Technical information:   (202) 691-6392     USDL 01-446
http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                            For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                 691-5902     Friday, November 30, 2001

                                     
                       MASS LAYOFFS IN OCTOBER 2001

   In October 2001, there were 1,816 mass layoff actions by employers as
measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the
month, according 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 212,695.  (See
table 1.)  The number of layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment 
insurance were the highest for the month of October since the series began in 
April 1995.  Over the January-October 2001 period, the total number of events, 
at 16,221, and initial claims, at 1,935,871, were substantially higher than 
in January-October 2000, at 11,364 and 1,292,335, respectively.
   
   The BLS also tabulated data through October 13 on the direct and indirect 
effects of the September 11 attacks on plant closings and mass layoffs lasting 
more than 30 days.  See page 2.

Industry Distribution
   
   Manufacturing industries accounted for 40 percent of all mass layoff events 
and 50 percent of all initial claims filed in October 2001.  A year earlier, 
layoffs in manufacturing accounted for 37 percent of events and 47 percent of 
initial claims.  Manufacturing industries with the highest number of initial 
claimants were transportation equipment (25,524, mostly in motor vehicles and 
car bodies), electronic and other electrical equipment (13,080, primarily in 
semiconductors and related devices), and industrial machinery and equipment 
(11,988, largely in refrigeration and heating equipment).  (See table 2.)
   
   Services accounted for 25 percent of events and 22 percent of initial
claims filed during the month.  The number of initial claim filings from
services nearly tripled over the year, rising to 46,731.  These layoffs in
services were concentrated in business services (particularly help supply
services), in hotels and other lodging places, and in motion pictures.
   
   Eight percent of all layoff events and 7 percent of initial claims filed
during the month were in transportation and public utilities, largely in
scheduled air transportation and in telephone communications.  Retail trade
accounted for 8 percent of events and 6 percent of initial claims in October, 
mostly in department stores and in eating places.  Construction accounted for 
an additional 5 percent of events and 4 percent of initial claims, primarily 
in special trade contractors.
   
   Compared with October 2000, the largest increases in initial claims were
reported in business services (+13,936), electronic and other electrical
equipment (+11,215), transportation equipment (+7,876), and transportation
by air (+7,252).  The largest over-the-year decrease in initial claims was
reported in agricultural services (-4,027).
   
Geographic Distribution
   
   In October, the highest number of initial claims due to mass layoffs was
in the Midwest--68,814--largely in transportation equipment.  (See table 3.)  
This industry accounted for 27 percent of all claimants in the region. The 
Northeast region continued to register the lowest number of mass layoff-
related initial claims, 29,900.
   
   Over the year, all four regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West)
reported increases in mass layoff events and initial claims, with the largest 
increase occurring in the Midwest (+38,767).  Each of the nine geographic 
divisions had over-the-year increases in the number of initial claims 
associated with mass layoffs, with the largest increases in the East North 
Central and Pacific divisions.
   
                                  - 2 -
   
   California registered the largest number of initial claims filed in mass
layoff events, 48,316, mostly in business services and in motion pictures,
followed by Texas (14,229, primarily in business services ), Ohio (13,435,
largely in transportation equipment), and Illinois (12,717, mostly in
fabricated metal products).  These four states accounted for 43 percent of
all layoff events and 42 percent of all initial claims for unemployment
insurance.  (See table 4.)
                                  
   California reported the largest over-the-year increase (+17,738) in 
initial claims, followed by Missouri (+7,722) and Illinois (+7,025).  The
largest over-the-year decrease occurred in Louisiana (-1,017).
   
Impact of the September 11 Attacks
   
   After the events of September 11, BLS added a new code for reason for
layoff, "non-natural disaster," for use in the quarterly reporting of
extended mass layoffs (those lasting more than 30 days).  This allows for
the identification of workers separated from companies as a direct or
indirect effect of situations such as the September 11 attacks.  BLS also
implemented interim reporting of extended mass layoffs in order to analyze
the layoff impact of those attacks on a more timely basis.
   
   In the five weeks following the September 11 attacks (the weeks ending
September 15 through October 13), employers reported 292 events involving
88,508 workers separated as a direct or indirect effect of the attacks.
Twenty-seven states reported extended mass layoff activity related to the
September 11 incidents.  However, 68 percent of these events and 72 percent
of the associated separations occurred in just six states' California,
Nevada, New York, Illinois, Texas, and Hawaii.
   
   Among the workers laid off because of the terrorist attacks, 43 percent,
or 37,730, had been employed in the scheduled air transportation industry.
An additional 36 percent, or 32,161 workers, had been employed in hotels
and motels.
   
   Thirty-two percent of the employers reporting extended mass layoffs
related to the attacks indicated they anticipated some type of recall.
   
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.  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") and 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 Mass Layoffs in November 2001 will be issued in the week
of December 24-28.  A report on extended layoff events resulting from the
September 11 attacks and identified through November 17 also will be
included.
Technical Note
 
 
 
 The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program that
uses a standardized, automated approach to identifying, describing, and
tracking the effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each state's
unemployment insurance database.  Each month, states report on
establishments which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them
during a consecutive 5-week period.  These establishments then are
contacted by the state agency to determine whether these separations lasted
31 days or longer, and, if so, other information concerning the layoff is
collected.  States report on layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a
quarterly basis.
 
 A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly unemployment
insurance claims filings for the Sunday through Saturday weeks in that
month.  All weeks are included for the particular month, except if the
first day of the month falls on Saturday.  In this case, the week is
included in the prior month's tabulations.  This means that some months
will contain 4 weeks and others 5 weeks, 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
terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding.  Prior to April 1995,
monthly layoff statistics were not available.
 
 Information in this release will be made available to sensory
impaired individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; 
TDD message referral phone number:  1-800-877-8339.
 
Definitions
 
 Initial claimant.  A person who files any notice of unemployment to
initiate a request either for a determination of entitlement to and
eligibility for compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment
within a benefit year or period of eligibility.
 
 Mass layoff event.  Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment
insurance benefits filed against an establishment during a 5-week period,
regardless of duration.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 1999 to October 2001

  
                                                          Extended mass layoffs 
                                                        lasting more than 30 days
             Date                                                                               
                               Total mass layoffs                                           Realization rates(1)
                                                                                           
                                                                                                
                                          Initial                         Initial                         Initial 
                               Events    claimants       Events          claimants          Events       claimants        

             1999

 October ....................  1,098      118,938     
 November ...................  1,336      139,508     
 December ...................  1,509      162,381     

 Fourth Quarter .............  3,943      420,827        1,625            287,685           41.2           68.4     

             2000

 January ....................  1,934      223,322     
 February ...................  1,045      103,898     
 March ......................    986      106,748     

 First Quarter ..............  3,965      433,968        1,330            221,368           33.5           51.0     

 April ......................    924      101,359     
 May ........................    984       92,193     
 June .......................  1,597      192,025     

 Second Quarter .............  3,505      385,577        1,271            231,471           36.3           60.0     

 July .......................  1,333      164,978     
 August .....................    751       97,215     
 September ..................    936      106,842     

 Third Quarter ..............  3,020      369,035        1,014         (r)189,250           33.6        (r)51.3

 October ....................    874      103,755     
 November ...................  1,697      216,514     
 December ...................  2,677      326,743     

 Fourth Quarter .............  5,248      647,012        2,005         (r)376,362           38.2        (r)58.2

             2001

 January ....................  1,522      200,343     
 February ...................  1,501      172,908     
 March ......................  1,527      171,466     

 First Quarter ..............  4,550      544,717     (r)1,765         (r)338,596        (r)38.8        (r)62.2
                                                                                     
 April ......................  1,450      175,911     
 May ........................  1,426      157,759     
 June .......................  2,081      250,359     

 Second Quarter .............  4,957      584,029     (r)2,055         (r)387,880        (r)41.5        (r)66.4

 July .......................  2,108      272,308     
 August .....................  1,474      163,263     
 September(p) ...............  1,316      158,859     

 Third Quarter(p) ...........  4,898      594,430     (2)1,689         (2)233,780           34.5           39.3     

 October(p) .................  1,816      212,695     


    1 The event realization rate is the percentage of total mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days.  The
initial claimant realization rate is the percentage of total mass-layoff initial claimants associated with
layoffs lasting more than 30 days.
    2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will increase as more data on these layoffs become available.
Recent 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.
    r = revised.
Table 2. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

                                                                                                     Initial claimants for
                                                                  Mass layoff events                 unemployment insurance
                           Industry


                                                        October  August September October     October   August September October
                                                          2000    2001   2001(p)  2001(p)       2000     2001   2001(p)  2001(p)

      Total(1) ........................................    874   1,474    1,316    1,816      103,755  163,263  158,859  212,695     

 Total, private .......................................    826   1,444    1,281    1,753       98,349  160,685  154,697  206,622     

   Agriculture ........................................    145      74       77       99       13,631    5,247    5,033    8,134     
   Nonagriculture .....................................    670   1,367    1,200    1,653       82,285  155,244  149,273  198,431     
     Manufacturing ....................................    321     607      485      729       48,588   79,663   58,953  105,505     
       Durable goods ..................................    175     415      315      503       34,544   59,811   39,270   78,371     
         Lumber and wood products .....................     19      11        6       28        1,819      882      499    3,205     
         Furniture and fixtures .......................     10      30       24       27          944    4,102    2,496    3,193     
         Stone, clay, and glass products ..............  ( 2 )       8       11       20        ( 2 )    1,233    1,068    2,596     
         Primary metal industries .....................     20      35       28       58        2,857    3,448    2,820    8,334     
         Fabricated metal products ....................     20      42       38       49        1,737    3,402    3,181    6,858     
         Industrial machinery and equipment ...........     22      93       62       91        6,567   11,347   10,479   11,988     
         Electronic and other electrical equipment ....     14     119       77      101        1,865   16,820    7,159   13,080     
         Transportation equipment .....................     57      56       48       99       17,704   15,357    9,960   25,524     
         Instruments and related products .............      6      15       14       21          480    2,529      989    2,677     
         Miscellaneous manufacturing industries .......  ( 2 )       6        7        9        ( 2 )      691      619      916     

       Nondurable goods ...............................    146     192      170      226       14,044   19,852   19,683   27,134     
         Food and kindred products ....................     64      53       50       73        6,729    5,291    6,175    8,467     
         Tobacco products .............................      -   ( 2 )        -        -            -    ( 2 )        -        -
         Textile mill products ........................     14      29       35       30        1,696    3,315    5,216    6,073     
         Apparel and other textile products ...........     30      34       36       43        2,281    3,534    3,547    5,078     
         Paper and allied products ....................      8      16        8       13          695    2,876      727    1,315     
         Printing and publishing ......................  ( 2 )      18       12       14        ( 2 )    1,182    1,233    1,063     
         Chemicals and allied products ................      6      11       10       16          438      910      684    1,429     
         Petroleum and coal products ..................  ( 2 )       -        -    ( 2 )        ( 2 )        -        -    ( 2 )
         Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products ...     14      21       13       34        1,185    1,860    1,534    3,401     
         Leather and leather products .................  ( 2 )   ( 2 )        6    ( 2 )        ( 2 )    ( 2 )      567    ( 2 )

     Nonmanufacturing .................................    349     760      715      924       33,697   75,581   90,320   92,926     
       Mining .........................................  ( 2 )       7    ( 2 )       10        ( 2 )      514    ( 2 )    1,191     
       Construction ...................................     58      75       67       99        4,929    6,058    4,657    8,692     
       Transportation and public utilities ............     29     111       95      141        3,116   10,272   11,698   15,950     
       Wholesale and retail trade .....................     87     181      141      182        7,815   16,742   13,584   16,742     
          Wholesale trade .............................     17      37       33       39        1,191    2,800    2,599    3,228     
          Retail trade ................................     70     144      108      143        6,624   13,942   10,985   13,514     
       Finance, insurance, and real estate ............  ( 2 )      31    ( 2 )       43        ( 2 )    2,667    ( 2 )    3,620     
       Services .......................................    155     355      385      449       15,842   39,328   58,110   46,731     

   Not identified .....................................     11       3        4        1        2,433      194      391       57     

 Government ...........................................     48      30       35       63        5,406    2,578    4,162    6,073     
   Federal ............................................     18       5        9       20        2,397      480      901    2,151     
   State ..............................................     12      12       10       18        1,355    1,094    1,078    1,890     
   Local ..............................................     18      13       16       25        1,654    1,004    2,183    2,032     


   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
                                                                                          
                                             Mass layoff events                              Initial claimants for
                                                                                             unemployment insurance
  Census region and division

                              October       August     September     October     October       August     September     October
                                2000         2001       2001(p)      2001(p)       2000         2001       2001(p)      2001(p)

         United States(1) ...    874        1,474        1,316        1,816      103,755      163,263      158,859      212,695     

 Northeast ..................    110          224          220          273        9,040       24,891       23,678       29,900     

     New England ............     16           34           30           57        1,293        3,180        2,785        7,258     
     Middle Atlantic ........     94          190          190          216        7,747       21,711       20,893       22,642     

 South ......................    217          302          298          433       26,981       30,929       30,703       49,275     

     South Atlantic .........     91          149          170          238       12,727       14,245       17,272       24,849     
     East South Central .....     42           52           54           64        3,868        5,444        5,591        7,944     
     West South Central .....     84          101           74          131       10,386       11,240        7,840       16,482     

 Midwest ....................    180          315          221          450       30,047       44,617       31,437       68,814     

     East North Central .....    144          245          182          360       24,434       35,511       26,358       51,022     
     West North Central .....     36           70           39           90        5,613        9,106        5,079       17,792     

 West .......................    367          633          577          660       37,687       62,826       73,041       64,706     

     Mountain ...............     35           53           61           68        4,185        4,883       13,245        6,361     
     Pacific ................    332          580          516          592       33,502       57,943       59,796       58,345     


      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       

                              October       August     September     October     October       August     September     October
                                2000         2001       2001(p)      2001(p)       2000         2001       2001(p)      2001(p)

    Total(1) ................    874        1,474        1,316        1,816      103,755      163,263      158,859      212,695     

 Alabama ....................      7           10           12            9          450          678        1,067        1,113     
 Alaska .....................  ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )            4        ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )          381     
 Arizona ....................      9           10            7           12          959          655          506          823     
 Arkansas ...................      5            6            8            5          558          854          807          734     
 California .................    302          519          465          516       30,578       50,343       54,267       48,316     
 Colorado ...................      4            5            8           16          380          492          787        1,594     
 Connecticut ................      3            3        ( 2 )            6          247          308        ( 2 )          366     
 Delaware ...................     -         ( 2 )        ( 2 )            8            -        ( 2 )        ( 2 )          970     
 District of Columbia .......  ( 2 )            -            5            3        ( 2 )            -          704          350     
 Florida ....................     32           71           75          119        2,880        5,822        5,575        9,065     
 Georgia ....................     14           16           14           16        1,233        1,368        1,505        1,742     
 Hawaii .....................      3        ( 2 )           16           20          174        ( 2 )        2,108        2,130     
 Idaho ......................      6            8            6           11          801          804          763        1,638     

 Illinois ...................     39           56           60           83        5,692        6,441        9,708       12,717     
 Indiana ....................     11           24           20           43        1,216        3,291        3,241        5,845     
 Iowa .......................      9           15           13           26          736        1,373        2,041        3,598     
 Kansas .....................      3           11            4            5        2,488        1,104          706        2,940     
 Kentucky ...................     15           24           26           28        1,565        3,422        3,033        4,078     
 Louisiana ..................     13            3        ( 2 )            5        1,299          220        ( 2 )          282     
 Maine ......................      3            3            -        ( 2 )          171          211            -        ( 2 )
 Maryland ...................      4        ( 2 )            3            7          354        ( 2 )          175          651     
 Massachusetts ..............      5           15           21           39          507        1,246        1,910        4,612     
 Michigan ...................     23           57           43           88        3,537       12,914        6,062       10,349     
 Minnesota ..................     10           11            6           19        1,104        1,421          507        1,989     
 Mississippi ................     12            3            5           11          950          182          335        1,288     
 Missouri ...................     13           27           15           36        1,122        4,474        1,672        8,844     

 Montana ....................     -         ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )            -        ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )
 Nebraska ...................  ( 2 )        ( 2 )            -        ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )            -        ( 2 )
 Nevada .....................     13           23           34           23        1,578        1,958       10,762        1,797     
 New Hampshire ..............  ( 2 )            7            3            3        ( 2 )          840          182        1,213     
 New Jersey .................     14           30           23           40        1,229        3,108        2,348        6,229     
 New Mexico .................      3        ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )          467        ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )
 New York ...................     12           53           77           47        1,020        6,178        9,427        4,546     
 North Carolina .............     15           22           10           29        3,717        1,732          805        3,997     
 North Dakota ...............      -            3        ( 2 )        ( 2 )            -          430        ( 2 )        ( 2 )
 Ohio .......................     34           50           30           73        9,611        6,153        3,983       13,435     
 Oklahoma ...................  ( 2 )            3            6           11        ( 2 )          211        1,479        1,237     
 Oregon .....................      7           33           14           30          638        4,986        1,291        5,009     
 Pennsylvania ...............     68          107           90          129        5,498       12,425        9,118       11,867     

 Rhode Island ...............  ( 2 )            5        ( 2 )            4        ( 2 )          525        ( 2 )          464     
 South Carolina .............     11           26           45           36        2,812        3,583        5,904        5,361     
 South Dakota ...............      -        ( 2 )            -            -            -        ( 2 )            -            -
 Tennessee ..................      8           15           11           16          903        1,162        1,156        1,465     
 Texas ......................     65           89           58          110        8,477        9,955        5,417       14,229     
 Utah .......................      -            4        ( 2 )            3            -          242        ( 2 )          307     
 Vermont ....................      3        ( 2 )            3            3          236        ( 2 )          487          462     
 Virginia ...................     12           10           14           20        1,432        1,372        2,282        2,713     
 Washington .................     18           25           19           22        1,968        2,337        1,986        2,509     
 West Virginia ..............  ( 2 )            -            3            -        ( 2 )            -          209            -
 Wisconsin ..................     37           58           29           73        4,378        6,712        3,364        8,676     
 Wyoming ....................      -            -            -        ( 2 )            -            -            -        ( 2 )

 Puerto Rico ................      9            9            9           12        1,141          862          831        1,035     


    1 See footnote 1, table 2.                                              
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.  
    p = preliminary.
    NOTE:  Dash represents zero.