For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, November 23, 2010 USDL-10-1627 

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

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

MASS LAYOFFS – OCTOBER 2010

Employers took 1,651 mass layoff actions in October that resulted in the separation of 148,059 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 increased by 121 from the prior month, and 

the number of associated initial claims increased by 9,839. In October, 356 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 37,438 initial claims; both figures 

increased over the month. (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,

November 2005-October 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,

November 2005-October 2010

Private nonfarm

The national unemployment rate was 9.6 percent in October, unchanged from the prior month and down 

from 10.1 percent a year earlier. In October, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 151,000 

over the month and by 829,000 from a year earlier. 

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

The number of mass layoff events in October was 1,642 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the number 

of associated initial claims was 148,638. (See table 2.) Over the year, the number of mass layoff events 

decreased by 292, and associated initial claims decreased by 45,266. Fourteen of the 19 major industry 

sectors in the private economy reported over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by manufacturing. 

Manufacturing reached an October program low in terms of average weekly claims, while health care 

and social assistance reached an October program high. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect 

of differing lengths of months. See the Technical Note. Data began in 1995.) 
- 2 - 

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

not seasonally adjusted

Year Initial claims

Temporary help services 1

 .................................. 12,153 1998 18,760 

Professional employer organizations 1

 ................. 3,508 2008 7,242 

Motion picture and video production .................. 3,266 1997 7,692 

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ............ 3,158 1998 9,617 

Warehouse clubs and supercenters ..................... 2,915 2010 2,915 

Food service contractors ................................... 2,672 2009 3,233 

Highway, street, and bridge construction ............ 2,564 2009 3,870 

Discount department stores ................................ 2,449 2002 4,959 

Fruit and vegetable canning ................................ 2,362 2002 4,500 

Automobile manufacturing .................................. 2,165 2008 10,508 

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

Industry Initial claims October peak

The manufacturing sector accounted for 21 percent of all mass layoff events and 27 percent of initial 

claims filed in October. A year earlier, manufacturing made up 29 percent of events and 36 percent 

of initial claims. Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in October was greatest in food and 

transportation equipment. (See table 3.) Fifteen of the 21 manufacturing subsectors experienced overthe-year decreases in initial claims, with the largest declines in transportation equipment and in machinery. 

Government registered over-the-year increases in mass layoff events and initial claims. Year-to-date initial claim totals through October for government are the highest on record (with data available back to 

1996), due in part to layoffs in educational services and the completion of work on the decennial census. 

(See table 3.) 

The six-digit industry with the largest number of initial claims in October was temporary help services. 

(See table A.) The table includes both publicly and privately owned entities. 

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted) 

All four regions and 8 of the 9 divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims due to 

mass layoffs in October. Among the census regions, the Midwest registered the largest over-the-year 

declines in initial claims. Of the geographic divisions, the East North Central had the largest over-theyear decline in initial claims. (See table 5.) 

California recorded the highest number of initial claims in October, followed by Pennsylvania and 

Florida. Thirty-two states experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by Michigan, Ohio, 

California, and Illinois. (See table 6.) Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia had no 

mass layoff activity during the month. Arizona and Wyoming reached October program highs for average weekly initial claims. 
- 3 - 

Note 

The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in a given 

month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. For private nonfarm establishments, information on the 

length of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs lasting 

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

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

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

than 30 days. (See table 4.) See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions. 

____________ 

The Mass Layoffs news release for November is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, 

December 22, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. (EST). 

Corrections to Seasonally Adjusted Data 

Monthly national Mass Layoffs data for April through September 2010 were found to contain 

errors in each of the 6 seasonally adjusted series. This release and the MLS database contain 

the correct seasonally adjusted data for April–October 2010. Not seasonally adjusted data and 

regional office news releases were not affected. 
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 2006 to October 2010,

seasonally adjusted

2006

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 

Aprilc ............................................................ 1,646 164,325 1,478 149,621 388 50,083 

May

c

 ............................................................. 1,676 164,115 1,416 142,594 320 30,729 

Junec

 ............................................................ 1,757 158,479 1,529 139,029 332 33,012 

July

c

 ............................................................. 1,520 135,389 1,301 117,546 286 29,826 

Augustc ........................................................ 1,655 165,528 1,448 143,056 400 48,858 

Septemberc

 .................................................. 1,530 138,220 1,317 118,741 334 34,096 

October ........................................................ 1,651 148,059 1,445 130,448 356 37,438 

 c = corrected.

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, November 2006 to October 2010,

not seasonally adjusted

2006

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 

April .............................................................. 1,840 199,690 1,697 184,654 424 55,178 

May .............................................................. 1,354 123,333 1,170 109,203 216 19,334 

June ............................................................. 1,861 171,190 1,355 125,872 212 21,083 

July ............................................................... 2,124 206,254 1,732 172,248 532 64,200 

August .......................................................... 976 92,435 897 83,021 230 23,088 

September ................................................... 920 77,654 806 67,987 187 19,403 

October ........................................................ 1,642 148,638 1,373 127,865 351 40,861 

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

October August September October October August September October

2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 2,055 c

 1,655 c 1,530 1,651 205,502 c 165,528 c 138,220 148,059 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,856 c

 1,448 c 1,317 1,445 187,880 c 143,056 c 118,741 130,448 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 594 c

 400 c 334 356 65,801 c 48,858 c 34,096 37,438 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1 ............................................................ 1,934 976 920 1,642 193,904 92,435 77,654 148,638 

Total, private ........................................................ 1,806 923 823 1,493 181,476 84,610 68,913 136,178 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 128 26 17 120 8,593 1,589 926 8,313 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,678 897 806 1,373 172,883 83,021 67,987 127,865 

 Mining .............................................................. 15 ( 2 ) 4 6 1,038 ( 2 ) 447 390 

 Utilities ............................................................. 6 – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 550 – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 205 105 89 175 15,258 6,910 6,137 13,500 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 566 230 187 351 69,655 23,088 19,403 40,861 

 Food ............................................................ 91 54 31 80 8,999 4,312 3,216 8,639 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 12 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 15 1,001 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,166 

 Textile mills .................................................. 9 4 3 7 1,407 888 277 1,019 

 Textile product mills ..................................... 3 3 ( 2 ) 4 419 272 ( 2 ) 271 

 Apparel ........................................................ 7 9 3 10 438 573 194 1,399 

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

 Wood products ............................................ 41 17 22 26 4,326 1,355 1,726 2,570 

 Paper ........................................................... 14 7 4 4 1,216 559 239 334 

 Printing and related support activities .......... 17 3 3 6 1,337 246 277 435 

 Petroleum and coal products ....................... 3 – 3 ( 2 ) 312 – 180 ( 2 )

 Chemicals .................................................... 8 8 ( 2

 ) 8 533 562 ( 2 ) 723 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 35 10 ( 2 ) 9 2,672 691 ( 2 ) 656 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 16 8 7 15 1,172 621 609 1,460 

 Primary metals ............................................. 44 7 13 16 4,703 835 1,381 1,358 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 49 12 13 20 4,702 925 1,006 1,667 

 Machinery .................................................... 51 18 11 26 10,892 2,077 1,787 4,968 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 29 15 8 13 2,169 999 562 851 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 29 8 10 15 3,394 1,303 1,793 1,935 

 Transportation equipment ............................ 72 32 30 50 17,069 4,869 4,166 8,581 

 Furniture and related products .................... 22 6 11 17 1,865 1,417 792 1,929 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 14 4 8 6 1,029 319 573 596 

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 50 18 16 30 4,645 1,324 1,011 2,079 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 124 108 99 126 12,914 10,430 9,764 13,260 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 61 45 31 45 5,541 4,356 2,268 3,948 

 Information ....................................................... 57 36 24 52 9,567 6,155 2,365 5,640 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 49 24 29 31 3,716 1,945 2,602 2,342 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 13 7 4 9 870 514 267 455 

 Professional and technical services ................ 57 43 23 43 5,974 4,657 1,504 3,447 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 6 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 812 490 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services .................. 260 158 133 275 25,694 14,605 10,059 23,531 

 Educational services ........................................ 3 6 13 11 226 902 786 657 

 Health care and social assistance ................... 37 36 26 54 2,165 2,532 1,660 4,056 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 34 17 39 31 2,435 1,286 2,799 2,674 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 126 50 72 118 11,346 3,424 5,735 10,024 

 Other services, except public administration ... 9 ( 2 ) 12 10 477 ( 2 ) 864 506 

 Unclassified ..................................................... – – 1 1 – – 78 73 

Government ......................................................... 128 53 97 149 12,428 7,825 8,741 12,460 

 Federal ............................................................ 28 18 19 41 2,550 1,933 1,898 4,336 

 State ................................................................ 32 12 22 32 3,433 894 1,575 2,967 

 Local ................................................................ 68 23 56 76 6,445 4,998 5,268 5,157 

 1

 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. c = corrected.

 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 2008 to October 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

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 3,979 835,551 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 3,395 731,049 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 2,034 r 406,823 38.7 76.9 

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 2,416 r 468,560 43.7 r

 88.9

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 1,870 r 367,930 38.3 r

 78.9

April ............................................ 1,840 199,690 1,697 184,654 

May ............................................ 1,354 123,333 1,170 109,203 

June ........................................... 1,861 171,190 1,355 125,872 

Second Quarter ......................... 5,055 494,213 4,222 419,729 r

 2,011 r 393,435 r 47.6 r 93.7

July ............................................ 2,124 206,254 1,732 172,248 

August ........................................ 976 92,435 897 83,021 

September ................................. 920 77,654 806 67,987 

Third Quarter ............................. 4,020 376,343 3,435 323,256 2,p 1,297 2,p 177,807 p

 37.8 p 55.0 

October ...................................... 1,642 148,638 1,373 127,865 

 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

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

October August September October October August September October

2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,934 976 920 1,642 193,904 92,435 77,654 148,638 

Northeast .......................................................... 260 183 160 246 22,709 16,706 14,411 20,922 

 New England ................................................ 30 34 15 25 2,134 3,743 1,357 1,940 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 230 149 145 221 20,575 12,963 13,054 18,982 

South ................................................................ 499 274 259 368 45,772 21,631 21,507 35,853 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 279 160 153 213 23,144 12,404 11,811 21,191 

 East South Central ....................................... 87 55 41 70 9,545 4,584 3,633 7,095 

 West South Central ...................................... 133 59 65 85 13,083 4,643 6,063 7,567 

Midwest ............................................................ 483 157 155 316 60,792 17,140 14,964 34,290 

 East North Central ........................................ 375 124 115 227 49,277 13,603 11,280 25,674 

 West North Central ....................................... 108 33 40 89 11,515 3,537 3,684 8,616 

West ................................................................. 692 362 346 712 64,631 36,958 26,772 57,573 

 Mountain ....................................................... 103 31 47 99 9,020 2,197 4,461 9,563 

 Pacific ........................................................... 589 331 299 613 55,611 34,761 22,311 48,010 

 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

2009 2010 2010 2010 2009 2010 2010 2010

 Total 1

 .............................................. 1,934 976 920 1,642 193,904 92,435 77,654 148,638 

Alabama ............................................. 27 14 13 20 3,179 1,407 1,021 2,244 

Alaska ................................................. 8 10 4 5 755 884 492 430 

Arizona ............................................... 20 5 6 24 1,666 268 477 2,392 

Arkansas ............................................. 17 3 3 7 1,954 275 301 790 

California ............................................ 514 287 264 559 48,169 31,007 19,288 42,458 

Colorado ............................................. 19 5 10 17 1,554 355 827 1,675 

Connecticut ......................................... 9 8 ( 2 ) 7 671 880 ( 2 ) 523 

Delaware ............................................ 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 251 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 403 

District of Columbia ............................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Florida ................................................. 167 93 91 105 11,851 6,506 6,001 9,277 

Georgia ............................................... 39 30 24 32 3,880 2,996 2,438 2,969 

Hawaii ................................................. 7 5 3 5 630 381 182 401 

Idaho ................................................... 10 7 7 5 1,088 504 1,011 362 

Illinois .................................................. 93 32 35 60 12,917 3,707 5,053 7,281 

Indiana ................................................ 37 14 10 26 4,759 1,554 846 4,349 

Iowa .................................................... 35 9 3 14 4,732 1,743 362 1,397 

Kansas ................................................ 13 4 8 6 1,562 366 1,245 737 

Kentucky ............................................. 36 18 10 20 4,656 1,422 1,454 2,828 

Louisiana ............................................ 24 16 11 19 2,169 1,010 688 1,554 

Maine .................................................. 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 177 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Maryland ............................................. 6 6 6 9 479 363 528 796 

Massachusetts .................................... 9 16 7 11 596 1,464 476 858 

Michigan ............................................. 70 14 11 34 9,543 2,385 758 3,010 

Minnesota ........................................... 24 4 5 26 1,985 307 412 3,056 

Mississippi .......................................... 10 14 12 15 602 1,057 741 1,017 

Missouri .............................................. 31 12 19 37 2,556 864 1,115 2,866 

Montana .............................................. 11 ( 2

 ) 4 9 1,062 ( 2 ) 332 831 

Nebraska ............................................ 4 4 5 6 559 257 550 560 

Nevada ............................................... 19 7 13 26 1,361 484 1,238 2,396 

New Hampshire .................................. 3 6 ( 2 ) 3 263 657 ( 2 ) 302 

New Jersey ......................................... 37 31 22 31 2,850 2,449 1,665 2,517 

New Mexico ........................................ 11 ( 2 ) 3 7 761 ( 2 ) 238 545 

New York ............................................ 68 59 52 61 6,961 5,547 5,499 5,443 

North Carolina .................................... 19 9 13 21 1,672 698 1,372 1,697 

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

Ohio .................................................... 75 27 22 45 10,569 2,569 1,638 4,734 

Oklahoma ........................................... 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 7 582 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 484 

Oregon ................................................ 35 18 17 22 3,936 1,671 1,635 2,540 

Pennsylvania ...................................... 125 59 71 129 10,764 4,967 5,890 11,022 

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

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

South Carolina .................................... 19 11 7 21 2,692 792 724 3,479 

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

Tennessee .......................................... 14 9 6 15 1,108 698 417 1,006 

Texas .................................................. 85 38 49 52 8,378 3,058 4,814 4,739 

Utah .................................................... 9 ( 2 ) 4 7 1,058 ( 2 ) 338 758 

Vermont .............................................. 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 254 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Virginia ................................................ 22 8 11 19 1,955 747 689 2,444 

Washington ......................................... 25 11 11 22 2,121 818 714 2,181 

West Virginia ...................................... 3 ––– 250 –––

Wisconsin ........................................... 100 37 37 62 11,489 3,388 2,985 6,300 

Wyoming ............................................. 4 ( 2 ) – 4 470 ( 2 ) – 604 

Puerto Rico ......................................... 12 12 16 22 1,079 987 1,382 2,191 

1

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

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State