1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 05-486

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Thursday, March 24, 2005

MASS LAYOFFS IN FEBRUARY 2005

In February 2005, employers took 1,128 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 117,684, on a seasonally adjusted basis. (See table 1.) The

number of layoff events fell by 329 from January and was the lowest for any month since October 2000.

The number of initial claims due to mass layoff actions declined by 33,306 over the month and was the

lowest for any month since May 2004. There were 345 mass layoff events in the manufacturing sector

during February 2005, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 43,186 initial claims, both numbers lower than a

month earlier.

Over the full historical seasonally adjusted series, the total number of mass layoff events was at its lowest

level of 938 in October 2000. The total number of mass layoff initial claims had its low of 89,262 in September 1996. For the manufacturing sector, the seasonally adjusted numbers of events and initial claims

reached their lows in December 2004 (283 and 34,940, respectively).

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial claims, not seasonally adjusted,

accounted for 27,314 initial claims in February, 37 percent of the total. (See table A.) Temporary help

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally 

adjusted, March 2000-February 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 

Manufacturing

Private nonfarm

Total

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally 

adjusted, March 2000-February 2005

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 

Private nonfarm

Total

Manufacturing

Note: Shaded area represents recession period.
2

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

Industry

Initial claims

February peak

Year

Initial claims

Temporary help services ........................................ 8,817 2001 18,893

Motion picture and video production ..................... 4,359 2002 5,844

Heavy duty truck manufacturing ............................ 2,627 2005 2,627

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders .............. 2,416 2000 12,516

Professional employer organizations ....................... 1,655 2001 3,241

Supermarkets and other grocery stores ................. 1,579 2002 1,982

School and employee bus transportation ............... 1,572 2004 2,997

Light truck and utility vehicle mfg. .......................... 1,523 1998 2,133

Food service contractors....................................... 1,499 2003 1,700

Highway, street, and bridge construction ............... 1,267 3,316

p=preliminary.

2003

services, with 8,817 initial claims, and motion picture and video production, with 4,359, together accounted

for 18 percent of all initial claims in February.

The manufacturing sector accounted for 28 percent of all mass layoff events and 33 percent of all initial

claims filed in February. A year earlier, in February 2004, manufacturing comprised 26 percent of events

and 27 percent of initial claims. Within manufacturing in February 2005, the number of claimants was highest

in transportation equipment (6,915, mostly automotive-related), followed by food processing (5,237). (See

table 3.)

Administrative and waste services accounted for 15 percent of events and 17 percent of initial claims

filed in February 2005, with layoffs mainly in temporary help services. Fifteen percent of all layoff events

and 10 percent of initial claims filed during the month were from construction, primarily among specialty

trade contractors. Retail trade accounted for 9 percent of events and initial claims in February, mostly in

general merchandise stores. An additional 3 percent of events and 7 percent of initial claims were from

the information sector, largely from motion picture and sound recording industries.

Government establishments accounted for 4 percent of events and 3 percent of initial claims filed in

February, mostly in executive, legislative, and general government agencies.

Over the year, the largest decreases in initial claims were reported in professional and technical services

(-3,449), general merchandise stores (-2,748), transit and ground passenger transportation (-1,528), food

processing (-1,280), and food services and drinking places (-1,060). The largest over-the-year increases in

initial claims were reported in transportation equipment manufacturing (+4,244) and administrative and

support services (+1,156).

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in February due to mass layoffs

was in the West ( 31,501). (See table 5.) Administrative and support services and motion picture and

sound recording industries accounted for 38 percent of all mass-layoff initial claims in that region during

the month. The Midwest had the second largest number of initial claims (17,129), followed by the South

(14,788) and the Northeast (11,226).
3

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

largest decrease was in the South (-2,982), followed by the West (-2,952), the Midwest (-2,054), and the

Northeast (-1,569). Seven of the nine geographic divisions had over-the-year decreases in the number of

initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest decreases in the Pacific (-2,944) and South

Atlantic (-2,812) divisions. The largest over-the-year increase occurred in the East South Central division

(+2,176).

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

in February (27,567), mostly in administrative and support services and motion picture and sound recording

industries. Kentucky had the next highest with 4,585 initial claims reported, followed by Illinois (4,138),

Wisconsin (3,530), New York (3,384), and New Jersey (3,282). These six states accounted for 60 percent of all mass layoff events and 62 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 (-2,298), followed by

Ohio (-2,287) and Texas (-1,864). The largest over-the-year increases occurred in Kentucky (+3,635)

and Minnesota (+1,447).

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 report on Mass Layoffs in March 2005 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, April 26, 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, March 2001 to February 2005,

seasonally adjusted

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2001

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,771 202,154 1,578 186,283 797 108,244 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,620 199,764 1,483 186,013 773 106,045 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,679 207,811 1,523 193,998 755 110,133 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,610 195,617 1,433 180,821 739 104,155 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,704 200,376 1,568 188,468 719 93,867 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,744 206,528 1,586 195,051 788 106,632 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,409 277,214 2,235 263,192 834 108,615 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,109 233,569 1,986 223,808 897 118,136 

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

Januaryp

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

Februaryp

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

 p = preliminary.

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Total
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, March 2001 to February 2005,

not seasonally adjusted

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2001

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,527 171,466 1,371 158,108 659 86,874 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,450 176,265 1,353 166,167 608 78,845 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,434 159,365 1,331 151,186 528 64,887 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,107 253,826 1,784 226,022 737 116,005 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,117 273,807 1,952 259,128 1,144 168,877 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,490 166,148 1,386 158,307 603 79,515 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,327 160,402 1,214 151,161 485 58,544 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,831 215,483 1,676 202,053 742 107,030 

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

Januaryp

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

Februaryp

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

 p = preliminary.

Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

February December January February February December January February

2004 2004 2005p2005p2004 2004 2005p2005p

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,237 1,211 1,457 1,128 126,421 119,649 150,990 117,684 

 Total, private nonfarm................................................................................ 1,091 1,064 1,321 1,001 115,302 108,157 140,826 107,415 

 Manufacturing..................................................................................................................................................................... 358 283 379 345 36,783 34,940 58,908 43,186 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 941 1,614 2,564 810 84,201 161,271 263,952 74,644 

Total, private ..................................................................................................................................................................... 905 1,527 2,488 779 81,093 154,496 257,761 72,331 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 73 40 67 57 4,516 2,404 4,352 3,959 

 Total, private nonfarm....................................................... 832 1,487 2,421 722 76,577 152,092 253,409 68,372 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 18 17 ( 2

 ) 505 1,492 1,272 ( 2 ) 

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

 ) 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,395 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 131 342 470 118 8,586 27,433 33,590 7,245 

 Manufacturing..................................................................................................................................................................... 240 436 823 230 23,043 50,726 108,985 24,931 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 62 59 88 60 6,517 6,309 8,703 5,237 

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 7 11 4 557 497 888 384 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 15 17 5 310 1,249 2,635 560 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 8 19 10 560 932 2,677 874 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 16 38 7 389 2,720 3,893 1,083 

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 757 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 25 61 16 1,438 2,346 8,243 1,606 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 7 13 6 391 575 1,048 493 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 3 15 9 828 331 1,237 668 

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

 ) 11 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 1,126 ( 2 ) –

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 8 15 ( 2 ) 324 669 1,294 ( 2 ) 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 30 58 13 917 2,327 6,006 902 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 32 55 10 312 3,168 4,815 877 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 23 39 ( 2

 ) 913 2,246 4,359 ( 2 ) 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 34 59 11 1,720 2,546 5,796 833 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 16 48 9 803 2,218 6,828 765 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 19 30 15 815 2,039 2,918 897 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 13 39 6 2,109 3,741 5,662 1,352 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 85 165 29 2,671 12,547 35,324 6,915 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 13 30 8 679 1,096 4,757 644 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 8 14 5 553 1,287 1,154 316 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 18 35 18 956 1,853 2,954 1,229 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 102 80 198 75 9,383 8,092 18,822 6,398 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 96 197 26 4,658 10,687 22,226 2,955 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 30 47 26 4,716 8,002 6,141 5,059 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 18 35 24 1,562 1,455 3,289 1,561 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2 ) 4 16 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 249 1,491 ( 2 ) 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 30 48 48 14 4,247 5,955 4,729 798 

 Management of companies and enterprises ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 3 5 – 587 296 358 –

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 139 163 302 119 11,065 13,192 28,865 12,354 

 Educational services.................................................................................................................. ( 2

 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 245 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 28 35 12 954 2,539 2,739 662 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 30 40 8 677 1,967 4,558 430 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 46 146 117 37 4,455 14,923 9,364 3,475 

 Other services, except public administration..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 13 28 5 629 1,342 3,408 300 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2 4 3 1 191 249 264 56 

Government ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 87 76 31 3,108 6,775 6,191 2,313 

 Federal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 8 23 7 504 842 1,920 591 

 State ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 16 18 11 1,121 1,472 1,736 784 

 Local ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 63 35 13 1,483 4,461 2,535 938 

 

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, January 2003 to February 2005,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates1

Events

Initial

claimants Events

Initial

claimants Events

Initial

claimants Events

Initial

claimants

2003

January ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,315 225,430 2,130 210,918 

February ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,363 124,965 1,222 116,264 

March ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,207 113,026 1,099 104,468 

First Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,885 463,421 4,451 431,650 1,502 297,608 33.7 68.9 

April ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,581 161,412 1,470 152,937 

May ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,703 174,204 1,538 160,729 

June ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,691 157,552 1,336 127,743 

Second Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,975 493,168 4,344 441,409 1,799 348,966 41.4 79.1 

July ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,087 226,435 1,815 206,901 

August ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,258 133,839 1,163 124,131 

September ..................................................................................................................................................................... 868 82,647 756 73,914 

Third Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,213 442,921 3,734 404,946 1,190 227,909 31.9 56.3 

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 1,339 238,305 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 1,358 253,231 41.5 76.2 

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 3,242 361,855 887 145,889 27.4 40.3 

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 2.p 1,295 2,p 178,834 p34.2 p46.4

2005

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

February December January February February December January February

2004 2004 2005p2005p2004 2004 2005p2005p

 United States1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 941 1,614 2,564 810 84,201 161,271 263,952 74,644 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 117 285 556 120 12,795 27,387 54,866 11,226 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 47 88 17 3,321 4,894 8,009 2,126 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 91 238 468 103 9,474 22,493 46,857 9,100 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 191 288 490 143 17,770 29,948 57,126 14,788 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 87 140 216 75 8,799 13,620 22,965 5,987 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 76 173 32 3,602 8,995 20,528 5,778 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 72 72 101 36 5,369 7,333 13,633 3,023 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 211 588 774 173 19,183 61,277 90,975 17,129 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 172 414 601 144 15,385 42,598 72,600 13,041 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 39 174 173 29 3,798 18,679 18,375 4,088 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 422 453 744 374 34,453 42,659 60,985 31,501 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 60 60 31 2,323 5,295 5,467 2,315 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 394 393 684 343 32,130 37,364 55,518 29,186 

 

 

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

February December January February February December January February

2004 2004 2005p2005p2004 2004 2005p2005p

 Total1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 941 1,614 2,564 810 84,201 161,271 263,952 74,644 

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

 ) 22 85 8 ( 2 ) 2,244 12,310 620 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 5 7 ( 2

 ) 214 358 642 ( 2 ) 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 3 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 218 622 ( 2 ) 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 365 344 602 321 29,865 32,279 47,222 27,567 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 13 10 4 523 1,347 871 307 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 5 7 ( 2

 ) 351 510 629 ( 2 ) 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

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

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 46 44 62 36 3,480 3,567 4,800 2,018 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 37 62 14 2,448 3,082 6,433 1,415 

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

 ) – 7 3 ( 2 ) – 643 210 

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

 ) 10 9 6 ( 2 ) 736 719 431 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 47 99 91 42 4,108 10,222 8,596 4,138 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 68 72 15 2,195 9,331 11,308 1,248 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 36 48 4 698 3,442 7,250 367 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 16 34 5 517 1,864 3,061 519 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 38 52 15 950 5,474 5,222 4,585 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 16 24 7 757 1,297 3,417 503 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 7 10 ( 2

 ) 347 570 776 ( 2 ) 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 7 23 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 924 1,902 ( 2 ) 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 15 44 8 352 2,085 4,116 450 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 115 182 26 2,150 10,841 20,127 2,270 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 55 33 6 460 6,064 2,857 1,907 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 308 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 41 44 11 1,479 5,231 3,711 904 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 6 6 3 336 474 511 157 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 18 10 3 548 1,375 1,212 391 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 17 25 10 594 1,630 2,481 730 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 5 7 ( 2

 ) 480 423 741 ( 2 ) 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 46 94 29 2,749 4,979 8,505 3,282 

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

 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 319 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 88 180 41 3,612 8,101 22,185 3,384 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 16 21 7 912 1,187 1,897 777 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 6 ( 2

 ) – – 526 ( 2 ) –

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 46 67 140 26 4,142 5,310 18,132 1,855 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 13 14 4 413 1,041 2,735 246 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 23 50 4 986 2,798 5,427 301 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 40 104 194 33 3,113 9,413 16,167 2,434 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 7 14 3 1,716 628 1,357 1,135 

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 11 13 4 325 1,679 1,371 525 

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

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 15 33 4 1,723 1,219 2,771 265 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 52 40 57 24 4,062 4,777 6,859 2,198 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 – 3 295 431 – 252 

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

 ) 8 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 678 390 ( 2 ) 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 21 30 11 574 2,836 4,620 1,085 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 24 22 15 1,023 2,149 1,939 1,108 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 3 ( 2

 ) – – 276 ( 2 ) –

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 65 116 35 2,790 6,894 14,437 3,530 

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

 ) – – – ( 2 ) 

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 10 25 15 891 706 3,080 1,494 

 1 See footnote 1, table 3. p

 = preliminary.

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

State