Technical information: (202) 691-6392  USDL 01-147
http://www.bls.gov/mlshome.htm         
                                       For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:               691-5902  Thursday, May 17, 2001
                                     
                                     
            EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2001


   In the first quarter of 2001, there were 1,664 mass layoff actions by
employers that resulted in the separation of 305,227 workers from their
jobs for more than 30 days, according to preliminary figures released by
the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Both the total
number of layoff events and the number of separations were the highest for
any first quarter on record since the program began in the second quarter
of 1995.  (See table A.)
     
   Layoffs due to internal company restructuring accounted for 24 percent
of events and resulted in 100,943 separations, the highest first quarter on
record.  On the other hand, the completion of seasonal work accounted for
24 percent of all events and resulted in 69,694 separations, the lowest
first quarter on record.  Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 16
percent of all events and affected 78,838 workers, up from 44,472 workers
in the first quarter of 2000, and were concentrated in general merchandise
stores.  Less than half of the employers indicated they anticipated some
type of recall.
   
   The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs cover layoffs of at least
31-days duration that involve 50 or more individuals from a single establish-
ment filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a consecutive
5-week period.  Data for the first quarter are preliminary and subject to
revision.  This release also includes revised data for previous quarters.
Data are not seasonally adjusted, but survey data suggest that there is a
seasonal pattern to layoffs.  Thus, comparisons between consecutive quarters
should not be used as an indicator of trend.  Additional information about
the program is provided in the technical note that follows the analysis.

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

   In the private sector, agriculture accounted for 11 percent of all
layoff events and 10 percent of all separations during January-March 2001.
The layoff activity occurred in agricultural services (primarily in farm
labor contracting) and agricultural crop production (mainly in grapes and
in vegetables and melons) and was almost entirely due to the end of
seasonal work.  (See table 1.)

   Forty-six percent of all layoff events and 45 percent of separations
occurred in manufacturing industries.  Layoffs from durable goods industries
were most prevalent in transportation equipment (mostly in motor vehicles and
car bodies and in motor vehicle parts and accessories) and in electronic and
other electrical equipment (primarily in printed circuit boards and in
electronic components).  Fifty-four percent of worker separations in trans-
portation equipment during the period were due to slack work.  Among nondur-
able goods establishments, layoffs were most prevalent in food and kindred
products (primarily in canned and frozen fruits and vegetables and in meat
packing plants).
   
   Retail trade accounted for 9 percent of private-sector layoff events
and 15 percent of separations, primarily in general merchandise stores

                                  - 2 -

 Table A.  Selected measures of mass layoff activity
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
          Period       |Layoff events | Separations | Initial claimants
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
          1997         |              |             |
 January-March.........|    1,317     |   255,227   |      224,180
 April-June............|    1,587     |   351,198   |      292,673
 July-September........|    1,082     |   217,869   |      209,019
 October-December......|    1,697     |   321,821   |      316,035
          1998         |              |             |
 January-March.........|    1,320     |   208,082   |      247,315
 April-June............|    1,563     |   391,461   |      402,276
 July-September........|    1,234     |   248,054   |      256,803
 October-December......|    1,734     |   379,976   |      325,990
          1999         |              |             |
 January-March.........|    1,509     |   277,780   |      252,122
 April-June............|    1,444     |   294,968   |      242,464
 July-September........|    1,097     |   241,725   |      189,973
 October-December......|    1,625     |   334,794   |      287,685
          2000         |              |             |
 January-March(r)......|    1,331     |   254,812   |      221,534
 April-June(r).........|    1,272     |   258,459   |      231,253
 July-September(r).....|    1,014     |   230,041   |      188,371
 October-December(r)...|    2,005     |   426,126   |      375,774
          2001         |              |             |
 January-March(p)......|    1,664     |   305,227   |      244,000
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
      p=preliminary.                  r=revised.
   
(largely department stores).  Layoffs in services made up 15 percent of
events and 13 percent of separations, mainly in business services (help
supply services).  Cutbacks in construction comprised 8 percent of all
layoff events and 6 percent of all separations.  These layoffs were largely
in heavy construction, excluding buildings.
   
   Layoffs in government establishments accounted for 2 percent of all
events and separations, primarily in the U.S. Postal Service.  (The data in
this release do not include temporary federal census workers who completed
their assignments.)

Reasons for Extended Layoff
     
   Twenty-four percent of the events and 23 percent of the separations in
the first quarter were due to the completion of seasonal work.  These were
the lowest proportions for seasonal work for any first quarter.  These
layoffs were most numerous among workers in food production (agriculture
and food and kindred products) and general merchandise stores (mostly in
department stores).  Layoffs due to internal company restructuring (bank-
ruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and reorganization)
accounted for 24 percent of layoff events and 33 percent of separations.
(See table 2.)
     
Size of Extended Layoff

   Layoff events during the first quarter continued to be concentrated at
the lower end of the layoff-size spectrum, with 61 percent involving fewer
than 150 workers.  These events, however, accounted for only 29 percent of

                                  - 3 -
 
 Table B.  Distribution of layoff events by size of layoff,
 January-March 2001p
 -------------------------------------------------------------
                 |    Layoff events   |      Separations
       Size      |--------------------------------------------
                 |  Number  |  Percent|   Number  | Percent
 -------------------------------------------------------------
  Total..........|   1,664  |  100.0  |  305,227  |  100.0
                 |          |                     |
 50-99...........|     638  |   38.3  |   44,789  |   14.7
 100-149.........|     379  |   22.8  |   43,954  |   14.4
 150-199.........|     209  |   12.6  |   34,494  |   11.3
 200-299.........|     218  |   13.1  |   49,516  |   16.2
 300-499.........|     133  |    8.0  |   47,996  |   15.7
 500-999.........|      61  |    3.7  |   38,688  |   12.7
 1,000 or more...|      26  |    1.6  |   45,790  |   15.0
 -------------------------------------------------------------
 p=preliminary.

all separations.  (See table B.)  Separations involving 500 or more workers
accounted for 28 percent of all separations, down from a year earlier (33
percent).  The average size of layoffs (as measured by separations per
layoff event) differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 63 sepa-
rations in nonmetallic minerals, except fuels, to a high of 517 in the re-
tailing of building materials and garden supplies.
     
Initial Claimant Characteristics

   A total of 244,000 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were
associated with mass layoffs in the first quarter of 2001.  Of these
claimants, 15 percent were black, 40 percent were women, 20 percent were
Hispanic, and 12 percent were 55 years of age or older.  (See table 3.)
Forty percent of claimants were 30 to 44 years of age.  Among the civilian
labor force for the same period, 12 percent were black, 47 percent were
women, 11 percent were Hispanic, and 13 percent were 55 years of age or
older.  Thirty-nine percent of the civilian labor force were ages 30 to 44.

Geographic Distribution

   In the first quarter, the West reported the highest number of separations
due to extended mass layoff events (102,993), followed by the Midwest (89,679).
(See table 4.)  Contributing to extended mass layoffs in the West were agri-
cultural services, business services and crop production; in the Midwest,
transportation equipment manufacturing and general merchandise stores were
dominant.  The lowest number of worker separations was reported in the North-
east region (38,519).
   
   All four regions reported over-the-year increases in separations, with
the largest increase occurring in the Midwest (+17,560), mostly in primary
metal industries, in transportation equipment, and in general merchandise
stores.  Six of the nine geographic divisions experienced over-the-year
increases in laid-off workers, with the largest increases occurring in the
South Atlantic (largely in business services and in general merchandise
stores), followed by the Pacific and East North Central divisions.  Separa-
tions declined in the West South Central (-7,316), Mountain (-2,554), and New
England (-2,181) divisions.

                                  - 4 -

 Table C.  Summary of employer expectations of a recall from layoff,
 first quarter 2000-first quarter 2001
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
                         |         Percentage of events
                         |------------------------------------------
   Nature of the recall  |  I    |  II   |  III  |   IV    |  I 
                         | 2000  | 2000  | 2000  |  2000r  | 2001p
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
 Anticipate a recall.....| 58.0  | 60.6  | 51.9  |  67.0   | 46.9
                         |       |       |       |         |
        Timeframe        |       |       |       |         |
                         |       |       |       |         |
 Within 6 months.........| 79.1  | 88.7  | 82.1  |  82.5   | 79.9
   Within 3 months.......| 40.8  | 56.3  | 52.7  |  37.9   | 54.4
                         |       |       |       |         |
          Size           |       |       |       |         |
                         |       |       |       |         |
 At least half...........| 88.1  | 92.3  | 87.3  |  88.3   | 81.2
   All workers...........| 41.1  | 52.8  | 53.8  |  47.5   | 35.9
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
             p=preliminary.                     r=revised.

   Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the largest number of
worker separations occurred in California (71,560), followed by Illinois
(30,325) and Florida (21,785).  These three states accounted for 41 percent
of total layoff events and separations during the first quarter of 2001.
(See table 5.)  After excluding the substantial impact of seasonal work,
California still reported the most laid-off workers (36,317), largely due
to layoffs in business services.
   
   Over the year, the largest increases in laid-off workers occurred in
Florida (+15,010) and Illinois (+11,241).  The largest decreases occurred
in Texas (-7,814) and Wisconsin (-5,971).

Recall Expectations

   Forty-seven percent of employers reporting a layoff in the first
quarter of 2001 indicated they anticipated some type of recall, lower then
a year earlier (58 percent) and the lowest first quarter proportion since
the program began in April 1995.  (See table C.)  The large proportion of
employers not expecting a recall in the first quarter of 2001 reflected the
dominance of both bankruptcy and reorganization within the company as the
primary reasons for layoffs.  Most of the employers not expecting a recall
were concentrated in business services and electronic and other electrical
equipment.  Among establishments expecting a recall, most employers
expected to recall over one-half of the separated employees and to do so
within 6 months.
   
   Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in
which 88 percent of the employers expected a recall), employers expected to
recall laid-off workers in 34 percent of the events.  In layoff events due
to internal company restructuring, employers anticipated a recall in only 8
percent of the events.


Technical Note
  
  The  Mass  Layoff  Statistics (MLS) program is  a  federal-state  program
which  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.  Establishments  which  have  at
least  50  initial  claims filed against them during a  consecutive  5-week
period  are  contacted  by  the state agency  to  determine  whether  these
separations  are of at least 31 days duration, and, if so,  information  is
obtained on the total number of persons separated and the reasons for these
separations.    Establishments  are  identified   according   to   industry
classification  and  location,  and unemployment  insurance  claimants  are
identified by such demographic factors as age, race, sex, ethnic group, and
place  of  residence.  The program yields information  on  an  individual's
entire  spell  of  unemployment,  to the point  when  regular  unemployment
insurance benefits are exhausted.

  The  MLS  program  was resumed in April 1995; it had been  terminated  in
November  1992 due to lack of funding.  However, due to changes in concepts
and  definitions,  data  from the resumed program  are  not  comparable  to
earlier data.

  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

  Establishment.   A  unit  at   a  single   physical  location   at  which
predominantly one type of economic activity is conducted.

  Extended layoff event.  Fifty  or  more  initial  claims for unemployment
insurance  benefits from an establishment during a 5-week period,  with  at
least 50 workers separated for more than 30 days.

  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.

  Layoff. The separation of persons  from  an  employer  as part of a  mass
layoff  event.  (See below.) Such layoffs involve both persons  subject  to
recall and those who are terminated by the establishment.

                                  - 2 -

  Mass layoff.  Fifty or more  initial  claims for  unemployment  insurance
benefits  from  an establishment beginning in a given month, regardless  of
duration.

  Worksite  closure.  The  full  closure  of  either multi-unit or  single-
unit  establishments  or the partial closure of a multi-unit  establishment
where  entire  worksites affected by layoffs are closed or  planned  to  be
closed.


Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment
insurance, selected quarters, 2000 and 2001
                                                                                                                               
                                                               Layoff events          Separations            Initial claimants for
                                                                                                             unemployment insurance
                         Industry

                                                              I    IV     I        I      IV       I         I       IV        I
                                                            2000r 2000r 2001p    2000r   2000r   2001p     2000r    2000r    2001p     


         Total( 1 ) ......................................  1,331 2,005 1,664   254,812 426,126 305,227   221,534  375,774  244,000     

 Total, private ..........................................  1,297 1,959 1,637   245,784 404,798 299,864   215,994  365,553  239,365     

   Agriculture  ..........................................    218   349   183    43,439  75,944  29,764    35,799   48,303   21,611     
   Nonagriculture ........................................  1,070 1,604 1,449   201,084 327,372 268,241   178,500  315,732  216,686     
      Manufacturing  .....................................    466   633   755    86,072 130,441 134,695    82,955  144,967  120,719     
         Durable goods  ..................................    243   347   490    44,006  73,296  87,205    43,972   93,705   82,439     
            Lumber and wood products .....................     20    38    30     3,161   5,486   3,969     2,687    6,403    3,733     
            Furniture and fixtures .......................     16     8    38     2,100     795   4,993     1,668      870    4,333     
            Stone, clay, and glass products ..............     19    41    14     2,391   6,364   1,591     1,828    6,552    1,429     
            Primary metal industries .....................     13    33    56     2,728   9,512  12,143     2,251    9,466   10,218     
            Fabricated metal products ....................     26    49    60     3,190   7,290   7,798     3,148    9,076    7,053     
            Industrial machinery and equipment ...........     36    36    64     5,693   7,374   8,868     5,882    8,114    7,882     
            Electronic and other electrical equipment ....     36    36   104     5,591   7,922  19,149     5,650   12,567   17,722     
            Transportation equipment .....................     48    79    86    14,008  25,368  22,565    17,350   37,474   26,425     
            Instruments and related products .............     14     6    18     3,174     698   2,860     1,753      596    1,682     
            Miscellaneous manufacturing industries .......     15    21    20     1,970   2,487   3,269     1,755    2,587    1,962     

         Nondurable goods  ...............................    223   286   265    42,066  57,145  47,490    38,983   51,262   38,280     
            Food and kindred products ....................     94   124    89    19,753  28,455  16,318    19,364   23,939   13,942     
            Tobacco products .............................      7 ( 2 )     7     2,185   ( 2 )   2,765     1,772    ( 2 )    1,531     
            Textile mill products ........................      9    23    31     3,850   5,254   6,703     1,499    4,630    5,262     
            Apparel and other textile products ...........     55    44    36     8,595   7,232   5,089     8,853    7,151    5,024     
            Paper and allied products ....................     13    23    21     1,427   3,583   4,851     1,747    3,459    3,977     
            Printing and publishing ......................     12    14    25     1,674   2,101   3,185     1,729    2,046    2,659     
            Chemicals and allied products ................      9    10    14     1,365   1,246   1,829     1,125    1,256    1,468     
            Petroleum and coal products ..................      4    13     3       546   1,693     625       526    1,759      332     
            Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products ...     15    30    35     1,483   6,563   5,504     1,380    6,228    3,745     
            Leather and leather products .................      5 ( 2 )     4     1,188   ( 2 )     621       988    ( 2 )      340     

      Nonmanufacturing  ..................................    604   971   694   115,012 196,931 133,546    95,545  170,765   95,967     
         Mining  .........................................     19    21    11     2,013   2,772   2,608     1,799    2,545    2,188     
         Construction ....................................    186   434   134    22,767  62,728  16,606    23,610   63,538   14,747     
         Transportation and public utilities .............     63    70    81    10,137  11,398  15,602    10,413   12,886    9,804     
         Wholesale and retail trade ......................    149   135   189    34,849  47,125  54,753    27,604   32,401   32,966     
            Wholesale trade  .............................     47    43    40     7,753   6,147   9,782     6,102    5,008    4,582     
            Retail trade  ................................    102    92   149    27,096  40,978  44,971    21,502   27,393   28,384     
         Finance, insurance, and real estate .............     33    32    26    15,867   5,704   3,856     5,096    4,521    2,939     
         Services ........................................    154   279   253    29,379  67,204  40,121    27,023   54,874   33,323     

   Not identified  .......................................      9     6     5     1,261   1,482   1,859     1,695    1,518    1,068     

 Government ..............................................     34    46    27     9,028  21,328   5,363     5,540   10,221    4,635     
         Federal .........................................     14    13    17     6,226   2,860   3,611     2,697    3,536    2,994     
         State ...........................................      5    13     4       509   4,088     763       509    2,523      630     
         Local ...........................................     15    20     6     2,293  14,380     989     2,334    4,162    1,011     


   1 For the fourth quarter 2001, data on layoffs were reported by employers in all states and the District of Columbia.   
   2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
   p = preliminary.
   r = revised.

Table 2. Reason for separation: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment 
insurance, selected quarters, 2000 and 2001


                                          Layoff events                   Separations                   Initial claimants for                                                                           
                                                                                                        unemployment insurance
           Reason for separation                                                               
             

                                       I       IV        I           I        IV          I            I        IV         I
                                     2000r    2000r    2001p       2000r     2000r      2001p        2000r     2000r     2001p     



    Total, all reasons( 1 ) .......  1,331    2,005    1,664      254,812   426,126    305,227      221,534   375,774   244,000      

 Automation .......................      4        -        4          762         -        370          687         -       662      
 Bankruptcy .......................     32       46       67       10,221    21,845     29,727        3,603    12,120    12,394      
 Business ownership change ........     27       27       47        4,128    11,660     11,761        2,886     4,767     7,776      
 Contract cancellation ............     16       25       40        2,593     4,482      7,246        2,246     5,188     5,382      
 Contract completed ...............    129      200      204       21,530    42,628     32,388       24,264    46,635    28,840      
 Domestic relocation ..............     15       18       16        2,167     2,771      1,911        1,947     1,805     1,356      
 Energy-related ...................      -        7        8            -     1,743      3,628            -     1,216     1,322      
 Environment-related ..............      4    ( 2 )    ( 2 )          749     ( 2 )      ( 2 )          610     ( 2 )     ( 2 )
 Financial difficulty .............     73      103      124       13,277    24,493     26,871       11,943    18,043    21,910      
 Import competition ...............      9       24       29        3,584     4,856      6,024        1,430     4,561     4,764      
 Labor dispute ....................      7        4    ( 2 )        1,163     3,296      ( 2 )          801     3,293     ( 2 )
 Material shortage ................  ( 2 )        -        4        ( 2 )         -        295        ( 2 )         -       502      

 Model changeover .................  ( 2 )    ( 2 )        4        ( 2 )     ( 2 )        488        ( 2 )     ( 2 )     2,903      
 Natural disaster .................      -    ( 2 )        -            -     ( 2 )          -            -     ( 2 )         -
 Overseas relocation ..............     12       12       18        3,407     2,770      2,427        1,716     3,875     1,293      
 Plant or machine repair ..........      -       10        6            -     1,403        989            -       846       826      
 Product line discontinued ........      6        9       13        1,145     1,224      2,530        1,308     2,297     2,303      
 Reorganization within company ....    130      104      168       38,566    21,832     32,584       31,087    20,100    22,591      
 Seasonal work ....................    540    1,034      406      103,034   213,983     69,694       86,184   159,727    54,480      
 Slack work .......................    167      226      354       20,693    38,079     53,756       24,209    62,765    54,074      
 Vacation period ..................      8    ( 2 )        -        2,530     ( 2 )          -        2,972     ( 2 )         -
 Weather-related ..................     43       21       19        3,990     2,253      1,540        4,482     2,693     1,906      
 Other ............................     43       47       63        9,041     7,636     12,297        7,680     7,248    10,037      
 Not reported .....................     61       82       66       10,807    18,044      8,076       10,743    17,547     8,232      


1 See footnote 1, table 1.                                                  
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
p = preliminary.
r = revised.          
NOTE:  Dash represents zero.
Table 3. State and selected claimant characteristics: Extended mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment
insurance, fourth quarter 2000 and first quarter 2001

                                                                                                 Percent of total
                                                Total
                          Layoff events        initial                             Hispanic                            
                                              claimants            Black            origin            Women       Persons age 55
                                                                                                                     and over 
          State
                            IV       I       IV        I        IV       I       IV       I        IV       I        IV      I
                           2000r   2001p    2000r    2001p     2000r   2001p    2000r   2001p     2000r   2001p     2000r  2001p 

     Total( 1 ) .........  2,005   1,664   375,774  244,000     11.3    14.9     24.5    20.1      35.4    39.7      12.4   11.5     

 Alabama ................     13      16     2,333    2,246     21.0    22.2       .7      .6      26.5    39.1      12.5   10.2     
 Alaska .................     12   ( 2 )     1,401    ( 2 )      1.8     1.1     11.5     1.1      25.1    12.4      11.8   12.4     
 Arizona ................     16      16     2,595    2,199      3.5     2.2     41.6    56.2      48.5    31.7      11.6   15.9     
 Arkansas ...............      5       8     1,785    1,137     13.2    38.2       .3      .5      49.2    43.6      14.8   11.2     
 California .............    508     429    83,217   52,056      4.8     5.0     66.5    57.0      43.8    43.0      10.6   10.5     
 Colorado ...............     17      10     2,116    1,126      1.7     9.4     38.5    18.6      17.4    44.9      11.7   11.7     
 Connecticut ............     11      11     1,665    1,329     11.2    14.5      3.6    13.5      34.9    58.2      15.0   14.4     
 Delaware ...............  ( 2 )       -     ( 2 )        -     22.2       -     13.3       -      64.4       -      31.1      -
 District of Columbia ...  ( 2 )       7     ( 2 )      664     48.2    29.8      3.5     3.3      49.4    54.5       8.3   10.4     
 Florida ................     81     118    14,058   14,381     21.1    23.4     22.9    21.2      46.1    43.5      14.5   15.9     
 Georgia ................     15      10     2,333      904     36.7    55.8      6.3     1.4      40.9    39.4       9.1   12.6     
 Hawaii .................      3       5       362      497       -      1.2       .6      .8      14.1    19.5      22.1   15.3     
 Idaho ..................     14       7     1,645      732       .1      .1     24.4     6.0      30.1    15.7      10.9   14.1     

 Illinois ...............    204     138    36,355   18,898     14.7    23.1     16.1    13.1      27.2    42.6      11.5   10.1     
 Indiana ................     44      42    10,590    6,841      5.9    11.3      3.2     3.2      23.9    41.0      10.4   10.2     
 Iowa ...................     36      15     6,038    1,623      1.3      .6      2.6      .8      18.9    42.6      12.8   12.4     
 Kansas .................     10      10     1,486    3,959      4.5    11.1      6.6    23.8      25.0    27.9      12.7   13.8     
 Kentucky ...............     29      18     3,931    2,615      4.8     7.3       .1      .1      29.9    38.5      15.2    9.8     
 Louisiana ..............     11      12     1,219    1,252     56.8    55.4       .8     1.0      40.0    39.1      10.1    9.7     
 Maine ..................      5       7       995      829       .4     1.2       .3     1.7      52.5    50.3      12.1   17.6     
 Maryland ...............      9       4       911      833     38.4    35.1       .1     2.2      22.7    46.8      27.0   24.5     
 Massachusetts ..........     37      30     6,105    3,601      6.4     8.1     10.0     4.8      45.9    44.6      16.8   11.2     
 Michigan ...............    157     100    31,402   20,626     16.6    31.2      8.2     3.0      35.0    31.9       9.8   10.6     
 Minnesota ..............     76      31    11,130    5,739       .8     2.2      5.2      .8      17.8    33.7      13.2   10.3     
 Mississippi ............     20      17     2,014    1,998     70.4    65.4       .5     1.1      59.2    50.1       8.1    7.4     
 Missouri ...............      8       9       879      775     11.7    16.1      2.0      .4      51.0    51.0      17.7   21.2     

 Montana ................      7       3     1,220      203       .8     1.0      1.1     4.4      23.4    10.8      14.9   11.3     
 Nebraska ...............      -   ( 2 )         -    ( 2 )        -    17.6        -       -         -    21.0         -   18.5     
 Nevada .................      7       6     1,159      858      7.1    10.0     15.4    15.4      50.5    55.1      23.6   20.2     
 New Hampshire ..........  ( 2 )       4     ( 2 )      488        -      .4        -      .6      10.8    50.2      18.0   21.3     
 New Jersey .............     33      25     6,743    3,138     16.0    22.8     17.1    20.6      54.3    44.4      22.8   15.6     
 New Mexico .............      3       3       442      314      2.5     1.3     77.4    69.1      43.2    37.6      15.8   22.3     
 New York ...............     65      47    10,547    5,266     12.6     8.7     14.1     9.5      43.2    35.2      13.6   10.7     
 North Carolina .........     39      39     7,115    5,936     37.7    50.8      2.5     5.4      38.5    53.8       9.7   15.0     
 North Dakota ...........  ( 2 )       -     ( 2 )        -        -       -      4.2       -      17.7       -      13.5      -
 Ohio ...................    130      99    32,212   13,062     11.8    10.4      2.9     1.8      20.1    27.6      13.6   11.1     
 Oklahoma ...............      5       7     2,175      940     15.8    10.6      2.5     1.7      25.1    50.3      10.7   12.0     
 Oregon .................     30      57     7,447   10,037      2.5     4.1     24.6    16.3      37.3    36.7      14.3   12.4     
 Pennsylvania ...........     45      86    15,931   18,934      7.6     7.0      3.0     2.3      41.2    35.4      17.6   13.5     

 Rhode Island ...........      5       5       712      693      1.4     2.0      3.2     6.3      30.5    61.6      16.6   17.5     
 South Carolina .........      6       8     1,419    2,980     57.9    35.1       .1      .3      52.6    43.8       2.5     .9     
 South Dakota ...........      -   ( 2 )         -    ( 2 )        -     1.8        -     2.2         -    56.2         -    8.3     
 Tennessee ..............     17      16     2,649    1,486     18.0    13.3       .2      -       53.7    55.7      18.0   14.6     
 Texas ..................     85      71    19,222   15,866     17.5    17.9     41.7    30.3      32.9    39.9      10.5   10.1     
 Utah ...................     11      13     1,678    1,857       .8     1.7     11.3    12.7      23.7    42.7       7.4    6.9     
 Vermont ................  ( 2 )   ( 2 )     ( 2 )    ( 2 )       .5       -        -       -      16.6    53.5      18.1    7.0     
 Virginia ...............     24      23     4,982    3,560     28.9    38.7      1.1     1.3      45.6    51.3      11.9   10.5     
 Washington .............     54      37     8,453    4,587      2.5     3.5     39.5    12.6      35.7    32.9      11.5    9.8     
 West Virginia ..........      3       3       186      376        -       -        -       -      32.8    52.7      13.4   16.5     
 Wisconsin ..............     87      36    23,208    5,927      5.6     5.4      9.3     2.5      31.0    39.0      14.1   11.3     
 Wyoming ................      -   ( 2 )         -    ( 2 )        -     1.6        -    32.3         -    19.4         -   12.9     

 Puerto Rico ............     13      21     2,984    2,765    ( 3 )   ( 3 )    ( 3 )   ( 3 )      54.4    55.7       8.4    9.2     


     1 See footnote 1, table 1.                                                                
     2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.                               
     3 Data are not available.                                                                  
     p = preliminary.
     r = revised
     NOTE:  Dash represents zero.                                                                    
Table 4. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment
insurance, selected quarters, 2000 and 2001


 
 
 
                                                                                                     Initial claimants for
                                     Layoff events                    Separations                    unemployment insurance
 Census region and division
 
 
 
                                  I       IV        I             I        IV         I              I         IV         I
                                2000r    2000r    2001p         2000r     2000r     2001p          2000r      2000r     2001p     


        United States( 1 )...   1,331    2,005    1,664        254,812   426,126   305,227        221,534    375,774   244,000     

 Northeast ..................     209      204      216         35,564    44,160    38,519         38,400     43,064    34,364     

     New England ............      52       61       58         13,083    18,872    10,902          8,600      9,843     7,026     
     Middle Atlantic ........     157      143      158         22,481    25,288    27,617         29,800     33,221    27,338     

 South ......................     275      365      377         58,758    63,701    74,036         49,062     67,438    57,174     

     South Atlantic .........      95      180      212         22,082    31,530    42,694         14,133     32,110    29,634     
     East South Central .....      71       79       67          9,799    12,918    11,781         12,626     10,927     8,345     
     West South Central .....     109      106       98         26,877    19,253    19,561         22,303     24,401    19,195     

 Midwest ....................     366      754      483         72,119   152,596    89,679         54,858    153,537    77,845     

     East North Central .....     297      622      415         58,943   133,140    75,958         46,011    133,767    65,354     
     West North Central .....      69      132       68         13,176    19,456    13,721          8,847     19,770    12,491     

 West .......................     481      682      588         88,371   165,669   102,993         79,214    111,735    74,617     

     Mountain ...............      73       75       59         13,287    13,274    10,733         10,685     10,855     7,351     
     Pacific ................     408      607      529         75,084   152,395    92,260         68,529    100,880    67,266     


      1 See footnote 1, table 1.
      p = preliminary.
      r = revised.
      NOTE:  The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the 
 census divisions are:  New England:  Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, 
 New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic:  New Jersey, New York, 
 and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic:  Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,
 Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South 
 Central:  Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, 
 Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, 
 and Wisconsin; West North Central:  Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North
 Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New 
 Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

Table 5. State distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
selected quarters, 2000 and 2001

                                                                                                 
                                  Layoff events                 Separations              Initial claimants for 
                                                                                         unemployment insurance
        State
                                I      IV       I          I       IV         I           I       IV        I
                              2000r   2000r   2001p      2000r    2000r     2001p       2000r    2000r    2001p 


     Total( 1 )   .........   1,331   2,005   1,664     254,812  426,126   305,227     221,534  375,774  244,000     

 Alabama ..................      16      13      16       1,899    2,658     3,233       1,993    2,333    2,246     
 Alaska ...................       3      12   ( 2 )         768    2,395     ( 2 )         298    1,401    ( 2 )
 Arizona ..................      30      16      16       7,638    1,963     2,702       6,261    2,595    2,199     
 Arkansas .................       3       5       8         310    1,351     2,168         202    1,785    1,137     
 California ...............     356     508     429      65,947  130,213    71,560      57,145   83,217   52,056     
 Colorado .................       9      17      10       1,767    2,493     1,511       1,433    2,116    1,126     
 Connecticut ..............       8      11      11       1,421    2,837     2,153       1,183    1,665    1,329     
 Delaware .................       -   ( 2 )       -           -    ( 2 )         -           -    ( 2 )        -
 District of Columbia .....   ( 2 )   ( 2 )       7       ( 2 )    ( 2 )       664       ( 2 )    ( 2 )      664     
 Florida ..................      26      81     118       6,775   12,433    21,785       4,469   14,058   14,381     
 Georgia ..................       9      15      10       1,367    2,837     1,166       1,158    2,333      904     
 Hawaii ...................       9       3       5         897      328       447         918      362      497     
 Idaho ....................      11      14       7       1,330    2,136       946       1,083    1,645      732     

 Illinois .................      90     204     138      19,084   48,385    30,325      13,469   36,355   18,898     
 Indiana ..................      23      44      42       3,626    7,815     8,167       2,881   10,590    6,841     
 Iowa .....................      27      36      15       3,415    4,553     1,867       3,415    6,038    1,623     
 Kansas ...................       3      10      10         247    1,375     3,585         242    1,486    3,959     
 Kentucky .................      16      29      18       2,130    5,362     2,156       1,830    3,931    2,615     
 Louisiana ................      20      11      12       2,826    1,219     1,258       3,164    1,219    1,252     
 Maine ....................       4       5       7       1,769    6,811     1,796       1,217      995      829     
 Maryland .................       4       9       4         881    1,249     3,161         589      911      833     
 Massachusetts ............      35      37      30       7,999    8,060     4,707       5,255    6,105    3,601     
 Michigan .................      65     157     100      10,982   25,048    15,504      11,469   31,402   20,626     
 Minnesota ................      23      76      31       6,844   12,327     6,369       3,414   11,130    5,739     
 Mississippi ..............       9      20      17       3,704    2,785     3,344       1,701    2,014    1,998     
 Missouri .................      10       8       9       1,917      964     1,618       1,023      879      775     

 Montana ..................    ( 2 )      7       3       ( 2 )    1,176       175       ( 2 )    1,220      203     
 Nebraska .................       4       -   ( 2 )         474        -     ( 2 )         474        -    ( 2 )
 Nevada ...................      10       7       6       1,098    1,567     1,859         933    1,159      858     
 New Hampshire ............   ( 2 )   ( 2 )       4       ( 2 )    ( 2 )     1,081       ( 2 )    ( 2 )      488     
 New Jersey ...............      33      33      25       3,412    6,527     8,314       4,082    6,743    3,138     
 New Mexico ...............       6       3       3         565    1,158       314         479      442      314     
 New York .................      45      65      47       5,465   11,482     6,130       6,304   10,547    5,266     
 North Carolina ...........      23      39      39       4,779    8,996     8,908       3,283    7,115    5,936     
 North Dakota .............   ( 2 )   ( 2 )       -       ( 2 )    ( 2 )         -       ( 2 )    ( 2 )        -
 Ohio .....................      83     130      99      11,748   24,183    14,430       9,794   32,212   13,062     
 Oklahoma .................       6       5       7         903    2,175     1,111         903    2,175      940     
 Oregon ...................      22      30      57       2,940    7,447    10,037       2,923    7,447   10,037     
 Pennsylvania .............      79      45      86      13,604    7,279    13,173      19,414   15,931   18,934     

 Rhode Island .............       3       5       5       1,609      765       965         739      712      693     
 South Carolina ...........       5       6       8         421      776     1,737         599    1,419    2,980     
 South Dakota .............       -       -   ( 2 )           -        -     ( 2 )           -        -    ( 2 )
 Tennessee ................      30      17      16       2,066    2,113     3,048       7,102    2,649    1,486     
 Texas ....................      80      85      71      22,838   14,508    15,024      18,034   19,222   15,866     
 Utah .....................       5      11      13         760    2,781     3,164         375    1,678    1,857     
 Vermont ..................       -   ( 2 )   ( 2 )           -    ( 2 )     ( 2 )           -    ( 2 )    ( 2 )
 Virginia .................      21      24      23       6,920    3,947     4,897       3,183    4,982    3,560     
 Washington ...............      18      54      37       4,532   12,012    10,127       7,245    8,453    4,587     
 West Virginia ............       6       3       3         755      186       376         668      186      376     
 Wisconsin ................      36      87      36      13,503   27,709     7,532       8,398   23,208    5,927     
 Wyoming ..................       -       -   ( 2 )           -        -     ( 2 )           -        -    ( 2 )

 Puerto Rico ..............      16      13      21       2,780    3,505     2,791       2,484    2,984    2,765   

   1  See footnote 1, table 1.
   2  Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.     
   p  = preliminary.
   r  = revised.    
   NOTE:  Dash represents zero.