Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 08-0831

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

For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Friday, June 20, 2008 

MASS LAYOFFS IN MAY 2008

In May, employers took 1,626 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 employer; 

the number of workers involved totaled 171,387, on a seasonally adjusted basis. Layoff events and 

associated initial claimants were the highest for the month of May since 2003. The number of mass 

layoff events in May 2008 increased sharply by 318 from the prior month, while the number of 

associated initial claims rose by 37,473. In May, 528 mass layoff events were reported in the 

manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 72,058 initial claims. Over the month, mass 

layoff events in manufacturing increased by 45 and initial claims increased by 11,506. (See table 1.)

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

June 2003-May 2008

2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

2008

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

June 2003-May 2008

2008

From January through May 2008, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 7,615, and 

initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 783,942, were considerably higher than in January-May 2007 

(6,325 and 650,605, respectively).

News United States

Department 

of Labor
2

Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in May 2008

Year Initial claims

Temporary help services ................................................................................................................................................ 8,389 2002 16,992 

Food service contractors ................................................................................................................................................ 7,376 2008 7,376 

Motion picture and video production ..............................................................................................................................6,874 1999 8,985 

School and employee bus transportation .........................................................................................................................6,323 2008 6,323 

Heavy duty truck manufacturing .....................................................................................................................................5,053 2008 5,053 

Child day care services ................................................................................................................................................ 4,541 2008 4,541 

Professional employer organizations ...............................................................................................................................4,085 2008 4,085 

Other social advocacy organizations ...............................................................................................................................2,919 2008 2,919 

Automobile manufacturing ..............................................................................................................................................2,763 2003 7,851 

All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing ...................................................................................................................2,333 2008 2,333 

Industry Initial claims May peak

The national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in May, seasonally adjusted, up from 5.0 percent 

in the prior month and up from 4.5 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased 

by 49,000 in May from the previous month, but increased by 236,000 from a year earlier.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The number of mass layoff events in May was 1,552 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the number 

of associated initial claims was 159,471. (See table 2.) Average weekly layoff events rose from 231 in 

May 2007 to 310 in May 2008, while average weekly initial claimants increased from 21,454 to 31,894. 

Both the average weekly number of events and claims reached the highest levels for the month of May 

since 2003.

 

The largest over-the-year increases in May 2008 average weekly initial claims associated with 

mass layoffs occurred in transportation equipment manufacturing (+1,766) and in transit and ground 

passenger transportation (+1,176). The largest decreases occurred in general merchandise stores (-256) 

and in textile mills (-126).

The manufacturing sector accounted for 25 percent of all mass layoff events and 32 percent of

initial claims filed in May; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 24 percent of events and 31 percent of 

initial claims. In May 2008, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation 

equipment manufacturing (21,667), followed by food manufacturing (4,800). (See table 3.) 

Administrative and waste services accounted for 12 percent of mass layoff events and 10 percent of 

associated initial claims in May, primarily from temporary help services.

The six-digit NAICS industry with the highest number of initial claims was temporary help services

with 8,389, followed by food service contractors (7,376) and motion picture and video production

(6,874). Among the 10 industries with the highest levels of initial claims, 7 of the 10 reached program 

highs in 2008 for the month of May (with data available back to 1995). (See table A.)
3

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Of the 4 census regions, the highest number of initial claims in May due to mass layoffs was in the 

West (45,558). The Midwest had the second largest number of initial claims among the regions

(45,462), followed by the South with 42,832 and the Northeast with 25,619. (See table 5.) 

All 4 regions experienced over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims—the Midwest 

(+3,156), the South (+2,944), the West (+2,365), and the Northeast (+1,976). Eight of the 9 divisions 

had over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims, led by the East North Central (+3,334).

California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in May with 

34,085, largely due to layoffs in motion picture and sound recording industries and in administrative and 

support services. The next highest states reporting mass layoff initial claims were New York (9,613), 

Pennsylvania (8,975), Florida (8,841), and Kentucky (8,666). (See table 6.) 

Forty states reported over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims associated with mass 

layoffs, led by California (+1,422), New York (+1,333), Illinois (+843), and Florida (+752). States with 

the largest over-the-year decreases in average weekly claims were Missouri (-705) and Virginia (-162). 

In 2008, six states reported program highs in terms of average weekly initial claims for the month of 

May (with data available back to 1995)—Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Ohio.

______________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in June 2008 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 23.
Technical Note 

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federalstate program that uses a standardized automated approach to 

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job 

cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment 

insurance database. Each month, states report on employers 

which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during 

a consecutive 5-week period. These employers then are 

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these 

separations lasted 31 days or longer, and, if so, other 

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report 

on layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quarterly basis. 

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly 

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday 

through Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are 

included for the particular month, except if the first day of the 

month falls on Saturday. In this case, the week is included in 

the prior month's tabulations. This means that some months 

will contain 4 weeks and others, 5 weeks, the number of 

weeks in a given month may be different from year to year, 

and the number of weeks in a year may vary. Therefore, 

analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year change in not 

seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect into 

consideration. 

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after 

it had been terminated in November 1992 due to lack of 

funding. Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were 

not available. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-

877-8339. 

Definitions 

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include those 

covered by state unemployment insurance laws. Information 

on employers is obtained from the Quarterly Census of 

Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which is 

administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of 

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a 

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or 

period of eligibility. 

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for 

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an employer 

during a 5-week period, regardless of duration. 

 

Seasonal adjustment 

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS 

began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS 

series. The six series are the numbers of mass layoff events 

and mass layoff initial claims for the total, private nonfarm, 

and manufacturing sectors. 

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and 

removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring 

seasonal events such as changes in the weather, holidays, and 

the beginning and ending of the school year. The use of 

seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental 

changes in time series, particularly those associated with 

general economic expansions and contractions. 

The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-

ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis. 

Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly 

estimates, including those for the current month, in 

developing seasonal adjustment factors. Revisions to the 

most recent 5 years of seasonally adjusted data will be made 

once a year with the issuance of December data. Before the 

data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments are made to 

the original data to adjust them for differences in the number 

of weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly 

unemployment insurance claims are aggregated to form 

monthly data, a particular month's value could be calculated 

with 5 weeks of data in 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, June 2004 to May 2008,

seasonally adjusted

2004

June ............................................................. 1,400 141,168 1,231 128,245 371 47,243 

July ............................................................... 1,329 137,805 1,178 126,301 376 50,799 

August .......................................................... 1,426 128,759 1,233 113,809 343 36,539 

September ................................................... 1,285 127,833 1,154 116,843 336 45,690 

October ........................................................ 1,283 132,766 1,169 123,471 363 47,046 

November .................................................... 1,320 130,873 1,174 119,029 380 45,416 

December .................................................... 1,148 111,060 991 99,784 287 31,935 

2005

January ........................................................ 1,475 160,725 1,346 151,028 382 61,324 

February ....................................................... 1,146 121,455 1,020 110,480 353 43,568 

March ........................................................... 1,207 131,271 1,066 120,945 372 53,673 

April .............................................................. 1,252 136,752 1,125 126,550 401 60,681 

May .............................................................. 1,248 136,420 1,104 123,495 398 54,999 

June ............................................................. 1,196 127,084 1,078 118,012 368 58,300 

July ............................................................... 1,250 132,445 1,103 119,566 357 46,602 

August .......................................................... 1,144 125,686 1,000 113,762 341 47,598 

September ................................................... 2,248 297,544 2,028 251,185 417 55,304 

October ........................................................ 1,101 110,035 982 100,934 321 43,230 

November .................................................... 1,176 114,965 1,042 103,535 332 42,071 

December .................................................... 1,261 134,461 1,132 123,418 360 46,863 

2006

January ........................................................ 1,107 110,800 988 101,494 283 34,037 

February ....................................................... 1,031 109,798 940 101,828 322 43,147 

March ........................................................... 1,084 119,049 983 110,668 323 48,119 

April .............................................................. 1,171 121,580 1,043 112,175 368 49,568 

May .............................................................. 1,124 117,115 1,005 107,181 314 43,087 

June ............................................................. 1,146 123,827 1,030 114,080 352 44,869 

July ............................................................... 1,179 121,017 1,051 111,336 372 48,534 

August .......................................................... 1,270 135,400 1,107 124,427 377 60,906 

September ................................................... 1,173 123,767 1,056 114,677 385 45,767 

October ........................................................ 1,191 121,827 1,076 113,123 399 53,601 

November .................................................... 1,232 133,803 1,121 124,559 414 58,385 

December .................................................... 1,194 131,062 1,092 121,796 374 51,408 

2007

January ........................................................ 1,254 128,223 1,118 117,824 391 52,858 

February ....................................................... 1,352 143,837 1,238 135,066 416 61,749 

March ........................................................... 1,277 130,981 1,169 122,488 412 52,606 

April .............................................................. 1,243 126,977 1,116 116,926 382 43,930 

May .............................................................. 1,199 120,587 1,096 113,069 370 48,910 

June ............................................................. 1,238 129,858 1,116 120,165 351 40,670 

July ............................................................... 1,247 127,687 1,140 119,614 392 51,333 

August .......................................................... 1,228 121,886 1,128 114,628 335 36,518 

September ................................................... 1,307 128,487 1,204 121,294 430 53,432 

October ........................................................ 1,347 136,124 1,224 127,163 430 57,695 

November .................................................... 1,329 139,671 1,215 131,390 414 56,965 

December .................................................... 1,433 141,750 1,315 133,024 462 58,108 

2008

January ........................................................ 1,438 144,111 1,317 134,347 427 55,488 

February ....................................................... 1,672 177,374 1,539 166,782 529 66,913 

March ........................................................... 1,571 157,156 1,460 147,537 482 64,088 

April .............................................................. 1,308 133,914 1,186 124,053 483 60,552 

May .............................................................. 1,626 171,387 1,496 161,912 528 72,058 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, June 2004 to May 2008,

not seasonally adjusted

2004

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

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

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

March ........................................................... 806 88,937 733 83,793 246 33,030 

April .............................................................. 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 395 59,129 

May .............................................................. 986 101,358 891 93,332 249 30,424 

June ............................................................. 1,157 120,463 941 103,307 216 32,783 

July ............................................................... 1,981 244,216 1,745 222,377 856 136,210 

August .......................................................... 645 67,582 598 63,484 188 22,531 

September ................................................... 1,662 213,281 1,505 179,042 318 47,497 

October ........................................................ 905 91,941 757 80,694 249 37,276 

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

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

2006

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

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

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

April .............................................................. 1,140 121,589 1,038 112,964 296 39,538 

May .............................................................. 872 84,809 794 78,663 192 23,570 

June ............................................................. 1,489 164,761 1,224 140,687 319 41,095 

July ............................................................... 1,511 166,857 1,335 154,342 648 96,152 

August .......................................................... 708 72,844 656 69,054 203 28,494 

September ................................................... 865 87,699 785 81,274 296 39,076 

October ........................................................ 964 98,804 820 88,133 311 46,737 

November .................................................... 1,315 136,186 1,172 125,009 455 58,473 

December .................................................... 2,249 254,503 2,126 244,783 735 105,462 

2007

January ........................................................ 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 456 53,615 

February ....................................................... 935 86,696 861 82,097 273 36,170 

March ........................................................... 1,082 123,974 1,015 118,431 367 49,886 

April .............................................................. 1,219 127,444 1,115 118,040 309 35,229 

May .............................................................. 923 85,816 856 81,153 224 26,527 

June ............................................................. 1,599 172,810 1,318 148,669 313 36,571 

July ............................................................... 1,599 175,419 1,450 164,939 684 101,390 

August .......................................................... 963 93,458 908 88,345 220 23,361 

September ................................................... 717 67,385 667 64,026 246 29,381 

October ........................................................ 1,083 108,455 929 97,716 338 50,918 

November .................................................... 1,799 198,220 1,593 181,184 514 75,413 

December .................................................... 2,167 224,214 2,071 216,898 699 91,754 

2008

January ........................................................ 1,647 154,503 1,520 144,191 488 54,418 

February ....................................................... 1,269 119,508 1,178 113,587 361 42,527 

March ........................................................... 1,089 114,541 1,039 110,147 333 43,740 

April .............................................................. 1,272 130,810 1,172 121,625 394 48,188 

May .............................................................. 1,552 159,471 1,438 150,462 388 51,698 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

May March April May May March April May

2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008

Seasonally adjusted

 Total .............................................................. 1,199 1,571 1,308 1,626 120,587 157,156 133,914 171,387 

 Total, private nonfarm ....................................... 1,096 1,460 1,186 1,496 113,069 147,537 124,053 161,912 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 370 482 483 528 48,910 64,088 60,552 72,058 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1 ............................................................ 923 1,089 1,272 1,552 85,816 114,541 130,810 159,471 

Total, private ....................................................... 880 1,063 1,234 1,467 82,760 111,984 127,631 152,510 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 24 24 62 29 1,607 1,837 6,006 2,048 

 Total, private nonfarm ....................................... 856 1,039 1,172 1,438 81,153 110,147 121,625 150,462 

 Mining .............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 458 

 Utilities ............................................................. 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 439 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 475 

 Construction .................................................... 91 119 112 167 6,230 7,891 8,106 12,411 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 224 333 394 388 26,527 43,740 48,188 51,698 

 Food ............................................................ 34 58 66 48 2,579 7,705 7,085 4,800 

 Beverage and tobacco products ................. ( 2 ) 6 4 5 ( 2 ) 540 422 273 

 Textile mills ................................................. 9 14 10 6 920 2,745 1,065 520 

 Textile product mills 3

 .................................. ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 5 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 700 580 

 Apparel 3

...................................................... 5 8 10 14 562 544 872 1,171 

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

 Wood products ............................................ 20 30 33 24 1,823 2,419 3,973 2,455 

 Paper ........................................................... 8 9 7 11 680 827 419 1,091 

 Printing and related support activities ......... 7 9 11 9 551 736 1,136 833 

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

 Chemicals ................................................... 6 3 8 9 377 140 621 696 

 Plastics and rubber products 3

..................... 11 27 28 21 810 2,201 2,522 1,793 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 7 15 14 14 583 1,224 1,251 1,175 

 Primary metals ............................................ 13 10 14 9 963 873 1,386 1,217 

 Fabricated metal products .......................... 10 20 22 29 699 1,878 1,612 2,596 

 Machinery 3

.................................................. 16 15 19 25 1,430 2,447 2,393 3,758 

 Computer and electronic products .............. 11 10 15 14 758 917 1,544 1,250 

 Electrical equipment and appliances .......... 7 9 13 13 1,622 2,692 1,153 1,845 

 Transportation equipment 3

.......................... 40 72 89 101 10,268 14,318 17,617 21,667 

 Furniture and related products 3

................... 11 11 18 20 1,063 842 1,746 3,285 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing 3

.................... 5 4 3 5 613 301 395 445 

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 10 22 26 21 1,021 1,624 2,649 1,513 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 87 94 95 109 7,827 9,788 7,933 10,090 

 Transportation and warehousing .................... 31 92 108 99 2,782 10,629 12,228 11,176 

 Information ...................................................... 23 35 33 56 4,355 4,316 3,446 9,251 

 Finance and insurance 3

.................................. 33 46 43 38 2,414 3,692 2,978 2,666 

 Real estate and rental and leasing 3

................ 4 5 7 6 344 552 864 407 

 Professional and technical services 3

............... 41 24 59 66 3,168 3,225 7,282 6,924 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 383 

 Administrative and waste services 3................. 119 130 168 192 9,762 10,076 16,831 16,175 

 Educational services ....................................... 4 6 5 6 204 1,191 464 383 

 Health care and social assistance .................. 54 20 16 85 4,684 1,347 1,016 7,643 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 20 8 28 32 1,166 492 2,078 1,993 

 Accommodation and food services ................. 87 90 68 122 8,401 10,328 6,743 13,212 

 Other services, except public administration .. 20 10 5 38 1,684 906 310 3,604 

 Unclassified .................................................... – – – – – – – –

Government ........................................................ 43 26 38 85 3,056 2,557 3,179 6,961 

 Federal ............................................................ 8 7 7 16 634 569 490 1,656 

 State ................................................................ 7 7 10 14 594 618 748 867 

 Local ................................................................ 28 12 21 55 1,828 1,370 1,941 4,438 

 1

 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. due to a change in NAICS versions.

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

 3 Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years

Industry
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2006 to May 2008,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants

2006

April ............................................ 1,140 121,589 1,038 112,964 

May ............................................ 872 84,809 794 78,663 

June ........................................... 1,489 164,761 1,224 140,687 

Second Quarter ......................... 3,501 371,159 3,056 332,314 1,353 264,927 44.3 79.7 

July ............................................ 1,511 166,857 1,335 154,342 

August ........................................ 708 72,844 656 69,054 

September ................................. 865 87,699 785 81,274 

Third Quarter ............................. 3,084 327,400 2,776 304,670 929 161,764 33.5 53.1 

October ...................................... 964 98,804 820 88,133 

November .................................. 1,315 136,186 1,172 125,009 

December .................................. 2,249 254,503 2,126 244,783 

Fourth Quarter ........................... 4,528 489,493 4,118 457,925 1,640 330,901 39.8 72.3 

2007

January ...................................... 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 

February .................................... 935 86,696 861 82,097 

March ......................................... 1,082 123,974 1,015 118,431 

First Quarter ............................... 3,424 345,654 3,139 325,003 1,110 199,250 35.4 61.3 

April ............................................ 1,219 127,444 1,115 118,040 

May ............................................ 923 85,816 856 81,153 

June ........................................... 1,599 172,810 1,318 148,669 

Second Quarter ......................... 3,741 386,070 3,289 347,862 1,421 259,082 43.2 74.5 

July ............................................ 1,599 175,419 1,450 164,939 

August ........................................ 963 93,458 908 88,345 

September ................................. 717 67,385 667 64,026 

Third Quarter ............................. 3,279 336,262 3,025 317,310 1,019 173,518 33.7 54.7 

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

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

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

Fourth Quarter ........................... 5,049 530,889 4,593 495,798 1,814 346,030 39.5 69.8 

2008

January ...................................... 1,647 154,503 1,520 144,191 

February .................................... 1,269 119,508 1,178 113,587 

March ......................................... 1,089 114,541 1,039 110,147 

First Quarter ............................... 4,005 388,552 3,737 367,925 2,p 1,111 2,p 165,933 p

 29.7 p 45.1 

April ............................................ 1,272 130,810 1,172 121,625 

May ............................................ 1,552 159,471 1,438 150,462 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards

mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated

rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days. p = preliminary.

 2

 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more

data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

Mass layoffs

Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

Date
Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

May March April May May March April May

2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008

 United States 1

 ......................................... 923 1,089 1,272 1,552 85,816 114,541 130,810 159,471 

Northeast .......................................................... 150 180 244 266 12,593 21,202 24,621 25,619 

 New England ................................................ 25 14 59 32 1,887 1,014 6,506 3,218 

 Middle Atlantic .............................................. 125 166 185 234 10,706 20,188 18,115 22,401 

South ................................................................ 222 245 256 402 22,490 28,097 27,299 42,832 

 South Atlantic ............................................... 113 139 139 199 9,597 14,166 11,989 15,761 

 East South Central ....................................... 55 53 59 116 7,748 6,680 8,783 16,810 

 West South Central ...................................... 54 53 58 87 5,145 7,251 6,527 10,261 

Midwest ............................................................ 217 287 330 390 23,747 34,885 37,169 45,462 

 East North Central ........................................ 153 224 267 312 15,731 27,847 31,172 36,332 

 West North Central ....................................... 64 63 63 78 8,016 7,038 5,997 9,130 

West ................................................................. 334 377 442 494 26,986 30,357 41,721 45,558 

 Mountain ....................................................... 29 43 67 62 2,309 4,001 7,701 5,548 

 Pacific ........................................................... 305 334 375 432 24,677 26,356 34,020 40,010 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, 

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana,

comprise the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas,

Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota;

and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, 

Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon,

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Washington.

Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama,

Census region and division
.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Table 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

not seasonally adjusted

State

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

May March April May May March April May

2007 2008 2008 2008 2007 2008 2008 2008

 Total 1

 ............................................... 923 1,089 1,272 1,552 85,816 114,541 130,810 159,471 

Alabama .............................................. 14 11 21 35 1,379 927 2,789 4,044 

Alaska .................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 499 ( 2 )

Arizona ................................................ 6 9 30 9 524 808 4,424 872 

Arkansas ............................................. 5 5 3 7 432 867 330 648 

California ............................................. 270 296 321 382 21,582 21,812 28,172 34,085 

Colorado .............................................. 3 6 5 8 276 533 455 930 

Connecticut ......................................... 6 ( 2 ) 7 11 521 ( 2 ) 535 924 

Delaware ............................................. – 4 3 3 – 298 920 203 

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

Florida ................................................. 60 63 65 125 4,066 5,145 4,130 8,841 

Georgia ................................................ 21 20 29 32 2,641 3,302 2,606 3,170 

Hawaii .................................................. 3 4 5 11 251 304 1,583 1,118 

Idaho ................................................... ( 2 ) 12 3 12 ( 2 ) 1,187 206 1,131 

Illinois .................................................. 30 51 47 59 3,074 6,694 4,646 8,058 

Indiana ................................................. 18 27 40 44 1,416 3,870 4,031 4,943 

Iowa ..................................................... 5 11 13 12 481 1,051 1,474 3,033 

Kansas ................................................ 10 8 5 12 613 1,069 359 893 

Kentucky .............................................. 19 26 21 39 4,593 4,555 4,651 8,666 

Louisiana ............................................. 8 6 5 22 878 411 396 3,101 

Maine ................................................... ( 2 ) – 3 – ( 2 ) – 184 –

Maryland .............................................. 5 ( 2 ) 6 4 426 ( 2 ) 531 318 

Massachusetts .................................... 9 5 18 9 649 433 1,936 946 

Michigan .............................................. 46 41 65 85 4,520 3,980 11,156 8,139 

Minnesota ............................................ 9 9 15 10 1,090 617 1,148 1,075 

Mississippi ........................................... 9 7 9 18 461 493 773 1,682 

Missouri ............................................... 35 28 24 35 5,459 3,799 2,205 3,298 

Montana .............................................. 6 ( 2

 ) 3 6 419 ( 2 ) 212 437 

Nebraska ............................................. ( 2 ) 6 3 5 ( 2 ) 412 453 413 

Nevada ................................................ 6 7 16 14 429 522 1,558 1,057 

New Hampshire ................................... ( 2 ) 3 5 5 ( 2 ) 167 451 384 

New Jersey .......................................... 31 34 34 38 2,936 4,007 3,070 3,813 

New Mexico ......................................... 3 5 4 9 312 685 316 690 

New York ............................................. 29 29 64 95 2,358 3,436 7,539 9,613 

North Carolina ..................................... 8 16 6 9 547 1,367 555 1,163 

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

Ohio ..................................................... 34 52 67 67 3,350 6,236 6,951 7,621 

Oklahoma ............................................ 5 6 ( 2 ) 3 428 868 ( 2 ) 624 

Oregon ................................................ 15 21 20 24 1,528 3,275 1,563 3,449 

Pennsylvania ....................................... 65 103 87 101 5,412 12,745 7,506 8,975 

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

 ) 4 11 3 ( 2 ) 303 1,641 243 

South Carolina ..................................... 6 17 22 11 473 1,659 2,563 809 

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

Tennessee ........................................... 13 9 8 24 1,315 705 570 2,418 

Texas ................................................... 36 36 48 55 3,407 5,105 5,594 5,888 

Utah ..................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 464 431 

Vermont ............................................... 5 ( 2 ) 15 4 317 ( 2 ) 1,759 721 

Virginia ................................................ 12 14 6 11 1,370 1,808 494 904 

Washington ......................................... 15 12 25 13 1,206 913 2,203 1,211 

West Virginia ....................................... – 3 ( 2 ) 3 – 428 ( 2 ) 277 

Wisconsin ............................................ 25 53 48 57 3,371 7,067 4,388 7,571 

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

Puerto Rico .......................................... 12 4 17 17 978 344 1,437 2,626 

 1 See footnote 1, table 3. NOTE: Dash represents zero. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.