2005

January ................................................................... 1,457 150,990 1,321 140,826 379 58,908 

February ................................................................. 1,128 117,684 1,001 107,415 345 43,186 

March ...................................................................... 1,194 130,848 1,060 121,408 371 55,377 

April ......................................................................... 1,274 136,837 1,142 126,807 395 63,121 

May ......................................................................... 1,196 128,771 1,060 117,036 359 53,243 

June ........................................................................ 1,175 127,887 1,059 118,736 347 55,820 

July ......................................................................... 1,249 131,326 1,107 118,835 360 48,967 

August ..................................................................... 1,142 127,466 1,002 115,674 328 48,155 

September

p

 ............................................................. 2,220 287,692 1,970 237,108 426 54,993 

October

p

 .................................................................. 1,088 106,238 962 97,180 316 45,514 

 p

 = preliminary.

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, November 2001 to October 2005,

not seasonally adjusted

2001

November ............................................................... 2,721 295,956 2,373 270,268 1,122 151,969 

December ............................................................... 2,440 268,893 2,319 259,497 1,103 136,820 

2002

January ................................................................... 2,146 263,777 2,028 252,245 892 128,825 

February ................................................................. 1,382 138,808 1,253 129,849 481 58,784 

March ...................................................................... 1,460 161,316 1,335 151,305 500 59,613 

April ......................................................................... 1,506 165,814 1,378 153,216 461 50,897 

May ......................................................................... 1,723 179,799 1,571 166,801 488 52,720 

June ........................................................................ 1,584 162,189 1,266 136,424 336 42,130 

July ......................................................................... 2,042 245,294 1,819 226,892 907 135,271 

August ..................................................................... 1,248 128,103 1,151 119,874 427 48,668 

September .............................................................. 1,062 124,522 957 114,736 352 43,755 

October ................................................................... 1,497 171,100 1,270 149,327 493 64,655 

November ............................................................... 2,153 240,171 1,860 216,237 719 92,712 

December ............................................................... 2,474 264,158 2,324 252,807 984 126,826 

2003

January ................................................................... 2,315 225,430 2,130 210,918 822 90,244 

February ................................................................. 1,363 124,965 1,222 116,264 435 48,161 

March ...................................................................... 1,207 113,026 1,099 104,468 390 41,063 

April ......................................................................... 1,581 161,412 1,470 152,937 499 62,349 

May ......................................................................... 1,703 174,204 1,538 160,729 499 61,278 

June ........................................................................ 1,691 157,552 1,336 127,743 389 40,845 

July ......................................................................... 2,087 226,435 1,815 206,901 946 136,410 

August ..................................................................... 1,258 133,839 1,163 124,131 405 52,620 

September .............................................................. 868 82,647 756 73,914 271 31,428 

October ................................................................... 1,523 158,240 1,265 137,706 438 53,741 

November ............................................................... 1,438 138,543 1,234 123,524 408 48,419 

December ............................................................... 1,929 192,633 1,793 182,750 648 77,915 

2004

January ................................................................... 2,428 239,454 2,226 220,687 848 89,551 

February ................................................................. 941 84,201 832 76,577 240 23,043 

March ...................................................................... 920 92,554 847 87,782 258 34,686 

April ......................................................................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 343 36,172 

May ......................................................................... 988 87,501 878 78,786 219 22,141 

June ........................................................................ 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 222 27,307 

July ......................................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 885 145,895 

August ..................................................................... 809 69,033 745 63,876 194 17,698 

September .............................................................. 708 68,972 637 63,102 189 25,808 

October ................................................................... 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 372 48,265 

November ............................................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 412 44,243 

December ............................................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 436 50,726 

2005

January ................................................................... 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 823 108,985 

February ................................................................. 810 74,644 722 68,372 230 24,931 

March ...................................................................... 806 88,937 733 83,793 246 33,030 

April ......................................................................... 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 395 59,129 

May ......................................................................... 986 101,358 891 93,332 249 30,424 

June ........................................................................ 1,157 120,463 941 103,307 216 32,783 

July ......................................................................... 1,981 244,216 1,745 222,377 856 136,210 

August ..................................................................... 645 67,582 598 63,484 188 22,531 

September

p

 ............................................................. 1,662 213,281 1,505 179,042 318 47,497 

October

p

 .................................................................. 905 91,941 757 80,694 249 37,276 

 p

 = preliminary.

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

October August September October October August September October

2004 2005 2005p 2005p 2004 2005 2005p 2005p

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................ 1,274 1,142 2,220 1,088 125,414 127,466 287,692 106,238 

 Total, private nonfarm ............................................... 1,145 1,002 1,970 962 116,042 115,674 237,108 97,180 

 Manufacturing ................................................ 350 328 426 316 44,908 48,155 54,993 45,514 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total1

 ..................................................................... 1,242 645 1,662 905 127,918 67,582 213,281 91,941 

Total, private ................................................................ 1,177 610 1,528 850 122,402 64,211 180,425 87,226 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ................. 76 12 23 93 5,027 727 1,383 6,532 

 Total, private nonfarm............................................... 1,101 598 1,505 757 117,375 63,484 179,042 80,694 

 Mining ...................................................................... 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 946 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

 Construction ............................................................ 126 51 116 88 9,512 3,458 8,885 5,755 

 Manufacturing........................................................... 372 188 318 249 48,265 22,531 47,497 37,276 

 Food .................................................................... 78 28 59 61 9,049 2,762 5,907 5,666 

 Beverage and tobacco products .......................... 16 ( 2 ) 4 4 1,316 ( 2 ) 274 261 

 Textile mills .......................................................... 10 13 20 11 1,041 1,177 2,636 1,296 

 Textile product mills ............................................. 8 3 6 5 732 268 958 531 

 Apparel ................................................................ 18 10 10 11 1,338 560 2,183 2,589 

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

 Wood products .................................................... 16 7 22 ( 2 ) 2,744 547 2,253 ( 2 )

 Paper ................................................................... 9 7 10 9 580 615 1,218 748 

 Printing and related support activities ................. 8 5 5 – 548 452 318 –

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

 Chemicals ............................................................ 6 ( 2

 ) 6 8 380 ( 2 ) 822 682 

 Plastics and rubber products ............................... 18 7 13 11 1,451 588 1,833 1,097 

 Nonmetallic mineral products .............................. 10 6 9 8 779 420 657 759 

 Primary metals .................................................... 15 7 11 9 2,312 852 1,112 1,037 

 Fabricated metal products ................................... 18 13 17 12 1,855 1,012 1,224 863 

 Machinery ............................................................ 19 20 30 9 4,224 1,815 4,967 1,288 

 Computer and electronic products ...................... 18 12 18 20 1,416 1,235 1,438 1,764 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ................... 17 6 11 4 2,573 1,693 2,959 1,061 

 Transportation equipment ................................... 58 27 52 49 12,733 6,855 15,584 15,841 

 Furniture and related products ............................ 13 3 9 8 1,637 383 599 762 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing .............................. 11 8 3 6 1,027 910 242 688 

 Wholesale trade ...................................................... 11 15 33 10 1,412 1,259 2,351 812 

 Retail trade .............................................................. 98 72 203 72 8,550 5,434 22,358 5,666 

 Transportation and warehousing ............................. 34 50 51 29 2,608 5,878 6,218 2,697 

 Information .............................................................. 36 21 41 26 7,597 6,889 6,046 5,300 

 Finance and insurance ............................................ 33 14 32 24 2,914 1,493 2,580 1,656 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .......................... 10 ( 2 ) 19 4 697 ( 2 ) 1,125 244 

 Professional and technical services ........................ 24 18 31 28 3,994 3,104 2,655 2,967 

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

 Administrative and waste services .......................... 188 84 206 132 15,202 6,764 20,616 11,017 

 Educational services................................................ ( 2 ) 6 12 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 454 1,667 ( 2 )

 Health care and social assistance ........................... 34 19 150 7 2,793 1,227 17,259 621 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......................... 30 7 37 22 2,424 486 7,164 1,568 

 Accommodation and food services ......................... 82 35 220 53 9,152 2,436 29,522 4,168 

 Other services, except public administration............ 6 9 29 3 482 1,400 2,352 173 

 Unclassified ............................................................ 3 1 – 5 309 96 – 356 

Government ................................................................. 65 35 134 55 5,516 3,371 32,856 4,715 

 Federal .................................................................... 22 8 10 16 2,185 1,041 966 1,551 

 State ........................................................................ 19 11 37 12 1,648 862 5,905 992 

 Local ........................................................................ 24 16 87 27 1,683 1,468 25,985 2,172 

 1

 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. p = preliminary.

 2

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

Industry
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2003 to October 2005,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2003

October .............................................. 1,523 158,240 1,265 137,706 

November .......................................... 1,438 138,543 1,234 123,524 

December .......................................... 1,929 192,633 1,793 182,750 

Fourth Quarter ................................... 4,890 489,416 4,292 443,980 1,690 326,328 39.4 73.5 

2004

January .............................................. 2,428 239,454 2,226 220,687 

February ............................................. 941 84,201 832 76,577 

March ................................................. 920 92,554 847 87,782 

First Quarter ....................................... 4,289 416,209 3,905 385,046 1,339 238,392 34.3 61.9 

April .................................................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 

May .................................................... 988 87,501 878 78,786 

June ................................................... 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 

Second Quarter .................................. 3,825 379,403 3,271 332,247 1,358 254,063 41.5 76.5 

July ..................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 

August ................................................ 809 69,033 745 63,876 

September ......................................... 708 68,972 637 63,102 

Third Quarter ...................................... 3,611 391,934 3,242 361,855 886 r 148,575 27.3 41.1 

October .............................................. 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 

November .......................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 

December .......................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 

Fourth Quarter ................................... 4,255 419,612 3,789 385,016 1,427 262,049 37.7 68.1 

2005

January .............................................. 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 

February ............................................. 810 74,644 722 68,372 

March ................................................. 806 88,937 733 83,793 

First Quarter ....................................... 4,180 427,533 3,876 405,574 r 1,142 r 185,374 29.5 r 45.7

April .................................................... 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 

May .................................................... 986 101,358 891 93,332 

June ................................................... 1,157 120,463 941 103,307 

Second Quarter .................................. 3,516 380,403 3,095 344,772 r 1,203 r 212,671 r 38.9 r 61.7

July ..................................................... 1,981 244,216 1,745 222,377 

August ................................................ 645 67,582 598 63,484 

September

p

 ........................................ 1,662 213,281 1,505 179,042 

Third Quarterp

 .................................... 4,288 525,079 3,848 464,903 2 742 2 108,647 19.3 23.4 

Octoberp

 ............................................. 905 91,941 757 80,694 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards

mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated

rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days. r = revised.

 2

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

data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

Mass layoffs Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

Date
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

October August September October October August September October

2004 2005 2005p 2005p 2004 2005 2005p 2005p

 United States1 .................................................... 1,242 645 1,662 905 127,918 67,582 213,281 91,941 

Northeast .................................................................... 189 126 118 175 17,563 13,090 9,990 15,362 

 New England .......................................................... 17 23 13 12 1,345 1,868 1,204 1,233 

 Middle Atlantic ........................................................ 172 103 105 163 16,218 11,222 8,786 14,129 

South .......................................................................... 323 170 1,086 158 30,246 18,286 153,999 17,616 

 South Atlantic ......................................................... 190 92 81 85 15,237 8,771 10,247 8,903 

 East South Central ................................................. 58 34 161 25 5,750 5,988 33,946 4,194 

 West South Central ................................................ 75 44 844 48 9,259 3,527 109,806 4,519 

Midwest ...................................................................... 280 138 161 199 35,859 14,023 21,024 27,841 

 East North Central .................................................. 219 111 133 154 26,965 10,618 17,107 21,404 

 West North Central ................................................. 61 27 28 45 8,894 3,405 3,917 6,437 

West ........................................................................... 450 211 297 373 44,250 22,183 28,268 31,122 

 Mountain ................................................................. 43 17 22 32 3,610 1,717 1,901 3,285 

 Pacific ..................................................................... 407 194 275 341 40,640 20,466 26,367 27,837 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: p

 = preliminary. Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 

the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, 

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 

Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, 

Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

 

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

October August September October October August September October

2004 2005 2005p 2005p 2004 2005 2005p 2005p

 Total1 ....................................................................... 1,242 645 1,662 905 127,918 67,582 213,281 91,941 

Alabama ..................................................................... 12 5 20 4 1,477 709 1,968 569 

Alaska ......................................................................... 5 – 3 4 423 – 280 264 

Arizona ....................................................................... 11 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6 868 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 606 

Arkansas .................................................................... 3 3 – 4 642 201 – 767 

California .................................................................... 346 182 256 315 34,896 19,530 24,616 25,317 

Colorado ..................................................................... 10 ( 2 ) 3 6 829 ( 2 ) 185 510 

Connecticut ................................................................ ( 2 ) 4 3 – ( 2 ) 397 258 –

Delaware .................................................................... – – – ( 2 ) ––– ( 2 )

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

Florida ........................................................................ 143 35 40 36 9,737 2,031 3,314 2,706 

Georgia ....................................................................... 16 22 14 16 1,977 3,488 3,230 1,739 

Hawaii ......................................................................... 4 – 3 ( 2 ) 260 – 249 ( 2 )

Idaho .......................................................................... 3 6 3 5 281 684 239 476 

Illinois ......................................................................... 56 27 46 35 8,019 2,128 5,793 5,717 

Indiana ........................................................................ 24 10 13 14 2,235 1,000 2,339 1,940 

Iowa ............................................................................ 12 6 3 13 1,645 1,755 996 2,473 

Kansas ....................................................................... 5 5 3 ( 2 ) 398 487 259 ( 2 )

Kentucky ..................................................................... 27 13 21 10 2,792 3,954 4,473 2,710 

Louisiana .................................................................... 11 11 791 3 714 596 104,388 215 

Maine .......................................................................... 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 207 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Maryland ..................................................................... 5 3 – 5 544 219 – 451 

Massachusetts ........................................................... 6 12 4 6 437 873 503 669 

Michigan ..................................................................... 40 29 23 41 3,768 2,838 3,235 6,276 

Minnesota ................................................................... 15 6 7 18 1,390 502 741 1,579 

Mississippi .................................................................. 10 6 113 4 615 481 26,817 356 

Missouri ...................................................................... 21 6 10 8 4,723 404 981 1,773 

Montana ..................................................................... 5 – ( 2

 ) 6 545 – ( 2 ) 695 

Nebraska .................................................................... 7 3 4 4 666 200 811 447 

Nevada ....................................................................... 10 5 12 6 755 648 997 764 

New Hampshire .......................................................... 4 – 3 ( 2 ) 292 – 217 ( 2 )

New Jersey ................................................................. 35 20 20 30 3,294 1,786 2,013 2,248 

New Mexico ................................................................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

New York .................................................................... 52 42 40 52 5,263 6,164 3,310 4,806 

North Carolina ............................................................ 5 10 6 16 417 1,323 601 1,423 

North Dakota .............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Ohio ............................................................................ 54 26 21 33 8,193 2,881 2,408 4,820 

Oklahoma ................................................................... 6 – 3 3 1,382 – 360 500 

Oregon ....................................................................... 29 ( 2 ) 3 5 2,536 ( 2 ) 342 675 

Pennsylvania .............................................................. 85 41 45 81 7,661 3,272 3,463 7,075 

Rhode Island .............................................................. ( 2

 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 326 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

South Carolina ............................................................ 10 9 14 4 688 678 1,907 428 

South Dakota .............................................................. ––––––––

Tennessee .................................................................. 9 10 7 7 866 844 688 559 

Texas .......................................................................... 55 30 50 38 6,521 2,730 5,058 3,037 

Utah ............................................................................ – ( 2 ) ––– ( 2 ) – –

Vermont ...................................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 212 

Virginia ....................................................................... 9 11 6 7 1,555 918 1,086 573 

Washington ................................................................ 23 10 10 16 2,525 730 880 1,527 

West Virginia .............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Wisconsin ................................................................... 45 19 30 31 4,750 1,771 3,332 2,651 

Wyoming .................................................................... 3 – – ( 2 ) 268 – – ( 2 )

Puerto Rico ................................................................. 8 8 20 11 693 1,210 2,268 854 

 1 See footnote 1, table 3. p = preliminary. 

2

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

State