Technical information:  (202) 691-6392     USDL 03-917
http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                           For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                691-5902     Tuesday, December 23, 2003

                                     
                       MASS LAYOFFS IN NOVEMBER 2003
                                     

   Employers initiated 1,438 mass layoff actions in November 2003, 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 138,543.  (See
table 1.)  The number of layoff events and initial claims were sharply
lower than a year ago, with the number of initial claims at the lowest
level for November since 1997.  (November 2003 contained 4 weeks for pos-
sible mass layoffs, compared with 5 weeks in each November of the prior
2 years.)
   
   Fewer mass-layoff initial claims were filed against employers in tem-
porary help services, payroll services, farm labor, and highway, street, 
and bridge construction in November 2003 compared with November 2002.  From
January through November 2003, both the total number of events, at 17,034,
and the number of initial claims, at 1,696,293, were lower than the January-
November period a year ago (17,803 events and 1,980,893 initial claims).
   
   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").  The quarterly
release provides more information on the industry classification and lo-
cation 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.
   
Industry Distribution
   
   Highway, street, and bridge construction, with 11,242 initial claimants,
and temporary help services, with 7,002 initial claimants, together accounted 
for 13 percent of all initial claims in November.  (See table A.)  The 10 in-
dustries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial claims accounted 
for 28 percent of the total.
   
   The manufacturing sector recorded 28 percent of all mass layoff events
and 35 percent of all initial claims filed in November.  A year ago, manu-
facturing reported 33 percent of events and 39 percent of initial claims.  
Within manufacturing, the number of claimants was highest in transportation 
equipment (9,696) and food processing (8,410).  (See table 2.)

   Construction accounted for 18 percent of events and 15 percent of
initial claims filed in November, with layoffs mostly in highway, street,
and bridge construction.  Administrative and waste services accounted for
11 percent of events and 10 percent of initial claims during the month,
mainly in temporary help services.  Ten percent of the events and 7 per-
cent of the initial claims were from the agriculture, forestry, fishing and
hunting sector, largely among farm labor contractors and crew leaders.  An
additional 5 percent of all layoff events and initial claims filed during
November were from accommodation and food services, primarily among food
service contractors.
   
                                  - 2 -    

Table A.  Industries with the largest mass-layoff initial claims in
November 2003p
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              |          |           
                                              |  Initial |   November peak
                   Industry                   |  claims  |------------------
                                              |          |  Year  | Initial 
                                              |          |        | claims
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Highway, street, and bridge construction .....|  11,242  |  2001  |  14,805
Temporary help services ......................|   7,002  |  2000  |  19,023
Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ......|   3,524  |  1999  |  11,613
Food service contractors .....................|   2,962  |  2001  |   4,214
Supermarkets and other grocery stores ........|   2,460  |  2003  |   2,460
AC, refrigeration, and forced air heating ....|   2,385  |  2001  |   3,028
Wired telecommunications carriers ............|   2,383  |  2003  |   2,383
Motion picture and video production ..........|   2,188  |  2000  |   8,664
Frozen fruit and vegetable mfg. ..............|   2,029  |  2002  |   3,290
Industrial building construction .............|   2,005  |  2002  |   3,306
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  p=preliminary.
  

   Government establishments accounted for 4 percent of events and 3
percent of initial claims filed during the month, particularly in
educational services.
   
   Compared with November 2002, the largest decreases in initial claims
were reported in administrative and support services (-15,568) and pro-
fessional and technical services (-7,404).  The largest over-the-year
increase in initial claims was in food and beverage stores (+701).


Geographic Distribution
   
   Among the four regions, the highest number of initial claims in November
due to mass layoffs was reported in the Midwest, 46,298.  (See table 3.)
Heavy and civil engineering construction, transportation equipment manufac-
turing, and administrative and support services accounted for 43 percent of 
all initial claims in that region during the month.  The West region was next, 
with 43,329 initial claims, followed by the South, with 27,438, and the North-
east, with 21,478.
                                  
   The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs declined over the year 
in all four of the regions, with the largest decrease in the West (-43,623).  
The only other November in which all four regions had over-the-year declines 
was in 1997.  This November also marked the first time that each of the nine 
geographic divisions had over-the-year decreases in the number of initial 
claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest decreases in the Pacific 
(-36,615) and East North Central (-12,228).
   
   Among the states, California recorded the largest number of initial claims 
filed in mass layoff events this November, 32,200, mostly in administrative 
and support services and in agriculture and forestry support activities.  Wis-
consin reported 10,111 initial claims, followed by Pennsylvania (7,563) and 
Ohio (6,464).  These four states accounted for 46 percent of all layoff events 
and 41 percent of initial claims for unemployment insurance.  (See table 4.)
   
   California registered the largest over-the-year decrease in the number
of initial claims (-30,564), followed by Texas (-8,176).  The largest over-
the-year increase occurred in Michigan (+3,855).
   
   From January through November, California reported 441,620 initial claims, 
26 percent of the national total.  The states with the next highest numbers 
of initial claims were Pennsylvania (101,166), Ohio (92,171), Texas (84,556), 
and New York (84,135).
   
                      ______________________________
   
   Mass Layoffs in December 2003 is scheduled to be released on Thursday,
January 22, 2004.

            
 
 
 

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 2001 to November 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           

October ....................     1,831     215,483
November ...................     2,721     295,956
December ...................     2,440     268,893

Fourth Quarter .............     6,992     780,332         2,697          502,502           38.6         64.4

             2002           

January ....................     2,146     263,777
February ...................     1,382     138,808
March ......................     1,460     161,316

First Quarter ..............     4,988     563,901         1,750          316,489           35.1         56.1

April ......................     1,506     165,814
May ........................     1,723     179,799
June .......................     1,584     162,189

Second Quarter .............     4,813     507,802         1,905          353,017           39.6         69.5

July .......................     2,042     245,294
August .....................     1,248     128,103
September ..................     1,062     124,522

Third Quarter ..............     4,352     497,919         1,383          284,629           31.8         57.2

October ....................     1,497     171,100
November ...................     2,153     240,171
December ...................     2,474     264,158

Fourth Quarter .............     6,124     675,429         2,257          421,570           36.9         62.4

             2003           

January ....................     2,315     225,430
February ...................     1,363     124,965
March ......................     1,207     113,026

First Quarter ..............     4,885     463,421         1,700          333,197           34.8         71.9

April ......................     1,581     161,412
May ........................     1,703     174,204
June .......................     1,691     157,552

Second Quarter .............     4,975     493,168         2,131          415,316           42.8         84.2

July .......................     2,087     226,435
August .....................     1,258     133,839
September ..................       868      82,647

Third Quarter ..............     4,213     442,921   (2)(p)1,375    (2)(p)181,793        (p)32.6      (p)41.0

October (p) ................     1,523     158,240
November (p) ...............     1,438     138,543


    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 avaliable.
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                    

                                                   November September October  November   November   September   October   November
                                                     2002      2003    2003p    2003p       2002        2003      2003p      2003p 


     Total(1) ...................................    2,153      868    1,523    1,438      240,171     82,647    158,240    138,543

Total, private ..................................    2,092      799    1,453    1,380      234,104     76,296    150,713    133,818

  Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ....      232       43      188      146       17,867      2,382     13,007     10,294
  Mining ........................................       17        4        5        8        1,477        259        343        568
  Utilities .....................................        3    ( 2 )    ( 2 )        4          246      ( 2 )      ( 2 )        308
  Construction ..................................      321       82      143      263       30,604      5,205     11,422     20,999
  Manufacturing .................................      719      271      438      408       92,712     31,428     53,741     48,419
      Food ......................................      101       44       96       70       12,066      4,145     10,034      8,410
      Beverage and tobacco products .............        8    ( 2 )       16        9          733      ( 2 )      1,237        938
      Textile mills .............................       30       21        9       13        5,065      3,510      1,533      1,178
      Textile product mills .....................        6    ( 2 )        8        8          655      ( 2 )        881        483
      Apparel ...................................       22       10       25       14        2,257      1,212      2,592      1,269
      Leather and allied products ...............        5    ( 2 )    ( 2 )    ( 2 )          645      ( 2 )      ( 2 )      ( 2 )
      Wood products .............................       61       11       15       29        7,934        969      1,163      3,852
      Paper .....................................       16       10       12       12        2,116        834      1,049        856
      Printing and related support activities ...       14    ( 2 )       11        8        1,212      ( 2 )        998        570
      Petroleum and coal products ...............       10        -    ( 2 )    ( 2 )          902          -      ( 2 )      ( 2 )

      Chemicals .................................       12        9        7       10          928        602        546        908
      Plastics and rubber products ..............       30       10       16       27        2,974        886      1,390      2,085
      Nonmetallic mineral products ..............       29        5       13       21        3,144        420      1,193      2,089
      Primary metals ............................       45       24       29       22        5,502      2,011      3,444      2,470
      Fabricated metal products .................       62        5       23       31        5,897        826      2,093      2,696
      Machinery .................................       60       21       35       28       11,280      2,073      7,212      4,642
      Computer and electronic products ..........       65       26       26       19        5,911      4,820      2,361      1,468
      Electrical equipment and appliances .......       22        9       11       12        2,636      1,142      2,493      2,671
      Transportation equipment ..................       84       31       55       51       14,322      4,825     10,229      9,696
      Furniture and related products ............       22       11       15       10        4,986      1,254      1,995        856
      Miscellaneous manufacturing ...............       15       10       11        8        1,547        662        883        891

  Wholesale trade ...............................       33       22       22       23        3,907      1,808      1,760      2,421
  Retail trade ..................................       96       69      115       76        9,094      5,789     21,870      6,877
  Transportation and warehousing ................       55       20       37       42        8,094      1,723      3,003      4,127
  Information ...................................       58       26       52       37        6,884      5,791      7,755      5,918
  Finance and insurance .........................       44       35       35       19        3,655      2,371      2,541      1,485
  Real estate and rental and leasing ............       13        5       12        8        1,231        382        718        432
  Professional and technical services ...........       54       29       30       33       10,579      3,730      2,447      3,175
  Management of companies and enterprises .......        3    ( 2 )    ( 2 )    ( 2 )          503      ( 2 )      ( 2 )      ( 2 )
  Administrative and waste services .............      259      109      233      163       29,522      9,606     21,380     13,925
  Educational services ..........................        4        8    ( 2 )    ( 2 )          267        634      ( 2 )      ( 2 )
  Health care and social assistance .............       38       13       37       28        3,390        945      2,407      2,243
  Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...........       34       19       28       26        3,323      1,237      2,039      1,920
  Accommodation and food services ...............       92       37       62       75        9,277      2,623      5,176      7,348
  Other services, except public administration ..       15        3        7       15        1,289        183        459      1,081

  Unclassified ..................................        2        1        5        2          183         50        343      1,646

Government ......................................       61       69       70       58        6,067      6,351      7,527      4,725
  Federal .......................................       11       13       20        9          828      1,910      1,649        820
  State .........................................       20       14       16       22        2,195      1,417      1,383      1,917
  Local .........................................       30       42       34       27        3,044      3,024      4,495      1,988


    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

                             November   September   October   November     November    September    October    November
                               2002        2003      2003p      2003p        2002         2003       2003p       2003p 

      United States(1) ....    2,153        868      1,523      1,438       240,171      82,647     158,240     138,543

Northeast .................      291        107        184        210        33,692      12,115      17,061      21,478

  New England .............       53         19         16         29         5,785       4,559       1,157       2,282
  Middle Atlantic .........      238         88        168        181        27,907       7,556      15,904      19,196

South .....................      460        196        278        265        53,960      19,287      29,371      27,438

  South Atlantic ..........      208         96        134        135        25,125       8,698      13,270      13,822
  East South Central ......       74         31         44         35         8,103       4,144       5,310       4,212
  West South Central ......      178         69        100         95        20,732       6,445      10,791       9,404

Midwest ...................      531        165        325        426        65,567      16,868      43,432      46,298

  East North Central ......      373        125        264        313        43,915      12,646      27,841      31,687
  West North Central ......      158         40         61        113        21,652       4,222      15,591      14,611

West ......................      871        400        736        537        86,952      34,377      68,376      43,329

  Mountain ................       95         30         47         51        11,614       2,568       4,038       4,606
  Pacific .................      776        370        689        486        75,338      31,809      64,338      38,723


    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         

                           November    September    October    November     November    September    October    November
                             2002        2003        2003p       2003p        2002         2003       2003p       2003p 

   Total(1) .............    2,153         868       1,523       1,438       240,171      82,647     158,240     138,543

Alabama .................       21           8          13          10         2,549       1,164       1,671       1,384
Alaska ..................        7           3           3           6           662         185         295         561
Arizona .................        7           4           8           4           572         423         700         257
Arkansas ................        9           3           6           3           853         268       1,140         777
California ..............      663         345         616         420        62,764      29,429      57,322      32,200
Colorado ................       20           6           8           7         2,090         439         581         549
Connecticut .............        8           4           3           4           706         291         200         312
Delaware ................    ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )
District of Columbia ....    ( 2 )           -           -       ( 2 )         ( 2 )           -           -       ( 2 )
Florida .................       67          43          66          55         4,617       2,555       4,608       3,533
Georgia .................       23          19          23          18         3,092       2,130       2,838       1,771
Hawaii ..................        4           3           6       ( 2 )           317         196         462       ( 2 )
Idaho ...................       21           6          10          11         3,202         463       1,203       1,408

Illinois ................      105          41          74          57        13,657       4,510       7,890       5,785
Indiana .................       49          13          22          42         5,762         983       2,118       4,269
Iowa ....................       29           9          18          29         3,282       1,108       3,680       3,464
Kansas ..................       16           6           6           6         2,226         547         738         696
Kentucky ................       25          16          23          14         2,674       2,259       3,136       1,649
Louisiana ...............       32           4          12          23         2,836         231       1,045       1,773
Maine ...................        4           -           3           4           534           -         180         306
Maryland ................        7       ( 2 )           4           9         1,100       ( 2 )         256         843
Massachusetts ...........       30          10           9          17         2,910       1,047         713       1,373
Michigan ................       15          18          42          48         1,203       1,861       4,263       5,058
Minnesota ...............       50           7          17          44         5,096         511       2,845       3,849
Mississippi .............        8       ( 2 )           4           3           660       ( 2 )         200         165
Missouri ................       47          13          18          22         9,219       1,307       8,165       5,651

Montana .................        8       ( 2 )           5           5         1,363       ( 2 )         360         428
Nebraska ................       12           5       ( 2 )           7         1,264         749       ( 2 )         412
Nevada ..................       23          12          10          14         3,099         879         835       1,156
New Hampshire ...........        6       ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           531       ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )
New Jersey ..............       49           8          27          43         6,482         691       2,906       5,985
New Mexico ..............        3       ( 2 )       ( 2 )           4           206       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         212
New York ................       82          38          44          59        10,518       3,384       3,855       5,648
North Carolina ..........       32          11          19          23         3,541         897       2,039       3,635
North Dakota ............        4           -           -           4           565           -           -         474
Ohio ....................       84          29          66          75         7,749       2,979       7,316       6,464
Oklahoma ................       16           5          12           3         2,419         359       1,614         406
Oregon ..................       53           5          39          26         5,958         375       3,784       3,058
Pennsylvania ............      107          42          97          79        10,907       3,481       9,143       7,563

Rhode Island ............    ( 2 )       ( 2 )           -       ( 2 )         ( 2 )       ( 2 )           -       ( 2 )
South Carolina ..........       39           5           7           7         6,384       1,548         706         547
South Dakota ............        -           -           -       ( 2 )             -           -           -       ( 2 )
Tennessee ...............       20           5           4           8         2,220         608         303       1,014
Texas ...................      121          57          70          66        14,624       5,587       6,992       6,448
Utah ....................       11           -       ( 2 )           6           919           -       ( 2 )         596
Vermont .................        3       ( 2 )           -       ( 2 )           957       ( 2 )           -       ( 2 )
Virginia ................       32          14          14          16         5,718       1,321       1,376       2,644
Washington ..............       49          14          25          32         5,637       1,624       2,475       2,751
West Virginia ...........        5       ( 2 )           -           5           439       ( 2 )           -         556
Wisconsin ...............      120          24          60          91        15,544       2,313       6,254      10,111
Wyoming .................    ( 2 )           -           3           -         ( 2 )           -         216           -

Puerto Rico .............        4           7           7           -           399         573         567           -


    1 See footnote 1, table 2.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
    p = preliminary. 
    NOTE: Dash represents zero.