Technical information:  (202) 691-6392     USDL 03-201
http://www.bls.gov/mls/
                                         
                                           For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902     Wednesday, April 30, 2003

                                     
                        MASS LAYOFFS IN MARCH 2003
                                     

   Employers initiated 1,170 mass layoff actions in March 2003, as measured
by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, accord-
ing to data from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.  
Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment, and 
the number of workers involved totaled 109,838.  (See table 1.)  These were 
the lowest levels for the month of March since 2000.  Over 8 percent of the 
initial claims in March were from the temporary help services industry 
(9,138).  Compared with March 2002, the number of layoff events declined by 
20 percent and the number of workers involved fell by 32 percent.  (March 
2003 contained 4 weeks for possible mass layoffs, compared with 5 weeks in 
each March of the prior 3 years.)  This was the 10th consecutive month that 
the number of mass layoff initial claims has declined over the year.  From 
January through March 2003, the total number of events, at 4,767, and initial 
claims, at 450,312, were lower than in January-March 2002 (4,989 and 564,141, 
respectively).
   
   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 demo-
graphics 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.
   
Industry Distribution
   
   The 10 industries in table A accounted for 30,955, or 28 percent, of
mass-layoff initial claims in March.  Temporary help services, with 9,138
claims, had over 8 percent.
   
   Manufacturing industries accounted for 33 percent of all mass layoff
events and 37 percent of all initial claims filed in March, little changed
from a year earlier (34 percent and 37 percent, respectively).  The number
of initial claimants was highest in food production (7,520, largely in
frozen fruits and vegetables), followed by computer and electronic products
(5,298) and transportation equipment (5,061).  (See table 2.)
   
   The administrative and waste services sector accounted for 13 percent of
events and initial claims filed during the month, with layoffs mostly in
temporary help services.  Eight percent of all layoff events and 9 percent
of initial claims filed during the month were in retail trade, primarily in
general merchandise stores.  Ten percent of the events and 7 percent of the
initial claims were from construction, most often among specialty trade
contractors.  The accommodation and food services sector accounted for 
6 percent of events and initial claims, mostly from food service contractors.
The information sector accounted for an additional 4 percent of events and
6 percent of initial claims during the month, largely in motion picture and
video production.
   
   Government establishments accounted for 4 percent of events and 3 percent 
of initial claims filed during the month, particularly in educational 
services.
   
   Compared with March 2002, the largest decreases in initial claims were
reported in administrative and support services (-7,475) and professional
and technical services (-5,206).  The largest over-the-year increase in
initial claims was reported in motion picture and sound industries (+2,590).

                             - 2 - 

Table A.  Industries with largest mass layoff initial claims in March 2003p
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        |              |      March peak
                Industry                |Initial claims|---------------------
                                        |              | Year|Initial claims
----------------------------------------|--------------|-----|---------------
Temporary help services ................|     9,138    | 2002|    14,338
Motion picture and video production ....|     4,751    | 2000|     6,735
Food service contractors ...............|     3,011    | 2002|     4,304
School and employee bus transportation  |     2,633    | 2002|     6,158
Discount department stores .............|     2,460    | 2003|     2,460
Farm labor contractors and crew leaders |     2,131    | 2000|     6,500
Professional employer organizations ....|     2,017    | 2002|     2,987
Frozen fruit and vegetable manufacturing|     1,673    | 1997|     2,560
Supermarkets and other grocery stores ..|     1,593    | 2002|     1,884
Department stores, except discount .....|     1,548    | 1999|     3,799
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   p=preliminary.


Geographic Distribution

   Among the four regions, the highest number of initial claims in March
due to mass layoffs was reported in the West, 46,815.  (See table 3.)
Administrative and support services and motion picture and sound recording
accounted for 28 percent of all initial claims in the West during the
month.  The Midwest followed with 26,239 initial claims.  These were the
lowest March totals for both the West and Midwest since 1999.  The South,
at 21,554, and the Northeast, at 15,230, each had the lowest levels of
initial claims for a March since 2000.
   
   For the second consecutive year, the number of initial claimants in mass
layoffs declined in each of the four regions.  The largest decrease occurred 
in the Midwest (-16,252), followed closely by the South (-15,737) and West 
(-14,296) regions.  Each of the nine geographic divisions had over-the-year 
decreases in the number of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with 
the largest declines in the Pacific (-13,706) and East North Central divi-
sions (-13,112).
   
   California had the largest number of initial claims filed in mass layoff
events this March, 36,360, mostly in temporary help services and in motion
picture and video production.  This was the lowest March total since 1998.
Pennsylvania reported 7,419, followed by Wisconsin (5,123) and Texas
(5,051).  These four states accounted for 51 percent of all layoff events
and 49 percent of initial claims for unemployment insurance.  (See table 4.)
   
   California reported the largest over-the-year decrease in the number of
initial claims (-12,016), followed by Michigan (-5,635), Wisconsin (-4,815), 
Pennsylvania (-4,712), and Texas (-4,644).  The largest over-the-year in-
creases occurred in Indiana (+2,614) and New York (+2,003).
   

                      ______________________________
   
   
   The report on Mass Layoffs in April 2003 will be issued on Thursday, 
May 29, 2003.
     
   
   

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, January 2001 to March 2003
                            
                                                            Extended mass layoffs 
                                Total mass layoffs        lasting more than 30 days        Realization rates(1)
             Date           

                                           Initial                        Initial                      Initial
                                Events    claimants       Events         claimants         Events     claimants
                            
             2001           

January ....................     1,522     200,343
February ...................     1,501     172,908
March ......................     1,527     171,466

First Quarter ..............     4,550     544,717         1,765          340,210           38.8         62.5

April ......................     1,450     176,265
May ........................     1,434     159,365
June .......................     2,107     253,826

Second Quarter .............     4,991     589,456         2,072          401,270           41.5         68.1

July .......................     2,117     273,807
August .....................     1,490     166,148
September ..................     1,327     160,402

Third Quarter ..............     4,934     600,357         1,815          370,942           36.8         61.8

October ....................     1,831     215,483
November ...................     2,721     295,956
December ...................     2,440     268,893

Fourth Quarter .............     6,992     780,332         2,698       (r)502,662           38.6         64.4

             2002           

January ....................     2,146     263,821
February ...................     1,383     138,984
March ......................     1,460     161,336

First Quarter ..............     4,989     564,141         1,748       (r)315,819           35.0      (r)56.0

April ......................     1,507     165,861
May ........................     1,726     180,007
June .......................     1,580     161,928

Second Quarter .............     4,813     507,796         1,905       (r)352,183           39.6      (r)69.4

July .......................     2,041     245,211
August .....................     1,247     128,080
September ..................     1,062     124,512

Third Quarter ..............     4,350     497,803      (r)1,383       (r)274,576        (r)31.8      (r)55.2

October ....................     1,497     171,088
November ...................     2,150     240,028
December ...................     2,470     263,775

Fourth Quarter .............     6,117     674,891   (2)(p)2,127    (2)(p)305,208        (p)34.8      (p)45.2

             2003           

January ....................     2,286     222,186
February(p) ................     1,311     118,288
March(p) ...................     1,170     109,838

First Quarter(p) ...........     4,767     450,312

    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                    

                                                     March   January  February  March       March     January    February    March 
                                                     2002     2003     2003p    2003p       2002       2003       2003p      2003p 

     Total(1) ...................................    1,460    2,286    1,311    1,170      161,336    222,186    118,288    109,838

Total, private ..................................    1,414    2,199    1,271    1,126      157,100    214,197    115,286    106,229

  Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ....       79       96      100       64        5,775      6,407      5,626      4,949
  Mining ........................................       22       19        7        6        1,882      1,559        724        652
  Utilities .....................................        7        8        -    ( 2 )          727        561          -      ( 2 )
  Construction ..................................      150      263      194      122       11,826     18,571     13,282      7,431
  Manufacturing .................................      500      817      427      385       59,644     89,525     45,290     40,617
      Food ......................................       74       89       59       71        9,070      8,111      5,475      7,520
      Beverage and tobacco products .............        8       11        8    ( 2 )          802        755        407      ( 2 )
      Textile mills .............................       14       42       16        9        1,468      7,611      1,958        764
      Textile product mills .....................    ( 2 )       18        7        5        ( 2 )      1,890        571        432
      Apparel ...................................       17       53       20       11        1,536      6,085      1,525        950
      Leather and allied products ...............    ( 2 )        5    ( 2 )        -        ( 2 )        294      ( 2 )          -
      Wood products .............................       19       56       28       34        2,319      6,702      2,291      2,982
      Paper .....................................       18       19       13        8        2,688      2,510        999        659
      Printing and related support activities ...       26       21       13        7        2,105      1,803        793        658
      Petroleum and coal products ...............        -        5    ( 2 )        -            -        339      ( 2 )          -

      Chemicals .................................       14       14        8    ( 2 )        1,659      1,202      1,098      ( 2 )
      Plastics and rubber products ..............       20       34       15        6        1,613      3,599      1,086        552
      Nonmetallic mineral products ..............       21       35       18       18        1,537      3,201      1,652      1,824
      Primary metals ............................       21       48       16       21        3,000      5,846      1,613      1,766
      Fabricated metal products .................       34       58       34       23        3,319      5,664      2,622      1,680
      Machinery .................................       43       53       21       34        6,588      6,031      2,105      3,693
      Computer and electronic products ..........       65       78       41       42        6,902      6,800      3,671      5,298
      Electrical equipment and appliances .......       26       30       19       26        3,602      2,920      3,159      3,787
      Transportation equipment ..................       46       85       53       44        8,531     12,057     10,535      5,061
      Furniture and related products ............       19       36       24       14        1,772      4,003      2,702      1,727
      Miscellaneous manufacturing ...............       11       27        9        8          837      2,102        613        830

  Wholesale trade ...............................       25       42       17       21        2,694      3,229      1,170      1,811
  Retail trade ..................................      108      205      103       95       12,067     21,251      9,338      9,708
  Transportation and warehousing ................       76      143       32       37       10,441     16,016      4,249      4,382
  Information ...................................       36       67       53       49        4,456      5,902      5,133      6,855
  Finance and insurance .........................       32       46       23       32        2,697      3,854      1,723      2,074
  Real estate and rental and leasing ............        9        7        9        8          629        408        745        483
  Professional and technical services ...........       50       44       31       38        8,260      6,269      4,084      3,054
  Management of companies and enterprises .......        3    ( 2 )        5    ( 2 )          182      ( 2 )        431      ( 2 )
  Administrative and waste services .............      185      269      164      153       21,704     26,190     14,776     14,242
  Educational services ..........................        3    ( 2 )        4    ( 2 )          232      ( 2 )        201      ( 2 )
  Health care and social assistance .............       22       26       19       21        1,671      1,811      1,401      1,381
  Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...........       13       29       15       12        1,013      2,060      1,447        663
  Accommodation and food services ...............       76       86       51       69        9,721      7,035      4,676      6,933
  Other services, except public administration ..        7       27       11        4          609      3,097        629        280

  Unclassified ..................................       11        2        6        3          870        172        361        284

Government ......................................       46       87       40       44        4,236      7,989      3,002      3,609
  Federal .......................................        7       19        7        6          777      2,303        421        570
  State .........................................       16       28       14        9        1,652      2,630      1,054        614
  Local .........................................       23       40       19       29        1,807      3,056      1,527      2,425

    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:  Industry data reflect the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), 2002. Dash represents zero. 
       
   
   

Table 3. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division
                            
                                                                                       Initial claimants for            
                                           Mass layoff events                          unemployment insurance           
  Census region and division

                                March     January    February    March        March      January     February     March 
                                2002       2003       2003p      2003p        2002        2003        2003p       2003p 

      United States(1) .....    1,460      2,286      1,311      1,170       161,336     222,186     118,288     109,838

Northeast ..................      210        475        225        157        20,443      44,396      23,291      15,230

  New England ..............       33         68         26         29         2,995       6,928       2,758       2,987
  Middle Atlantic ..........      177        407        199        128        17,448      37,468      20,533      12,243

South ......................      347        525        255        227        37,291      58,258      26,188      21,554

  South Atlantic ...........      157        288        142        109        16,644      32,616      15,410       9,362
  East South Central .......       73        167         45         55         7,076      19,318       5,249       4,752
  West South Central .......      117         70         68         63        13,571       6,324       5,529       7,440

Midwest ....................      327        523        235        237        42,491      52,162      23,244      26,239

  East North Central .......      253        401        181        174        32,058      41,608      16,279      18,946
  West North Central .......       74        122         54         63        10,433      10,554       6,965       7,293

West .......................      576        763        596        549        61,111      67,370      45,565      46,815

  Mountain .................       52         73         27         47         4,841       6,136       2,857       4,251
  Pacific ..................      524        690        569        502        56,270      61,234      42,708      42,564

    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           

                                March      January     February     March        March      January     February     March 
                                2002        2003        2003p       2003p        2002        2003        2003p       2003p 

   Total(1) ................    1,460       2,286       1,311       1,170       161,336     222,186     118,288     109,838

Alabama ....................       10         119           9          11         1,295      14,789       1,547       1,108
Alaska .....................        -           7       ( 2 )           -             -         471       ( 2 )           -
Arizona ....................       12          14           7          13           879       1,292         537       1,148
Arkansas ...................        5           8           4           5           488         699         288         381
California .................      466         579         525         438        48,376      48,913      38,769      36,360
Colorado ...................       10          16           6           9           845       1,540         535       1,126
Connecticut ................        4          16           3           5           377       1,508         190         412
Delaware ...................        4       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           -           790       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           -
District of Columbia .......        -           4           -           -             -         350           -           -
Florida ....................       64          83          59          60         5,689       5,767       4,459       4,188
Georgia ....................       20          89          23          15         2,202      12,406       3,627       1,224
Hawaii .....................        6           8           3       ( 2 )           658         773         186       ( 2 )
Idaho ......................       13          19           4          13         1,628       1,478         996       1,187

Illinois ...................       53          88          44          35         7,645       8,794       4,956       3,161
Indiana ....................       21          34          28          37         2,212       3,011       2,267       4,826
Iowa .......................       12          34          15          14         1,510       3,083       1,191       1,572
Kansas .....................        7          15           5           9         1,357       1,108       2,056       1,449
Kentucky ...................       31          20          14          21         3,354       2,512       2,174       2,124
Louisiana ..................       19          19          16           8         1,501       1,240       1,043         402
Maine ......................        4           8       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           226       1,201       ( 2 )       ( 2 )
Maryland ...................    ( 2 )           8           6       ( 2 )         ( 2 )         592         562       ( 2 )
Massachusetts ..............       15          33          18          16         1,652       3,162       1,620       1,263
Michigan ...................       56          22          21          10         6,483       1,982       1,719         848
Minnesota ..................       16          33           8          13         2,238       3,026         614       1,041
Mississippi ................       13           4          10           8           890         228         732         509
Missouri ...................       29          30          15          23         4,109       2,351       1,922       2,930

Montana ....................        3           3       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           264         204       ( 2 )       ( 2 )
Nebraska ...................        9           7           6       ( 2 )         1,133         539         830       ( 2 )
Nevada .....................        6          15           8           7           461       1,276         659         475
New Hampshire ..............        3           5           -       ( 2 )           247         623           -       ( 2 )
New Jersey .................       35          49          31          17         3,749       4,372       3,772       1,253
New Mexico .................        3           5           -       ( 2 )           176         294           -       ( 2 )
New York ...................       19         188          42          40         1,568      18,806       5,265       3,571
North Carolina .............       23          26          17          12         2,686       3,215       1,385       1,273
North Dakota ...............        -       ( 2 )           3       ( 2 )             -       ( 2 )         229       ( 2 )
Ohio .......................       52         151          46          40         5,780      16,689       4,097       4,988
Oklahoma ...................       10          15           7          10         1,887       2,225         553       1,606
Oregon .....................       27          66          24          41         3,507       7,672       2,036       4,336
Pennsylvania ...............      123         170         126          71        12,131      14,290      11,496       7,419

Rhode Island ...............        4           4       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           323         310       ( 2 )       ( 2 )
South Carolina .............       21          50          20           6         2,750       5,954       2,159         986
South Dakota ...............    ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )
Tennessee ..................       19          24          12          15         1,537       1,789         796       1,011
Texas ......................       83          28          41          40         9,695       2,160       3,645       5,051
Utah .......................        5       ( 2 )           -       ( 2 )           588       ( 2 )           -       ( 2 )
Vermont ....................        3       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           3           170       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         833
Virginia ...................       16          24          13          14         1,794       3,266       1,263       1,392
Washington .................       25          30          15          21         3,729       3,405       1,511       1,745
West Virginia ..............        7           3       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           571         174       ( 2 )       ( 2 )
Wisconsin ..................       71         106          42          52         9,938      11,132       3,240       5,123
Wyoming ....................        -           -       ( 2 )           -             -           -       ( 2 )           -

Puerto Rico ................        9          14          10           5         1,082       1,371       1,336         378

    1 See footnote 1, table 2.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 
    p = preliminary.
    NOTE:  Dash represents zero.