Technical information:  (202) 691-6392     USDL 01-370
http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                           For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902     Friday, October 26, 2001

                                     
                      MASS LAYOFFS IN SEPTEMBER 2001


   In September 2001, there were 1,316 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 sin-
gle establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 158,859.
(See table 1.)  The number of layoff events and initial claimants for
unemployment insurance were the highest for the month of September since
the series began in April 1995.  In January-September 2001, the total
number of events, at 14,405, and initial claims, at 1,723,176, were
substantially higher than in January-September 2000, at 10,490 and
1,188,580, respectively.
   
   The mass layoff data for September includes 3 weeks of initial claims
filings that took place in the weeks that include and follow the terrorist
attacks of September 11--the weeks ending September 15, 22, and 29.  In
addition to the tragic loss of life, the attacks caused many businesses to
curtail activities and lay off workers.  During those 3 weeks, 1,013 mass
layoff events occurred that involved 117,711 workers.  It is not possible
at this time to determine which claims filings can be directly or
indirectly attributed to the September 11 attacks.  (See box on page 2.)
It is clear, however, that claims filings in scheduled air transportation
and in hotels and motels are likely to be related to the attacks.  In
January-August 2001, 18 layoff events and 1,523 initial claimants were
reported in the scheduled air transportation industry.  In September alone,
there were 29 events and 6,152 initial claimants in this industry.  In
hotels and motels, 189 events and 15,653 initial claimants were registered
over the January-August period.  In September, another 123 events and
20,648 claimants were attributed to this industry.
   
Industry Distribution
   
   Manufacturing industries accounted for 37 percent of all mass layoff
events and of all initial claims filed in September 2001.  A year earlier,
layoffs in manufacturing accounted for 33 percent of events and 44 percent
of initial claims.  Manufacturing industries with the highest number of
initial claimants were industrial machinery and equipment (10,479, largely
in construction machinery), transportation equipment (9,960, mostly in
motor vehicles and car bodies and in motor vehicle parts and accessories),
and electronic and other electrical equipment (7,159, primarily in
semiconductors and related devices).  (See table 2.)  Compared with
September 2000, 14 of the 18 manufacturing industry groups that had mass
layoff events had increases in the number of initial claims.
   
   Services accounted for 29 percent of events and 37 percent of initial
claims filed during the month.  The number of initial claim filings in
services more than doubled over the year, rising to 58,110.  Layoffs in
services were concentrated in business services (particularly help supply
services) and in hotels and other lodging places.

                                  - 2 -

   Seven percent of all layoff events and initial claims during the month
were in transportation and public utilities, largely in scheduled air
transportation.  Retail trade accounted for 8 percent of events and 7
percent of initial claims during the month, mostly in eating places and in
department stores.  Agriculture accounted for an additional 6 percent of
events and 3 percent of initial claims, primarily in agricultural services.
   
   Compared with September 2000, the largest increases in initial claims
were reported in hotels and other lodging places (+19,730), business
services (+8,480), transportation by air (+6,776), and electronic and other
electrical equipment (+5,689).  The largest over-the-year decrease in
initial claims was reported in transportation equipment (-8,164).
   
Geographic Distribution

   In September, the highest number of initial claims due to mass layoffs
was in the West--73,041, largely in business services and in hotels and
other lodging places.  (See table 3.)  These two industries accounted for
44 percent of all claimants in the region.  The Northeast region continued
to register the lowest number of mass layoff-related initial claims,
23,678.
   
   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 West (+22,827).  Seven 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
Middle Atlantic and Pacific divisions.  Over-the-year declines were
reported in the New England and West North Central divisions.
   
   California had the largest number of initial claims filed in mass
layoff events, 54,267, mostly in help supply services and in motion picture
and video production, followed by Nevada (10,762, primarily in hotels and
motels), Illinois (9,708, largely in scheduled air transportation), and New
York (9,427, mostly in hotels and motels).  These four states accounted for
48 percent of all layoff events and 53 percent of all initial claims for
unemployment insurance.  (See table 4.)
   
   In September 2001, California reported the largest over-the-year
increase (+11,225) in initial claims, followed by Nevada (+8,925).  The
largest over-the-year decrease occurred in Maine (-2,119).

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
 |                                Note                                  |
 |                                                                      |
 |   An individual can file an initial claim for unemployment compensa- |
 | tion during a week in which he/she is employed.  The Mass Layoff     |
 | Statistics program counts the claim and recognizes the onset of the  |
 | spell of unemployment.  In contrast, persons who worked at any point |
 | during the week that includes September 11 would have been classi-   |
 | fied as employed and not unemployed in the Current Population Survey.|
 |                                                                      |
 |   The monthly data in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more  |
 | workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of    |
 | the layoffs.  Data on "extended mass layoffs," reflecting the addi-  |
 | tional requirement that a layoff last for more than 30 days, are     |
 | reported to BLS and published quarterly.  Approximately 30 days      |
 | after a mass layoff is triggered at an establishment, the employer   |
 | is contacted for additional information.  See the Technical Note     |
 | for more detailed definitions.                                       |
 |                                                                      |
 |   A new code for reason for the layoff, "Non-natural disaster,"      |
 | has been established in the extended mass layoff reporting that      |
 | allows for identification of workers separated from companies as a   |
 | direct or indirect effect of situations such as the September 11     |
 | attacks.  BLS will expand its reporting of extended mass layoffs to  |
 | include interim reports on layoff events.  The first such report on  |
 | layoff events identified through October 12 will be issued in late   |
 | November.  This interim reporting will provide a more timely and     |
 | complete picture of extended layoff events associated with the       |
 | September 11 attacks.                                                |
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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, July 1999 to September 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
							        
 July ......................   1,741      221,334     	             		   
 August ....................     698       75,691     	             		   
 September .................     717       75,288     	            		   
							        
 Third Quarter .............   3,156      372,313        1,097           189,973           34.8         51.0     
							        
 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           188,641           33.6         51.1     
							        
 October ...................     874      103,755     	             		   
 November ..................   1,697      216,514     	             		   
 December ..................   2,677      326,743     	            		   
							        
 Fourth Quarter ............   5,248      647,012        2,005           376,024           38.2         58.1     

            2001
							        
 January ...................   1,522      200,343     	             		   
 February ..................   1,501      172,908     	             		   
 March .....................   1,527      171,466     	            		   
							        
 First Quarter .............   4,550      544,717        1,768           335,877           38.9         61.7     
							        
 April .....................   1,450      175,911     	             		   
 May .......................   1,426      157,759     	             		   
 June ......................   2,081      250,359     	            		   
							        
 Second Quarter ............   4,957      584,029  (2)(p)1,911     (2)(p)268,809        (p)38.6      (p)46.0
							        
 July ......................   2,108      272,308     	             		   
 August(p) .................   1,474      163,263     	             		   
 September(p) ..............   1,316      158,859     	            		   


    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.

Table 2. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

                                                                                                    Initial claimants for
                                                                  Mass layoff events                unemployment insurance
                           Industry                                                                 
                                                                                                    

                                                       September  July   August  September  September   July     August   September
                                                         2000     2001   2001(p)  2001(p)     2000      2001     2001(p)   2001(p)

      Total(1) ......................................     936    2,108    1,474    1,316     106,842   272,308   163,263   158,859     

 Total, private .....................................     885    2,034    1,444    1,281     101,134   264,922   160,685   154,697     

   Agriculture ......................................     119       92       74       77       7,747     7,396     5,247     5,033     
   Nonagriculture ...................................     754    1,935    1,367    1,200      92,220   256,578   155,244   149,273     
     Manufacturing ..................................     313    1,144      607      485      46,605   167,427    79,663    58,953     
       Durable goods ................................     178      802      415      315      33,403   126,136    59,811    39,270     
         Lumber and wood products ...................      18       28       11        6       1,354     3,375       882       499     
         Furniture and fixtures .....................      10       41       30       24       1,439     5,962     4,102     2,496     
         Stone, clay, and glass products ............      11       20        8       11         794     2,796     1,233     1,068     
         Primary metal industries ...................      20       85       35       28       2,082    13,746     3,448     2,820     
         Fabricated metal products ..................      12      137       42       38         844    16,156     3,402     3,181     
         Industrial machinery and equipment .........      24      146       93       62       5,816    24,895    11,347    10,479     
         Electronic and other electrical equipment ..      17      130      119       77       1,470    20,502    16,820     7,159     
         Transportation equipment ...................      51      174       56       48      18,124    34,976    15,357     9,960     
         Instruments and related products ...........       8       21       15       14         836     2,210     2,529       989     
         Miscellaneous manufacturing industries .....       7       20        6        7         644     1,518       691       619     

       Nondurable goods .............................     135      342      192      170      13,202    41,291    19,852    19,683     
         Food and kindred products ..................      40       82       53       50       4,235     9,239     5,291     6,175     
         Tobacco products ...........................       -        -    ( 2 )        -           -         -     ( 2 )         -
         Textile mill products ......................      18       50       29       35       2,294     7,323     3,315     5,216     
         Apparel and other textile products .........      33       48       34       36       2,762     6,009     3,534     3,547     
         Paper and allied products ..................      19       20       16        8       1,899     2,436     2,876       727     
         Printing and publishing ....................       6       16       18       12         480     1,471     1,182     1,233     
         Chemicals and allied products ..............       4       17       11       10         265     2,071       910       684     
         Petroleum and coal products ................       -    ( 2 )        -        -           -     ( 2 )         -         -
         Rubber and miscellaneous plastics products .      12       97       21       13         976    11,586     1,860     1,534     
         Leather and leather products ...............       3    ( 2 )    ( 2 )        6         291     ( 2 )     ( 2 )       567     

     Nonmanufacturing ...............................     441      791      760      715      45,615    89,151    75,581    90,320     
       Mining .......................................       -        8        7    ( 2 )           -     1,259       514     ( 2 )
       Construction .................................      54       64       75       67       3,584     5,022     6,058     4,657     
       Transportation and public utilities ..........      35      114      111       95       3,046    11,387    10,272    11,698     
       Wholesale and retail trade ...................      98      170      181      141       9,159    18,352    16,742    13,584     
          Wholesale trade ...........................      16       48       37       33       1,773     5,016     2,800     2,599     
          Retail trade ..............................      82      122      144      108       7,386    13,336    13,942    10,985     
       Finance, insurance, and real estate ..........      27       44       31    ( 2 )       1,801     3,409     2,667     ( 2 )
       Services .....................................     227      391      355      385      28,025    49,722    39,328    58,110     

   Not identified ...................................      12        7        3        4       1,167       948       194       391     

 Government .........................................      51       74       30       35       5,708     7,386     2,578     4,162     
   Federal ..........................................      22       18        5        9       2,983     2,020       480       901     
   State ............................................      11        7       12       10         951       592     1,094     1,078     
   Local ............................................      18       49       13       16       1,774     4,774     1,004     2,183     


   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

                               September      July       August      September   September       July       August      September
                                 2000         2001       2001(p)      2001(p)       2000         2001       2001(p)      2001(p)

         United States(1) ...     936        2,108        1,474        1,316      106,842      272,308      163,263      158,859     

 Northeast ..................     106          319          224          220       13,642       33,490       24,891       23,678     

     New England ............      17           70           34           30        5,979        8,574        3,180        2,785     
     Middle Atlantic ........      89          249          190          190        7,663       24,916       21,711       20,893     

 South ......................     158          453          302          298       17,457       54,895       30,929       30,703     

     South Atlantic .........      67          236          149          170        6,375       28,391       14,245       17,272     
     East South Central .....      39           89           52           54        4,655       10,772        5,444        5,591     
     West South Central .....      52          128          101           74        6,427       15,732       11,240        7,840     

 Midwest ....................     179          763          315          221       25,529      116,117       44,617       31,437     

     East North Central .....     140          618          245          182       18,454       96,509       35,511       26,358     
     West North Central .....      39          145           70           39        7,075       19,608        9,106        5,079     

 West .......................     493          573          633          577       50,214       67,806       62,826       73,041     

     Mountain ...............      31           74           53           61        2,727        8,156        4,883       13,245     
     Pacific ................     462          499          580          516       47,487       59,650       57,943       59,796     


      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       
                               September      July       August      September    September      July       August      September
                                 2000         2001       2001(p)      2001(p)       2000         2001       2001(p)      2001(p)

    Total(1) ................     936        2,108        1,474        1,316      106,842      272,308      163,263      158,859     

 Alabama ....................       8           13           10           12          596        1,312          678        1,067     
 Alaska .....................       3            -        ( 2 )        ( 2 )          282            -        ( 2 )        ( 2 )
 Arizona ....................       3           22           10            7          240        2,149          655          506     
 Arkansas ...................       5           13            6            8          548        1,043          854          807     
 California .................     430          444          519          465       43,042       51,198       50,343       54,267     
 Colorado ...................   ( 2 )           12            5            8        ( 2 )        1,248          492          787     
 Connecticut ................       -            3            3        ( 2 )            -          209          308        ( 2 )
 Delaware ...................       -            6        ( 2 )        ( 2 )            -        1,021        ( 2 )        ( 2 )
 District of Columbia .......   ( 2 )            -            -            5        ( 2 )            -            -          704     
 Florida ....................      20           80           71           75        1,662        6,692        5,822        5,575     
 Georgia ....................       7           15           16           14          550        1,413        1,368        1,505     
 Hawaii .....................   ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )           16        ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )        2,108     
 Idaho ......................   ( 2 )           12            8            6        ( 2 )        2,104          804          763     

 Illinois ...................      39           68           56           60        5,592       16,031        6,441        9,708     
 Indiana ....................      10           83           24           20        1,411       12,304        3,291        3,241     
 Iowa .......................       8           49           15           13        1,254        8,154        1,373        2,041     
 Kansas .....................       3            9           11            4          197          883        1,104          706     
 Kentucky ...................      17           52           24           26        2,988        7,227        3,422        3,033     
 Louisiana ..................   ( 2 )            6            3        ( 2 )        ( 2 )          610          220        ( 2 )
 Maine ......................       4            5            3            -        2,119          586          211            -
 Maryland ...................       3            7        ( 2 )            3          263          691        ( 2 )          175     
 Massachusetts ..............       9           44           15           21        3,229        5,051        1,246        1,910     
 Michigan ...................      28          231           57           43        3,804       28,650       12,914        6,062     
 Minnesota ..................       7           24           11            6        1,909        2,792        1,421          507     
 Mississippi ................       8           12            3            5          643        1,171          182          335     
 Missouri ...................      20           57           27           15        3,659        6,939        4,474        1,672     

 Montana ....................       -            -        ( 2 )        ( 2 )            -            -        ( 2 )        ( 2 )
 Nebraska ...................       -            4        ( 2 )            -            -          434        ( 2 )            -
 Nevada .....................      20           20           23           34        1,837        2,095        1,958       10,762     
 New Hampshire ..............   ( 2 )           11            7            3        ( 2 )        1,846          840          182     
 New Jersey .................      10           43           30           23          931        4,963        3,108        2,348     
 New Mexico .................   ( 2 )            5        ( 2 )        ( 2 )        ( 2 )          252        ( 2 )        ( 2 )
 New York ...................      12           39           53           77          918        4,071        6,178        9,427     
 North Carolina .............       8           28           22           10          833        3,705        1,732          805     
 North Dakota ...............       -        ( 2 )            3        ( 2 )            -        ( 2 )          430        ( 2 )
 Ohio .......................      33          127           50           30        4,669       23,143        6,153        3,983     
 Oklahoma ...................   ( 2 )           14            3            6        ( 2 )        1,720          211        1,479     
 Oregon .....................      19           33           33           14        3,209        6,336        4,986        1,291     
 Pennsylvania ...............      67          167          107           90        5,814       15,882       12,425        9,118     

 Rhode Island ...............   ( 2 )            4            5        ( 2 )        ( 2 )          338          525        ( 2 )
 South Carolina .............      16           63           26           45        1,712        9,790        3,583        5,904     
 South Dakota ...............   ( 2 )            -        ( 2 )            -        ( 2 )            -        ( 2 )            -
 Tennessee ..................       6           12           15           11          428        1,062        1,162        1,156     
 Texas ......................      44           95           89           58        5,529       12,359        9,955        5,417     
 Utah .......................   ( 2 )            3            4        ( 2 )        ( 2 )          308          242        ( 2 )
 Vermont ....................   ( 2 )            3        ( 2 )            3        ( 2 )          544        ( 2 )          487     
 Virginia ...................      12           35           10           14        1,182        4,971        1,372        2,282     
 Washington .................       9           20           25           19          865        1,928        2,337        1,986     
 West Virginia ..............       -        ( 2 )            -            3            -        ( 2 )            -          209     
 Wisconsin ..................      30          109           58           29        2,978       16,381        6,712        3,364     
 Wyoming ....................       -            -            -            -            -            -            -            -

 Puerto Rico ................      11            8            9            9          863          896          862          831     


    1 See footnote 1, table 2.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 
    p = preliminary.
    NOTE: Dash represents zero.