For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Friday, November 20, 2009 USDL-09-1404 

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

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

MASS LAYOFFS – OCTOBER 2009 

Employers took 2,127 mass layoff actions in October that resulted in the separation of 217,182 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 October decreased by 434 from the prior month, 

and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 30,824. Over the year, the number of mass 

layoff events decreased by 77, and associated initial claims decreased by 13,148. Year-to-date mass 

layoff events (25,872) and initial claims (2,627,390) both recorded program highs. (Data begin in April 

1995.) In October, 619 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 70,572 initial claims. Over the month, the number of manufacturing events decreased by 

237, and associated initial claims decreased by 26,494. (See table 1.) 

During the 23 months from December 2007 through October 2009, the total number of mass layoff 

events (seasonally adjusted) was 49,357, and the number of initial claims filed (seasonally adjusted) in 

those events was 5,021,824. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National 

Bureau of Economic Research.) 

The national unemployment rate was 10.2 percent in October 2009, seasonally adjusted, up from 9.8 

percent the prior month and from 6.6 percent a year earlier. In October, total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 190,000 over the month and by 5,504,000 from a year earlier. 

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Events

Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

 November 2004-October 2009

Total

Private nonfarm

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Claims

Total

Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

 November 2004-October 2009

Private nonfarm
- 2 -

Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in October 2009, 

not seasonally adjusted

Year Initial claims

Temporary help services 1

 ................................... 14,056 1998 18,760 

Motion picture and video production .................. 6,566 1997 7,692 

Professional employer organizations 1

 ................ 6,402 2008 7,242 

Automobile manufacturing .................................. 5,041 2008 10,508 

Construction machinery manufacturing .............. 4,770 2009 4,770 

Highway, street, and bridge construction ............ 3,870 2009 3,870 

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ............. 3,399 1998 9,617 

Food service contractors ...................................... 3,233 2009 3,233 

Discount department stores ................................. 3,193 2002 4,959 

Hotels and motels, except casino hotels .............. 3,032 2001 5,795 

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

Industry Initial claims October peak

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

The number of mass layoff events in October was 1,934 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the number 

of associated initial claims was 193,904. (See table 2.) Over the year, the number of mass layoff events 

decreased by 191, and associated initial claims decreased by 27,880. Three of the 19 major industry 

sectors in the private economy reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claimants for 

the month of October: construction; wholesale trade; and management of companies and enterprises. 

Both state and local government reached October highs in terms of average weekly claims. (Average 

weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note.) 

The manufacturing sector accounted for 29 percent of all mass layoff events and 36 percent of initial 

claims filed in October 2009. A year earlier, manufacturing made up 32 percent of events and 45 percent 

of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in October was greatest in transportation equipment (17,069) and machinery (10,892). Transportation equipment had the largest over-theyear decrease in initial claims (-19,041), while machinery had the highest increase (+2,995) among all 

three-digit NAICS industries. (See table 3.) 

The administrative and waste services sector accounted for 13 percent of both mass layoff events and 

initial claims, down slightly from 16 percent of events and 14 percent of initial claims in October 2008. 

The construction sector accounted for 11 percent of events and 8 percent of initial claims, about the 

same as a year earlier (10 percent and 7 percent, respectively). 

The six-digit NAICS industry with the largest number of initial claims in October 2009 was temporary 

help services. Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims, 3 

reached a series high for any October: construction machinery manufacturing; highway, street, and 

bridge construction; and food service contractors. (See table A.) 
- 3 -

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

Among the four census regions, the West registered the highest number of initial claims in October due 

to mass layoffs, followed by the Midwest and the South. (See table 5.) Initial claims associated with 

mass layoffs decreased over the year in all of the regions, with the Midwest experiencing the largest 

decrease (-14,418), mostly in transportation equipment manufacturing. 

Of the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific had the highest number of initial claims due to mass layoffs 

in October, followed by the East North Central, the South Atlantic, and the Middle Atlantic. (See table 

5.) Eight of the 9 divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by the East North 

Central (-10,919).

California recorded the highest number of initial claims in October, followed by Illinois, Florida, 

Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. (See table 6.) Twenty-six states experienced over-the-year 

decreases in initial claims, led by Michigan (-7,308), Ohio (-7,195), and Kentucky (-3,671); all three 

experienced the largest decreases in initial claims in transportation equipment manufacturing. In 2009, 

eight states reached program highs in average weekly initial claims for the month of October: Arizona, 

Iowa, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

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. 

Mass Layoffs in November is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 

at 10:00 a.m. (EST). 
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, November 2005 to October 2009,

seasonally adjusted

2005

November .................................................... 1,162 113,502 1,027 102,058 325 41,493 

December .................................................... 1,263 136,751 1,135 125,700 358 46,940 

2006

January ........................................................ 1,112 111,601 986 102,359 293 35,390 

February ....................................................... 960 104,045 872 96,317 317 41,810 

March ........................................................... 1,078 118,270 976 109,842 320 48,026 

April .............................................................. 1,198 123,674 1,062 113,849 366 50,747 

May .............................................................. 1,132 116,808 1,013 106,743 312 42,958 

June ............................................................. 1,156 124,955 1,044 115,491 356 45,280 

July ............................................................... 1,204 123,172 1,077 113,324 381 50,109 

August .......................................................... 1,278 136,289 1,117 125,064 376 60,524 

September ................................................... 1,167 124,083 1,054 115,451 390 46,470 

October ........................................................ 1,195 121,439 1,081 112,777 401 53,597 

November .................................................... 1,209 131,459 1,096 122,136 402 57,084 

December .................................................... 1,201 133,311 1,100 124,019 369 51,113 

2007

January ........................................................ 1,261 129,190 1,116 118,890 406 55,341 

February ....................................................... 1,240 134,524 1,130 126,105 404 58,861 

March ........................................................... 1,261 129,480 1,151 120,923 407 52,356 

April .............................................................. 1,281 130,263 1,145 119,683 381 45,654 

May .............................................................. 1,200 119,259 1,097 111,585 368 48,682 

June ............................................................. 1,256 132,078 1,138 122,726 356 41,135 

July ............................................................... 1,288 131,556 1,182 123,322 405 53,318 

August .......................................................... 1,262 125,334 1,162 117,557 331 36,577 

September ................................................... 1,279 125,527 1,183 118,917 440 54,006 

October ........................................................ 1,346 133,514 1,224 124,666 436 57,527 

November .................................................... 1,352 143,419 1,233 134,445 408 56,330 

December .................................................... 1,469 145,916 1,354 136,914 447 56,152 

2008

January ........................................................ 1,476 149,068 1,350 139,076 435 56,579 

February ....................................................... 1,669 183,038 1,532 172,013 526 67,235 

March ........................................................... 1,585 161,497 1,471 151,550 483 65,252 

April .............................................................. 1,344 135,352 1,215 125,074 487 63,247 

May .............................................................. 1,701 180,558 1,563 170,538 538 75,520 

June ............................................................. 1,717 174,748 1,561 162,071 555 79,744 

July ............................................................... 1,535 152,499 1,390 141,239 455 57,648 

August .......................................................... 1,887 188,951 1,735 178,479 626 80,913 

September ................................................... 2,290 240,721 2,114 226,492 643 86,617 

October ........................................................ 2,204 230,330 2,042 216,095 687 92,256 

November .................................................... 2,333 225,639 2,185 213,288 868 100,643 

December .................................................... 2,275 226,117 2,100 212,559 871 105,402 

2009

January ........................................................ 2,227 237,902 2,070 225,490 738 102,577 

February ....................................................... 2,769 295,477 2,628 281,500 1,235 152,618 

March ........................................................... 2,933 299,388 2,751 283,989 1,259 155,909 

April .............................................................. 2,712 271,226 2,519 256,111 1,111 135,252 

May .............................................................. 2,933 312,880 2,736 296,108 1,331 165,802 

June ............................................................. 2,763 279,231 2,536 260,747 1,235 159,310 

July ............................................................... 2,157 206,791 1,928 185,718 621 72,266 

August .......................................................... 2,690 259,307 2,428 237,302 900 93,892 

September ................................................... 2,561 248,006 2,324 229,371 856 97,066 

October ........................................................ 2,127 217,182 1,918 198,453 619 70,572 

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 2005 to October 2009,

not seasonally adjusted

2005

November .................................................... 1,254 116,127 1,079 102,182 363 41,442 

December .................................................... 2,323 254,258 2,168 242,753 706 96,382 

2006

January ........................................................ 1,245 117,946 1,123 108,701 331 35,097 

February ....................................................... 719 66,555 658 62,208 210 24,892 

March ........................................................... 921 111,838 856 106,177 285 44,688 

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 

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

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 2,204 2,690 2,561 2,127 230,330 259,307 248,006 217,182 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 2,042 2,428 2,324 1,918 216,095 237,302 229,371 198,453 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 687 900 856 619 92,256 93,892 97,066 70,572 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 2,125 1,428 1,371 1,934 221,784 125,024 123,177 193,904 

Total, private ........................................................ 2,034 1,356 1,285 1,806 213,602 118,920 116,813 181,476 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 117 22 27 128 8,049 1,727 1,672 8,593 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,917 1,334 1,258 1,678 205,553 117,193 115,141 172,883 

 Mining .............................................................. 6 9 10 15 449 603 918 1,038 

 Utilities ............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 448 550 

 Construction .................................................... 206 160 167 205 14,864 11,904 10,637 15,258 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 689 436 448 566 100,457 41,151 51,126 69,655 

 Food ............................................................ 75 41 50 91 11,144 3,632 5,044 8,999 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 7 5 5 12 488 937 306 1,001 

 Textile mills .................................................. 20 ( 2 ) 12 9 2,925 ( 2 ) 1,197 1,407 

 Textile product mills ..................................... 10 5 ( 2 ) 3 792 557 ( 2 ) 419 

 Apparel ........................................................ 9 15 7 7 914 1,317 572 438 

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

 Wood products ............................................ 68 19 36 41 6,932 1,423 2,653 4,326 

 Paper ........................................................... 17 8 15 14 1,392 576 1,287 1,216 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 10 9 10 17 1,042 714 828 1,337 

 Petroleum and coal products ....................... ( 2 ) – – 3 ( 2 ) – – 312 

 Chemicals .................................................... 13 10 9 8 1,394 843 540 533 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 47 17 13 35 4,903 1,532 1,195 2,672 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 21 18 12 16 1,755 1,147 763 1,172 

 Primary metals ............................................. 48 31 30 44 6,038 2,742 3,330 4,703 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 47 43 44 49 4,632 3,501 3,856 4,702 

 Machinery .................................................... 43 74 63 51 7,897 6,608 12,389 10,892 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 36 30 28 29 3,705 2,535 1,986 2,169 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 21 18 23 29 3,873 1,853 2,740 3,394 

 Transportation equipment ............................ 149 68 53 72 36,110 9,076 7,331 17,069 

 Furniture and related products .................... 32 13 22 22 2,902 941 3,481 1,865 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 13 6 11 14 1,210 577 1,117 1,029 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 38 34 32 50 2,573 2,714 2,422 4,645 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 161 111 139 124 15,328 10,173 13,094 12,914 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 75 101 47 61 6,007 9,131 4,807 5,541 

 Information ....................................................... 49 46 45 57 7,820 6,067 4,572 9,567 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 63 47 43 49 5,025 4,434 3,308 3,716 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 15 7 ( 2 ) 13 1,014 404 ( 2 ) 870 

 Professional and technical services ................ 46 32 31 57 3,022 2,302 1,998 5,974 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 4 ( 2 ) 5 6 337 ( 2 ) 495 812 

 Administrative and waste services .................. 334 195 142 260 30,945 15,604 11,525 25,694 

 Educational services ........................................ 5 13 7 3 292 1,796 371 226 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 39 31 23 37 2,823 1,947 1,573 2,165 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 42 19 29 34 3,106 1,403 2,209 2,435 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 125 74 73 126 10,278 6,034 4,981 11,346 

 Other services, except public administration ... 16 13 7 9 962 1,076 409 477 

 Unclassified .................................................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) –

Government ......................................................... 91 72 86 128 8,182 6,104 6,364 12,428 

 Federal ............................................................ 19 14 8 28 1,746 1,381 603 2,550 

 State ................................................................ 30 19 28 32 2,985 1,717 2,082 3,433 

 Local ................................................................ 42 39 50 68 3,451 3,006 3,679 6,445 

 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, October 2007 to October 2009,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2007

October ...................................... 1,083 108,455 929 97,716 

November .................................. 1,799 198,220 1,593 181,184 

December .................................. 2,167 224,214 2,071 216,898 

Fourth Quarter ........................... 5,049 530,889 4,593 495,798 1,814 347,151 39.5 70.0 

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 r 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 r

 1,581 r 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 r 766,592 47.5 r

 99.2

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 r

 835,017 50.3 r 103.4

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 r

 3,396 r 727,494 r 48.5 r 99.2

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,p 1,776 2,p 266,938 p

 33.8 p 50.5 

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

 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

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

 United States 1

 ......................................... 2,125 1,428 1,371 1,934 221,784 125,024 123,177 193,904 

Northeast .......................................................... 270 279 233 260 23,945 26,444 18,617 22,709 

 New England ................................................ 25 32 29 30 2,522 2,953 2,762 2,134 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 245 247 204 230 21,423 23,491 15,855 20,575 

South ................................................................ 538 342 334 499 53,087 29,486 28,943 45,772 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 295 204 182 279 25,535 17,732 14,927 23,144 

 East South Central ....................................... 111 57 71 87 15,162 4,820 6,844 9,545 

 West South Central ...................................... 132 81 81 133 12,390 6,934 7,172 13,083 

Midwest ............................................................ 511 350 309 483 75,210 32,197 38,137 60,792 

 East North Central ........................................ 406 273 240 375 60,196 25,962 30,304 49,277 

 West North Central ....................................... 105 77 69 108 15,014 6,235 7,833 11,515 

West ................................................................. 806 457 495 692 69,542 36,897 37,480 64,631 

 Mountain ....................................................... 98 63 53 103 9,191 6,116 3,924 9,020 

 Pacific ........................................................... 708 394 442 589 60,351 30,781 33,556 55,611 

 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

October August September October October August September October

2008 2009 2009 2009 2008 2009 2009 2009

 Total 1

 .............................................. 2,125 1,428 1,371 1,934 221,784 125,024 123,177 193,904 

Alabama ............................................. 26 23 22 27 3,865 1,997 2,044 3,179 

Alaska ................................................. 13 4 7 8 1,631 295 849 755 

Arizona ............................................... 13 10 7 20 979 977 463 1,666 

Arkansas ............................................. 18 4 ( 2 ) 17 1,877 260 ( 2 ) 1,954 

California ............................................ 621 340 395 514 51,286 26,082 28,797 48,169 

Colorado ............................................. 11 5 14 19 1,143 374 1,036 1,554 

Connecticut ......................................... 4 4 4 9 540 334 323 671 

Delaware ............................................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 251 

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

Florida ................................................. 176 104 91 167 12,946 7,795 5,975 11,851 

Georgia ............................................... 61 23 35 39 6,825 2,202 2,817 3,880 

Hawaii ................................................. 9 8 6 7 910 872 465 630 

Idaho ................................................... 22 9 4 10 2,682 1,305 306 1,088 

Illinois .................................................. 64 82 71 93 7,842 7,432 10,743 12,917 

Indiana ................................................ 63 30 21 37 7,961 3,182 2,895 4,759 

Iowa .................................................... 23 17 18 35 3,818 1,359 2,384 4,732 

Kansas ................................................ 18 14 15 13 2,543 945 2,880 1,562 

Kentucky ............................................. 46 22 32 36 8,327 2,006 3,394 4,656 

Louisiana ............................................ 22 18 10 24 1,662 1,698 887 2,169 

Maine .................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 268 177 

Maryland ............................................. 11 10 7 6 885 759 463 479 

Massachusetts .................................... 11 13 12 9 980 1,357 985 596 

Michigan ............................................. 81 43 40 70 16,851 3,593 6,167 9,543 

Minnesota ........................................... 23 13 15 24 1,880 948 1,122 1,985 

Mississippi .......................................... 17 5 5 10 1,513 349 323 602 

Missouri .............................................. 35 28 16 31 5,877 2,549 1,018 2,556 

Montana .............................................. 5 3 3 11 573 258 227 1,062 

Nebraska ............................................ 5 ( 2 ) 3 4 819 ( 2 ) 210 559 

Nevada ............................................... 29 30 15 19 2,421 2,879 1,201 1,361 

New Hampshire .................................. 3 6 ( 2 ) 3 310 454 ( 2 ) 263 

New Jersey ......................................... 45 27 31 37 3,670 2,162 2,844 2,850 

New Mexico ........................................ 5 4 7 11 396 191 487 761 

New York ............................................ 54 106 58 68 4,725 11,405 4,424 6,961 

North Carolina .................................... 18 19 8 19 1,838 2,523 918 1,672 

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

Ohio .................................................... 118 58 47 75 17,764 5,941 4,745 10,569 

Oklahoma ........................................... 6 8 4 7 1,137 679 401 582 

Oregon ................................................ 36 21 15 35 3,883 1,691 1,402 3,936 

Pennsylvania ...................................... 146 114 115 125 13,028 9,924 8,587 10,764 

Rhode Island ...................................... 3 5 3 ( 2

 ) 325 456 260 ( 2 )

South Carolina .................................... 23 20 18 19 2,268 2,133 2,831 2,692 

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

Tennessee .......................................... 22 7 12 14 1,457 468 1,083 1,108 

Texas .................................................. 86 51 65 85 7,714 4,297 5,715 8,378 

Utah .................................................... 9 ( 2 ) 3 9 721 ( 2 ) 204 1,058 

Vermont .............................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 507 254 

Virginia ................................................ 4 21 22 22 655 1,652 1,868 1,955 

Washington ......................................... 29 21 19 25 2,641 1,841 2,043 2,121 

West Virginia ...................................... – 4 – 3 – 272 – 250 

Wisconsin ........................................... 80 60 61 100 9,778 5,814 5,754 11,489 

Wyoming ............................................. 4 – – 4 276 – – 470 

Puerto Rico ......................................... 13 15 17 12 1,117 1,326 1,563 1,079 

1

 See footnote 1, table 3. NOTE: Dash represents zero. 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State