Technical information:  (202) 691-6392     USDL 02-106
http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                           For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                691-5902     Thursday, February 28, 2002

                                     
                       MASS LAYOFFS IN JANUARY 2002
                                     

   Employers initiated 2,146 mass layoff actions in January 2002, 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 263,821.  
(See table 1.)  The number of initial claimants for unemployment in-
surance was the highest for the month of January since the series began 
in April 1995.
   
   This release uses the North American Industry Classification System
(NAICS) for the assignment and tabulation of layoff data by industry.
Previously, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system was used.
Thus, all industry data in this release differ from data previously
published.  Additional information on this change is provided in the box 
on page 3 of this release.
   
Industry Distribution

   Manufacturing industries accounted for 42 percent of all mass layoff
events and 49 percent of all initial claims filed in January 2002.  A year
earlier, layoffs in this sector accounted for 42 percent of events and 53
percent of initial claims.  The number of initial claimants was highest in
transportation equipment (30,900, mostly in automobiles), followed by
computer and electronic products (14,073, primarily semiconductors and
related devices) and apparel manufacturing (11,560).  (See table 2.)
   
   The administrative and waste services sector accounted for 11 percent
of events and 10 percent of initial claims filed during the month, with
layoffs concentrated in administrative and support services, particularly
temporary help services.  Nine percent of all layoff events and 8 percent
of initial claims filed during the month were in retail trade, mostly in
general merchandise stores, especially discount department stores. Con-
struction accounted for an additional 9 percent of events and 6 percent
of initial claims, primarily in businesses engaged in heavy and civil
engineering construction and among specialty trade contractors.  Three
percent of events and 5 percent of initial claims in January were in
professional and technical services, mostly in payroll services.
   
   Compared with January 2001, the largest increases in initial claims
were reported in professional and technical services (+11,810), computer
and electronic products manufacturing (+9,831), apparel manufacturing
(+7,485), administrative and support services (+6,852), and textile mills
(+6,644).  The largest over-the-year decrease in initial claims was
reported in transportation equipment manufacturing (-14,638).
   
                                  - 2 -

Geographic Distribution

   Among the four regions, the highest number of initial claims due to mass
layoffs in January was in the West--83,103--largely in professional and tech-
nical services and in administrative and support services.  (See table 3.)  
The West region was followed closely by the South (79,608, mainly in
apparel manufacturing, administrative and support services, and textile
mills) and the Midwest (71,176, largely in transportation equipment
manufacturing).  The Northeast region continued to have the lowest number
of mass layoff-related initial claims (29,934).
   
   The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs rose over the year in
the South (+43,601), the West (+28,084), and the Northeast (+7,940).  Eight
of the nine geographic divisions had January-to-January increases in the
number of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest
increases in the East South Central (+25,601) and Pacific (+25,296) divi-
sions.  Compared with a year ago, only the East North Central division
reported a decline in mass-layoff initial claims (-18,474).
   
   California registered the largest number of initial claims filed in
mass layoff events this January, 62,844, mostly in professional and
technical services and in administrative and support services.  Alabama
reported 27,032 claimants, primarily in apparel manufacturing and in
textile mills, followed by Ohio (18,614, largely in transportation
equipment and in primary metals) and Pennsylvania (14,535, mostly in
transportation equipment).  These four states accounted for 48 percent 
of all layoff events and 47 percent of all initial claims for unemploy-
ment insurance.  (See table 4.)
   
   Alabama reported the largest over-the-year increase in initial claims
(+25,662), followed by California (+21,583).  The largest over-the-year
decreases occurred in Michigan (-10,472) and Ohio (-10,086).

Impact of the September 11 Attacks
   
   After the events of September 11, BLS added a new code for reason for
layoff, "non-natural disaster," for use in the quarterly reporting of
extended mass layoffs (those lasting more than 30 days).  This allows for
the identification of workers separated from companies as a direct or
indirect effect of situations such as the September 11 attacks.  BLS also
implemented interim reporting of extended mass layoffs in order to analyze
the layoff impact of those attacks on a more timely basis.

   In the 18 weeks following the September 11 attacks (the weeks ending
September 15 through January 12), employers reported 430 events involving
125,637 workers separated as a direct or indirect effect of the attacks.  A
majority of the layoff events took place in the weeks immediately following
the attacks, and the number of new events has tapered off since then.
(See table A.)  Thirty-three states reported extended mass layoff activity
related to the September 11 incidents.  However, 55 percent of these events
and 61 percent of the associated separations occurred in just six
states--California, Nevada, Illinois, New York, Texas, and Washington.
   
   Among the workers laid off because of the terrorist attacks, 36
percent, or 44,861, had been employed in the scheduled passenger air
transportation industry.  An additional 26 percent, or 32,803 workers, 
had been employed in hotels and motels.
   
   Thirty-two percent of the employers reporting extended mass layoffs
related to the attacks indicated they anticipated some type of recall.

                                  - 3 -

Table A.  Extended mass layoff events due to September 11 attacks
----------------------------------------------------------------------------          
     Weeks ending         |  Number of events    |    Number of separations
----------------------------------------------------------------------------                            
September 15-October 13   |        283           |           87,257
October 20-November  17   |         96           |           24,345
November 24-December 15   |         23           |            2,574
December 22-January  12   |         28           |           11,461
                          |                      |
        Total             |        430           |          125,637
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note
   
   The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or
more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the
layoffs.  Information on the length of the layoff is obtained later and
issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs lasting more
than 30 days (referred to as "extended mass layoffs") and provides more
information on the industry classification and location of the establish-
ment, on reasons for layoffs, and on the demographics of the laid-off 
workers.  Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days
or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months in a quarter will be
higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 30 days.
(See table 1.)  See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.
   
                      ______________________________
   
   The report on Mass Layoffs in February 2002 will be issued on Thursday, 
March 28, 2002.
  
  ------------------------------------------------------------------
 |            Change in Industry Classification System              |
 |                                                                  |
 |   Beginning with this release, the Mass Layoff Statistics pro-   |
 |gram has implemented the 2002 version of the North American In-   |
 |dustry Classification System (NAICS) as the basis for the as-     |
 |signment and tabulation of economic data by industry.  NAICS is   |
 |the product of a cooperative effort on the part of the statisti-  |
 |cal agencies of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.  Due to    |
 |differences in NAICS and the previously used Standard Industrial  |
 |Classification (SIC) structures, data by industry for 2002 will   |
 |not be comparable to the SIC-based data for earlier years.  How-  |
 |ever, the monthly historical industry series from April 1995      |
 |through December 2001 are available on both SIC and NAICS bases.  |
 |                                                                  |
 |   NAICS uses a production-oriented approach to categorize eco-   |
 |nomic units.  Units with similar production processes are clas-   |
 |sified in the same industry.  NAICS focuses on how products and   |
 |services are created, as opposed to the SIC focus on what is pro- |
 |duced. This approach yields significantly different industry      |
 |groupings than those produced by the SIC approach.                |
 |                                                                  |
 |   Users interested in more information about NAICS can access the|
 |BLS Web page at http://www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm or the Bureau of |
 |the Census Web page at http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html. |                              |
  ------------------------------------------------------------------
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 2000 to January 2002

  
                                                       Extended mass layoffs 
                                                     lasting more than 30 days
             Date                                                                               
                              Total mass layoffs                                           Realization rates(1)
                                                                                           
                                                                                                
                                          Initial                         Initial                        Initial 
                              Events     claimants       Events          claimants         Events       claimants        

              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           189,250           33.6           51.3     

 October ..................     874       103,755    
 November .................   1,697       216,514    
 December .................   2,677       326,743    

 Fourth Quarter ...........   5,248       647,012         2,005        (r)376,588           38.2           58.2     

              2001

 January ..................   1,522       200,343    
 February .................   1,501       172,908    
 March ....................   1,527       171,466    

 First Quarter ............   4,550       544,717         1,765        (r)339,766           38.8        (r)62.4

 April(r) .................   1,450       176,265    
 May(r) ...................   1,434       159,365    
 June(r) ..................   2,107       253,826    

 Second Quarter(r) ........   4,991       589,456         2,072           399,075           41.5           67.7     

 July(r) ..................   2,117       273,807    
 August(r) ................   1,490       166,148    
 September(r) .............   1,327       160,402    

 Third Quarter(r) .........   4,934       600,357         1,816           364,548           36.8           60.7     

 October(r) ...............   1,831       215,483    
 November .................   2,721       295,956    
 December(p)  .............   2,440       268,893    

 Fourth Quarter(p)  .......   6,992       780,332      (2)2,538        (2)358,067           36.3           45.9     

              2002

 January(p) ...............   2,146       263,821    

    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

                                                      January   November December   January   January   November December   January
                                                        2001      2001    2001(p)   2002(p)     2001      2001    2001(p)   2002(p)

      Total(1) .....................................   1,522     2,721     2,440     2,146    200,343   295,956   268,893   263,821     

 Total, private ....................................   1,468     2,669     2,387     2,093    194,826   291,052   264,225   258,219     

     Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ....      63       296        68        65      6,322    20,784     4,728     5,950     
     Mining ........................................       8        23        32        20        496     2,707     3,581     2,110     
     Utilities .....................................   ( 2 )         3         6     ( 2 )      ( 2 )       191     1,076     ( 2 ) 
     Construction ..................................     140       319       364       199     10,381    29,219    28,637    15,869     
     Manufacturing..................................     632     1,122     1,103       892    107,028   151,969   136,820   128,825     
         Food ......................................      70       112        99        61      8,435    12,104    11,126     6,949     
         Beverage and tobacco products .............       6        14         7         7        449     1,122       725       488     
         Textile mills .............................      23        46        35        37      2,804     7,262     4,323     9,448     
         Textile product mills .....................       7        10        12        19        663     1,593     1,300     3,109     
         Apparel ...................................      32        42        43        66      4,075     5,865     4,337    11,560     
         Leather and allied products ...............   ( 2 )        11        16         5      ( 2 )       905     1,641       332     
         Wood products .............................      46        56        62        63      4,461     7,090     6,316     6,990     
         Paper .....................................      14        28        28        22      1,369     4,248     2,458     1,676     
         Printing and related support activities ...      15        20        18        17      1,330     2,047     1,328     2,173     
         Petroleum and coal products ...............   ( 2 )         8         7         6      ( 2 )       832       619       388     

         Chemicals .................................       7        15        19        14        555     1,660     2,116     1,026     
         Plastics and rubber products ..............      35        65        74        39      3,874     9,315     9,156     3,780     
         Nonmetallic mineral products ..............      30        34        47        31      2,585     3,452     4,543     2,597     
         Primary metals ............................      35        94        69        44      8,456    11,940    10,388     6,247     
         Fabricated metal products .................      43        71       106        75      4,579     7,001     9,458     7,377     
         Machinery .................................      34       115        84        69      6,607    17,625    12,584     8,837     
         Computer and electronic products ..........      34        99        95       103      4,242    12,252    13,346    14,073     
         Electrical equipment and appliances .......      18        50        42        36      1,713     9,039     5,991     3,835     
         Transportation equipment ..................     128       155       175       112     45,538    26,582    26,558    30,900     
         Furniture and related products ............      31        44        41        43      3,545     4,824     5,972     5,429     
         Miscellaneous manufacturing ...............      21        33        24        23      1,530     5,211     2,535     1,611     

     Wholesale trade ...............................      20        44        26        38      1,899     3,411     1,979     3,962     
     Retail trade ..................................     131       112       116       185     15,516    10,411    12,298    21,717     
     Transportation and warehousing ................      74        79       120        87      6,925     7,832    15,384     8,067     
     Information ...................................      45        74        46        71      7,894     8,122     8,123     7,809     
     Finance and insurance .........................      19        38        26        49      2,245     3,144     1,931     5,005     
     Real estate and rental and leasing ............       3        12        10         8        298       954       770       676     
     Professional and technical services ...........      19        70        59        59      1,664     5,537     6,117    13,474     
     Management of companies and enterprises .......   ( 2 )         8         4         5      ( 2 )     1,236       485       804     
     Administrative and waste services .............     172       269       219       237     19,062    25,053    23,863    26,181     
     Educational services...........................       8         3         4     ( 2 )        812       171       208     ( 2 ) 
     Health care and social assistance .............      16        28        19        24      1,248     3,310     1,594     1,803     
     Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...........      16        34        18        27      1,631     3,346     1,228     2,773     
     Accommodation and food services ...............      67        95       109        87      5,963     9,718    11,733     8,295     
     Other services, except public administration...      12        13        13        18      1,290       964     1,433     1,756     

     Unclassified  .................................      20        27        25        16      3,833     2,973     2,237     2,468     

 Government ........................................      54        52        53        53      5,517     4,904     4,668     5,602     
     Federal .......................................      27        10         7        13      3,182     1,020       651     1,751     
     State .........................................      11        22        14        16      1,030     2,070     1,160     1,741     
     Local .........................................      16        20        32        24      1,305     1,814     2,857     2,110 

     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: Beginning with data for January 2002, the 2002 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 
the basis for the assignment and tabulation of economic data by industry. NAICS is the product of a cooperative effort on the part
of the statistical agencies of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Due to differences in NAICS and SIC structures, data by 
industry for 2002 will not be comparable to the SIC-based data for earlier years. However, the monthly historical industry series 
from April 1995 to December 2001 are available on both SIC and NAICS bases.
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

				January     November   December     January       January      November    December      January
				  2001        2001      2001(p)     2002(p)         2001         2001       2001(p)      2002(p)

	 United States(1) ....   1,522       2,721       2,440       2,146        200,343      295,956      268,893      263,821     

 Northeast ...................     227         388         401         274         21,994       41,738       40,843       29,934     

     New England .............      37          76         116          58          2,857        8,813       12,809        5,852     
     Middle Atlantic .........     190         312         285         216         19,137       32,925       28,034       24,082     
											  
 South .......................     323         539         451         581         36,007       69,720       52,331       79,608     
											  
     South Atlantic ..........     154         287         185         229         15,870       35,748       19,366       33,142     
     East South Central ......      68          90         124         227          7,121       13,464       15,232       32,722     
     West South Central ......     101         162         142         125         13,016       20,508       17,733       13,744     
											  
 Midwest .....................     468         793       1,013         559         87,323      101,147      119,250       71,176     
											  
     East North Central ......     376         615         774         437         72,119       79,965       87,719       53,645     
     West North Central ......      92         178         239         122         15,204       21,182       31,531       17,531     
											  
 West ........................     504       1,001         575         732         55,019       83,351       56,469       83,103     

     Mountain ................      72         120          83          83          6,527       14,802        8,547        9,315     
     Pacific .................     432         881         492         649         48,492       68,549       47,922       73,788     
											  
											  
      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       

                             January      November    December      January       January      November    December      January
                               2001         2001       2001(p)      2002(p)         2001         2001       2001(p)      2002(p)

    Total(1) ..............   1,522        2,721        2,440        2,146        200,343      295,956      268,893      263,821     

 Alabama ..................      15           23           12          163          1,370        2,402        1,902       27,032     
 Alaska ...................       5            6            3            7            340          651          237          467     
 Arizona ..................       7           17           10           12            569        1,663          831        1,252     
 Arkansas .................      13           11           10            5          1,515        2,500        1,030          445     
 California ...............     365          782          406          563         41,261       57,804       39,239       62,844     
 Colorado .................      11           29           14           13          1,084        3,044        1,295        1,487     
 Connecticut ..............       6            9            9            5            424          745          674          428     
 Delaware .................   ( 2 )        ( 2 )            4        ( 2 )          ( 2 )        ( 2 )          521        ( 2 ) 
 District of Columbia .....       7        ( 2 )        ( 2 )            3            496        ( 2 )        ( 2 )          499     
 Florida ..................      49          102           54           78          3,147       10,138        4,136        9,173     
 Georgia ..................      15           26           15           46          1,200        3,714        1,268       10,630     
 Hawaii ...................       6           10            5           14            429          924          494        1,302     
 Idaho ....................      10           27           17           13            677        3,250        1,914        1,054     

 Illinois .................      68          106          130           89         12,163       13,648       15,387       12,951     
 Indiana ..................      37           65           77           36          4,425        8,775        9,516        5,101     
 Iowa .....................      21           50           63           32          2,505        6,647        7,523        3,982     
 Kansas ...................      10           13           25           16          3,766        1,613        6,065        1,331     
 Kentucky .................       9           44           74           30          1,101        8,863        9,912        2,565     
 Louisiana ................      23           29           24           20          4,410        3,419        1,619        2,249     
 Maine ....................       6            7            7            5            434          827          571          616     
 Maryland .................      10           11            6           11          1,085          878          451          998     
 Massachusetts ............      21           41           52           30          1,723        4,617        5,534        2,867     
 Michigan .................      69          158          298           82         19,387       23,102       34,681        8,915     
 Minnesota ................      20           62           55           29          3,669        6,934        6,181        2,913     
 Mississippi ..............      18            7           11            7          2,036          499          740          584     
 Missouri .................      37           33           70           39          4,567        3,704        8,799        8,709     

 Montana ..................       6            5            4        ( 2 )            484          562          728        ( 2 ) 
 Nebraska .................       3           10           19            4            284        1,347        2,324          466     
 Nevada ...................      23           18           30           31          2,195        2,730        3,202        4,133     
 New Hampshire ............   ( 2 )            6           17            7          ( 2 )        1,277        1,930        1,001     
 New Jersey ...............      35           48           45           49          4,544        5,155        5,416        7,066     
 New Mexico ...............       4        ( 2 )            4            4            397        ( 2 )          246          535     
 New York .................      21           51           35           27          2,198        5,384        3,026        2,481     
 North Carolina ...........      21           46           20           25          3,982        4,764        1,869        3,386     
 North Dakota .............   ( 2 )            8            4        ( 2 )          ( 2 )          809          352        ( 2 ) 
 Ohio .....................     132          103          123          158         28,700       10,918       11,562       18,614     
 Oklahoma .................       8           14           19            8            833        2,648        3,214          778     
 Oregon ...................      44           54           54           39          5,354        6,674        5,946        5,278     
 Pennsylvania .............     134          213          205          140         12,395       22,386       19,592       14,535     

 Rhode Island .............    ( 2 )           6           19            7          ( 2 )          772        2,288          694     
 South Carolina ...........      28           61           36           33          3,327       10,651        5,049        3,753     
 South Dakota .............       -        ( 2 )            3        ( 2 )              -        ( 2 )          287        ( 2 ) 
 Tennessee ................      26           16           27           27          2,614        1,700        2,678        2,541     
 Texas ....................      57          108           89           92          6,258       11,941       11,870       10,272     
 Utah .....................      11           20            4            7          1,121        3,184          331          551     
 Vermont ..................   ( 2 )            7           12            4          ( 2 )          575        1,812          246     
 Virginia .................      20           35           47           27          2,210        5,125        5,875        3,303     
 Washington ...............      12           29           24           26          1,108        2,496        2,006        3,897     
 West Virginia ............   ( 2 )            3        ( 2 )            4          ( 2 )          229        ( 2 )          258     
 Wisconsin ................      70          183          146           72          7,444       23,522       16,573        8,064     
 Wyoming ..................       -        ( 2 )            -        ( 2 )              -        ( 2 )            -        ( 2 )

 Puerto Rico ..............      17           13            9            8          1,475        1,524        1,281        1,020


  1 See footnote 1, table 2.
  2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  Dash represents zero.