Technical information:  (202) 691-6392     USDL 04-1329
http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                           For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902     Thursday, July 22, 2004


                         MASS LAYOFFS IN JUNE 2004
   
   
   In June 2004, employers took 1,379 mass layoff actions, as measured by
new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, accord-
ing to data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and
the number of workers involved totaled 134,588.  (See table 1.)  Both the
number of events and initial claims were lower than a year ago.  The number
of mass layoff events and the number of associated initial claims were at
their lowest levels for any June since 1999.  From January through June
2004, the total number of events, at 8,114, and of initial claims, at
795,612, were lower than in January-June 2003 (9,860 and 956,589,
respectively).
   
Industry Distribution
   
   Elementary and secondary schools, with 12,614 initial claims, and
school and employee bus transportation, with 12,498 initial claims,
together accounted for 19 percent of all initial claims in June.  The 
10 industries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial claims
accounted for 62,767 initial claims in June, 47 percent of the total.  
(See table A.)
   
   The manufacturing sector had 16 percent of all mass layoff events and
20 percent of all initial claims filed in June--the lowest shares for any
June since 1995, when the monthly series began.  A year ago, manufacturing
reported 23 percent of events and 26 percent of initial claims.  Within
manufacturing, the number of claimants was highest in transportation equip-
ment (9,303, mainly automotive-related), followed by food processing (2,677) 
and textile mills (1,957).  (See table 2.)
   
   The transportation and warehousing sector accounted for 9 percent of
events and 11 percent of initial claims filed in June, with layoffs mostly
in school and employee bus transportation.  Eleven percent of all layoff
events and 10 percent of initial claims filed during the month were in
administrative and waste services, mainly in temporary help services.
Healthcare and social assistance accounted for 11 percent of events and 9
percent of initial claims, largely in child day care services.  Accommoda-
tion and food services accounted for 6 percent of events and 8 percent of 
initial claims during the month, primarily among food service contractors.  
An additional 6 percent of events and initial claims were in retail trade, 
mostly in general merchandise stores.
   
   Government establishments accounted for 16 percent of events and 14
percent of initial claims filed during the month, mostly in educational
services as the school year ended.
   
   Compared with June 2003, the largest decreases in initial claims were
reported in educational services (-5,103), food processing (-3,152), and
plastics and rubber products manufacturing (-2,873).  The largest over-the-
year increases in initial claims were reported in transportation equipment
manufacturing (+2,936) and social assistance (+2,525).
     
                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Industries with the largest mass-layoff initial claims in
June 2004p
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           |          |        June peak
                 Industry                  | Initial  |-----------------------
                                           |  claims  |  Year  |Initial claims
-------------------------------------------|----------|--------|--------------
                                           |          |        |
Elementary and secondary schools...........| 12,614   |  2003  |    17,360
School and employee bus transportation.....| 12,498   |  2002  |    15,668
Temporary help services....................|  8,242   |  2000  |    13,815
Child day care services....................|  7,667   |  1995  |     8,779
Food service contractors...................|  6,289   |  1999  |     6,410
Motion picture and video production........|  4,480   |  2000  |     9,435
Automobile manufacturing...................|  3,982   |  1998  |    41,501
Other individual and family services.......|  2,637   |  2004  |     2,637
Discount department stores.................|  2,258   |  2004  |     2,258
Executive and legislative offices..........|  2,100   |  2003  |     2,224
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  p=preliminary.
   
Geographic Distribution

   Among the four regions, the highest number of initial claims in June
due to mass layoffs was reported in the West, 46,900.  (See table 3.)
Educational services and administrative and support services accounted 
for 34 percent of all initial claims in that region during the month.  
The South region was next, with 31,374 initial claims, followed closely 
by the Midwest, with 31,267, and the Northeast, with 25,047.
   
   The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs declined over the year
in all four regions.  The largest decrease was in the South (-9,645), fol-
lowed by the West (-6,782).  Each of the nine geographic divisions had over-
the-year decreases in the number of initial claims associated with mass lay-
offs, with the largest decreases in the East South Central (-5,793) and Paci-
fic (-4,934) divisions.
   
   Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial
claims filed in mass layoff events in June (39,179), mostly in education-
al services and administrative and support services.  New Jersey reported
9,167 initial claims, followed by Pennsylvania (7,586), Ohio (6,755), and
Florida (6,466).  These five states accounted for 52 percent of all layoff
events and 51 percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance.
(See table 4.)
   
   California reported the largest over-the-year decrease in the number of
initial claims (-3,739), followed by Texas (-3,402) and Alabama (-3,303).
The largest over-the-year increase occurred in South Carolina (+2,399).
   
   From January to June, California reported 210,628 mass layoff initial
claims, 26 percent of the national total.  The states with the next largest
number of claims over this period were New York (56,874), Pennsylvania
(45,461), and Ohio (39,349).
   
                                  - 3 -

Note
   
   The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or
more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the
layoffs.  For private nonfarm establishments, information on the length of
the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports
on mass layoffs lasting more than 30 days (referred to as "extended mass
layoffs").  The quarterly release provides more information on the industry
classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of
the laid-off workers.  Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs
of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months in a quarter
will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 30
days.  (See table 1.)  See the Technical Note for more detailed
definitions.
   
                      ______________________________
   
   
   The Report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the Second Quarter of 2004 is
scheduled to be released on Thursday, August 26, 2004.  The report on Mass
Layoffs in July 2004 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, August 31,
2004.
   
   
   
   
   
                                   - 4 -                                           

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 establish-
ments 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 long-
er, 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, and the number of weeks in a given month may be different 
from year to year.  Therefore, analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year 
change should take this calendar effect into consideration.
 
 The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after it had been ter-
minated 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 indi-
viduals 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.


 
 

Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2002 to June 2004

                                                                                     Private nonfarm                               

                                Total mass layoffs                                Extended mass layoffs          Realization     
             Date                                       Mass layoffs            lasting more than 30 days          rates(1)   

                                          Initial               Initial                         Initial                  Initial  
                                Events   claimants    Events   claimants          Events       claimants     Events     claimants 
             2002           

April ......................     1,506     165,814     1,378     153,216
May ........................     1,723     179,799     1,571     166,801
June .......................     1,584     162,189     1,266     136,424

Second Quarter .............     4,813     507,802     4,215     456,441          1,624         299,598       38.5         65.6

July .......................     2,042     245,294     1,819     226,892
August .....................     1,248     128,103     1,151     119,874
September ..................     1,062     124,522       957     114,736

Third Quarter ..............     4,352     497,919     3,927     461,502          1,186         254,955       30.2         55.2

October ....................     1,497     171,100     1,270     149,327
November ...................     2,153     240,171     1,860     216,237
December ...................     2,474     264,158     2,324     252,807

Fourth Quarter .............     6,124     675,429     5,454     618,371          1,916         370,592       35.1         59.9

             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         297,607       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         348,890       41.4         79.0

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         227,568       31.9         56.2

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         325,765       39.4         73.4

             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   (2)(p) 1,204  (2)(p) 165,272    (p)30.8      (p)42.9

April ......................     1,458     157,314     1,316     142,657
May(p) .....................       988      87,501       878      78,786
June(p) ....................     1,379     134,588     1,077     110,804

Second Quarter(p) ..........     3,825     379,403     3,271     332,247


    1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days.  The initial
claimant realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants associated with layoffs lasting
more than 30 days. 
    2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more data on these layoffs become available.  Experience
suggests that the number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards by less than 10 percent and the number of
initial claimants associated with such events increases by 25-40 percent. 
    p = preliminary. 
 
 
 
 

Table 2. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
                                                 
                                                                                                    Initial claimants for          
                                                             Mass layoff events                     unemployment insurance         
                     Industry                    

                                                     June     April     May     June        June       April       May       June  
                                                     2003     2004     2004p    2004p       2003       2004       2004p      2004p 


      Total(1) ..................................    1,691    1,458      988    1,379      157,552    157,314     87,501    134,588

Total, private ..................................    1,397    1,396      915    1,156      132,185    149,806     81,381    115,626

  Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ....       61       80       37       79        4,442      7,149      2,595      4,822

 Total, private nonfarm .........................    1,336    1,316      878    1,077      127,743    142,657     78,786    110,804
  Mining ........................................        4    ( 2 )    ( 2 )    ( 2 )          591      ( 2 )      ( 2 )      ( 2 )
  Utilities .....................................        3    ( 2 )    ( 2 )    ( 2 )          315      ( 2 )      ( 2 )      ( 2 )
  Construction ..................................       95      149       76       77        6,238     11,904      5,424      4,924
  Manufacturing .................................      389      343      219      222       40,845     36,172     22,141     27,307
      Food ......................................       59      112       41       38        5,829     13,582      3,897      2,677
      Beverage and tobacco products .............    ( 2 )        5    ( 2 )    ( 2 )        ( 2 )        319      ( 2 )      ( 2 )
      Textile mills .............................       18        8       12        9        1,970      1,091      1,099      1,957
      Textile product mills .....................       10        5       13    ( 2 )        1,581        420      2,820      ( 2 )
      Apparel ...................................       19       12       18        7        1,584        922      1,382        641
      Leather and allied products ...............        6        5    ( 2 )        4          692        399      ( 2 )        459
      Wood products .............................        9       16        5        7          711      1,684        389        634
      Paper .....................................        9        7        7    ( 2 )        1,202        499        665      ( 2 )
      Printing and related support activities ...       14       15       13       13        1,053      1,618        985      1,324
      Petroleum and coal products ...............    ( 2 )        -        -        -        ( 2 )          -          -          -

      Chemicals .................................        9       11    ( 2 )       11          878        677      ( 2 )        803
      Plastics and rubber products ..............       19       12        8        4        3,233        936        508        360
      Nonmetallic mineral products ..............       10        7    ( 2 )        4          828        452      ( 2 )        304
      Primary metals ............................       29        9    ( 2 )        9        2,226        920      ( 2 )      1,078
      Fabricated metal products .................       23       22        9       11        1,728      2,030        660      1,464
      Machinery .................................       30       19       14       16        3,062      1,658      1,359      1,362
      Computer and electronic products ..........       35       17       13       11        3,464      1,375      1,081      1,418
      Electrical equipment and appliances .......       13        7       10        5        2,088      1,252      1,572      1,222
      Transportation equipment ..................       51       32       28       51        6,367      4,625      2,911      9,303
      Furniture and related products ............       15       11       12       11        1,363        835      1,098      1,323
      Miscellaneous manufacturing ...............        6       11        5        4          572        878        376        265

  Wholesale trade ...............................       25       21       11       23        1,597      1,944        819      2,142
  Retail trade ..................................      100      118       91       76        9,640     12,659      7,851      7,410
  Transportation and warehousing ................      135      145       40      120       15,035     20,292      3,822     14,557
  Information ...................................       54       42       32       48        5,954      7,851      2,966      6,748
  Finance and insurance .........................       23       31       23       22        1,730      2,594      1,944      1,502
  Real estate and rental and leasing ............        7       11    ( 2 )        4          485      1,214      ( 2 )        231
  Professional and technical services ...........       36       54       44       27        3,357      6,939      4,116      3,174
  Management of companies and enterprises .......        4        4        4        4          725        269        232        935
  Administrative and waste services .............      175      194      119      148       15,596     20,812      9,839     14,058
  Educational services ..........................       12        4        4       11          961        374        309        692
  Health care and social assistance .............      123       31       67      149       10,226      2,118      5,500     12,457
  Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...........       25       40       23       25        1,383      3,368      2,006      1,390
  Accommodation and food services ...............       83       93       82       85        9,975     10,067      8,145     10,549
  Other services, except public administration ..       41       26       35       30        2,937      3,240      3,112      2,278

  Unclassified ..................................        2        6        1        2          153        563         62        181

Government ......................................      294       62       73      223       25,367      7,508      6,120     18,962
  Federal .......................................        9       14        8        9          841      1,173      1,033      1,040
  State .........................................       22       11       17       18        1,699        884      1,389      1,058
  Local .........................................      263       37       48      196       22,827      5,451      3,698     16,864


    1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 
    p = preliminary.
    NOTE: Dash represents zero. 
     
 
 
 

Table 3. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division
                           
                                                                                      Initial claimants for            
                                          Mass layoff events                          unemployment insurance           
 Census region and division

                               June       April       May       June         June        April        May        June  
                               2003       2004       2004p      2004p        2003        2004        2004p       2004p 

      United States(1) ....    1,691      1,458        988      1,379       157,552     157,314      87,501     134,588

Northeast .................      275        332        128        204        29,032      40,728      11,912      25,047

  New England .............       55         49         21         39         5,732       5,913       2,007       4,263
  Middle Atlantic .........      220        283        107        165        23,300      34,815       9,905      20,784

South .....................      461        292        285        337        41,019      27,553      27,666      31,374

  South Atlantic ..........      243        139        138        183        18,913      12,141      12,730      16,796
  East South Central ......       78         52         63         48         9,495       5,936       7,512       3,702
  West South Central ......      140        101         84        106        12,611       9,476       7,424      10,876

Midwest ...................      310        275        237        300        33,819      31,619      22,294      31,267

  East North Central ......      238        235        172        234        24,398      27,755      17,057      24,316
  West North Central ......       72         40         65         66         9,421       3,864       5,237       6,951

West ......................      645        559        338        538        53,682      57,414      25,629      46,900

  Mountain ................       68         52         39         53         5,827       5,962       3,580       3,979
  Pacific .................      577        507        299        485        47,855      51,452      22,049      42,921


    1 See footnote 1, table 2.
    p = preliminary.
    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 4. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance
                         
                                                                                       Initial claimants for            
                                         Mass layoff events                            unemployment insurance           
           State         

                             June        April        May        June         June        April        May        June  
                             2003        2004        2004p       2004p        2003        2004        2004p       2004p 

   Total(1) .............    1,691       1,458         988       1,379       157,552     157,314      87,501     134,588

Alabama .................       21          15          11           8         3,882       2,051       2,586         579
Alaska ..................        4           5       ( 2 )           4           439         633       ( 2 )         256
Arizona .................       17          20          14          17         1,282       3,177       1,438       1,307
Arkansas ................        9           6           7           6           653         513         525         440
California ..............      526         440         272         438        42,918      44,311      20,148      39,179
Colorado ................       11           9           5           5           884         973         502         431
Connecticut .............        9           6           5          10         1,296         513         327       1,117
Delaware ................        4           3           -           4           266         165           -         801
District of Columbia ....    ( 2 )           -           -       ( 2 )         ( 2 )           -           -       ( 2 )
Florida .................      117          69          67          93         8,488       5,447       5,152       6,466
Georgia .................       43          21          25          26         3,641       2,111       2,674       2,873
Hawaii ..................        7           7       ( 2 )           3           525         570       ( 2 )         205
Idaho ...................        8           6           4           4           629         559         347         291

Illinois ................       44          54          48          52         4,231       7,471       5,640       5,869
Indiana .................       36          25          22          26         3,912       2,227       2,155       2,564
Iowa ....................       10           8           6          13         1,186         846         515       1,417
Kansas ..................       11           9           5          11         2,198       1,222         348       1,042
Kentucky ................       28          20          26          16         3,087       2,559       2,452       1,210
Louisiana ...............       28          28          21          31         2,308       2,554       1,869       2,686
Maine ...................        6           7       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           388         662       ( 2 )       ( 2 )
Maryland ................       11           9           7           6           950         906         488         480
Massachusetts ...........       32          16          11          16         3,230       1,759       1,333       1,573
Michigan ................       39          38          33          55         3,541       3,556       3,369       5,277
Minnesota ...............       20           5          12          20         1,898         327         959       2,258
Mississippi .............        7           6          10           8           547         419         879         427
Missouri ................       25          15          27          21         3,730       1,242       2,227       2,138

Montana .................        8       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           3           528       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         171
Nebraska ................        4           3           8       ( 2 )           267         227         556       ( 2 )
Nevada ..................       14           6           3          14         1,597         420         291       1,152
New Hampshire ...........    ( 2 )       ( 2 )           -           4         ( 2 )       ( 2 )           -         391
New Jersey ..............       69          47          25          50         9,441       4,862       2,768       9,167
New Mexico ..............        6           4           9           5           605         346         715         268
New York ................       46         120          40          36         4,194      19,056       3,348       4,031
North Carolina ..........       24          20          16          13         1,918       1,768       1,346       1,014
North Dakota ............        -           -           4           -             -           -         290           -
Ohio ....................       72          51          38          61         8,361       5,811       3,305       6,755
Oklahoma ................       13           5           4          10         1,188         425         347       2,690
Oregon ..................       20          33           9          21         2,022       3,899         562       1,772
Pennsylvania ............      105         116          42          79         9,665      10,897       3,789       7,586

Rhode Island ............    ( 2 )           8       ( 2 )           6         ( 2 )       1,624       ( 2 )         992
South Carolina ..........       12           6           7          19         1,039         796       1,429       3,438
South Dakota ............    ( 2 )           -           3           -         ( 2 )           -         342           -
Tennessee ...............       22          11          16          16         1,979         907       1,595       1,486
Texas ...................       90          62          52          59         8,462       5,984       4,683       5,060
Utah ....................        4           4       ( 2 )           5           302         248       ( 2 )         359
Vermont .................    ( 2 )          10       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         ( 2 )       1,177       ( 2 )       ( 2 )
Virginia ................       27          10          14          17         2,189         849       1,536       1,318
Washington ..............       20          22          15          19         1,951       2,039       1,146       1,509
West Virginia ...........    ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           3         ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         277
Wisconsin ...............       47          67          31          40         4,353       8,690       2,588       3,851
Wyoming .................        -       ( 2 )           -           -             -       ( 2 )           -           -

Puerto Rico .............        8          11           4          10           702       1,147         640         896


    1 See footnote 1, table 2.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 
    p = preliminary.
    NOTE: Dash represents zero.