Technical information:   (202) 691-6392          USDL 05-731
http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                                 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                 691-5902          Tuesday, April 26, 2005


                        MASS LAYOFFS IN MARCH 2005
   
   In March 2005, employers took 1,194 mass layoff actions, seasonally
adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits
during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today.  Each action involved at least 50 persons from a
single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 130,848,
on a seasonally adjusted basis.  (See table 1.)  The number of layoff
events rose by 66, and the number of associated initial claims increased by
13,164 from February.  In the manufacturing sector, 371 mass layoff events
were reported during March 2005, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 55,377
initial claims, both figures higher than a month earlier.  (See table 1.)
   
   From January through March 2005, the total number of events (seasonally
adjusted), at 3,779, and initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 399,522,
were lower than in January-March 2004 (4,043 and 415,048, respectively).
   
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   The 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass-layoff initial
claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 34,727 initial claims in
March, 39 percent of the total.  (See table A.)  Motion picture and video
production, with 7,192 initial claims, and food service contractors, with
6,490, together accounted for 15 percent of all initial claims in March.
These were the highest numbers of initial claims for March in the histori-
cal series for both industries.

   The manufacturing sector accounted for 31 percent of all mass layoff
events and 37 percent of all initial claims filed in March 2005.  A year
earlier, manufacturing comprised 28 percent of events and 37 percent of
initial claims.  Within manufacturing, the number of claimants in March
2005 was highest in transportation equipment (13,543, mostly automotive-
related), followed by food processing (5,049).  (See table 3.)
   
   Accommodation and food services accounted for 10 percent of events and
11 percent of initial claims filed in March, with layoffs mainly among food
service contractors.  Four percent of all layoff events and 9 percent of
initial claims filed during the month were from the information sector,
primarily from motion picture and video production.  Construction accounted
for 11 percent of events and 7 percent of initial claims in March, mostly
among specialty trade contractors.  Administrative and waste services also
accounted for 11 percent of events and 7 percent of initial claims during
the month, mainly from temporary help services.  An additional 8 percent of
events and 7 percent of initial claims were from retail trade, largely from
general merchandise stores.
   
   Government establishments accounted for 4 percent of events and 3 per-
cent of initial claims filed in March, mostly in executive, legislative,
and general government agencies.
   
   Over the year, the number of layoff events declined by 114, and the
associated initial claims fell by 3,617.  The largest decreases in initial
claims were reported in administrative and support services (-5,143) and
electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing (-2,004).  The largest
over-the-year increases in initial claims were reported in motion picture
and sound recording industries (+3,444), transit and ground passenger
transportation (+1,328), and primary metal manufacturing (+1,280).

                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Industries with the largest mass-layoff initial claims in
March 2005p
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          | Initial|      March peak
                 Industry                 | claims |--------------------------
                                          |        |   Year  | Initial claims
------------------------------------------|--------|---------|----------------
Motion picture and video production ......|  7,192 |   2005  |      7,192
Food service contractors .................|  6,490 |   2005  |      6,490
Automobile manufacturing .................|  5,517 |   1996  |     15,411
Temporary help services ..................|  3,903 |   2002  |     14,338
School and employee bus transportation ...|  3,546 |   2002  |      6,064
Light truck and utility vehicle mfg. .....|  2,575 |   2004  |      2,624
Payroll services .........................|  1,915 |   2001  |      5,099
Professional employer organizations ......|  1,288 |   2002  |      2,987
Highway, street, and bridge construction .|  1,257 |   2001  |      2,640
Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ..|  1,044 |   2000  |      6,500
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  p=preliminary.
   

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in
March due to mass layoffs was in the West (32,434).  (See table 5.)  Motion
picture and sound recording industries and administrative and support
services accounted for 31 percent of all mass-layoff initial claims in that
region during the month.  The Midwest had the second largest number of
initial claims (28,413), followed by the South (17,171) and the Northeast
(10,919).
   
   The number of initial claimants from mass layoffs declined over the year
in three of the four regions.  The largest decrease was in the South
(-4,923), followed by the Northeast (-1,277) and the West (-74).  The Midwest
had the only over-the-year increase (+2,657).  Five 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 West South
Central (-3,601) and South Atlantic (-2,107) divisions.  The largest over-
the-year increase occurred in the East North Central division (+3,545).
   
   Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial
claims filed due to mass layoff events in March (26,727), mostly in motion
picture and sound recording industries.  Ohio had the next highest, with
8,919 initial claims reported, followed by Pennsylvania (5,296) and
Michigan (5,002).  These four states accounted for 49 percent of all mass
layoff events and 52 percent of all initial claims for unemployment
insurance.  (See table 6.)
   
   Oklahoma had the largest over-the-year decrease in the number of initial
claims (-2,315), followed by Minnesota (-1,869), Illinois (-1,777), and
Florida (-1,736).  The largest over-the-year increases occurred in Ohio
(+4,752) and Missouri (+2,040).

                                  - 3 -

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 lay-
offs.  For private nonfarm establishments, 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 lay-
offs").  The quarterly release provides more information on the industry
classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of
the laid-off workers.  Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs
of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months in a quarter
will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 30
days.  (See table 4.)  See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.
   
                      ______________________________
   

   The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the First Quarter of 2005 is
scheduled to be released on Thursday, May 19, 2005.  The report on Mass
Layoffs in April 2005 is scheduled to be released on Friday, May 27, 2005.

   


                                  - 4 -

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 con-
tacted 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 quart-
erly 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, the number of weeks in a
given month may be different from year to year, and the number of weeks in
a year may vary.  Therefore, analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year
change in not seasonally adjusted series 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.
   
Seasonal adjustment

   Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS began publish-
ing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS series.  The six series are the
numbers of mass layoff events and mass layoff initial claims for the total,
private nonfarm, and manufacturing sectors.
   
   Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and removing the effect
on time series data of regularly recurring seasonal events such as changes
in the weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year.
The use of seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes
in time series, particularly those associated with general economic expan-
sions and contractions.
   
   The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjust-
ment method on a concurrent basis.  Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all
available monthly estimates, including those for the current month, in devel-
oping seasonal adjustment factors.  Revisions to the most recent 5 years
of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a year with the issuance of
December data.  Before the data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments
are made to the original data to adjust them for differences in the number
of weeks used to calculate the monthly data.  Because weekly unemployment
insurance claims are aggregated to form monthly data, a particular month's
value could be calculated with 5 weeks of data in one year and 4 weeks
in another.  The effects of these differences could seriously distort the
seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal adjustment process.
These effects are modeled in the X-12-ARIMA program and are permanently
removed from the final seasonally adjusted series.




Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2001 to March 2005,
seasonally adjusted

                                      Total             Private nonfarm        Manufacturing

             Date
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants     Events  claimants

             2001           

April ......................     1,620     199,764     1,483     186,013       773     106,045
May ........................     1,679     207,811     1,523     193,998       755     110,133
June .......................     1,610     195,617     1,433     180,821       739     104,155
July .......................     1,704     200,376     1,568     188,468       719      93,867
August .....................     1,744     206,528     1,586     195,051       788     106,632
September ..................     2,409     277,214     2,235     263,192       834     108,615
October ....................     2,109     233,569     1,986     223,808       897     118,136
November ...................     2,094     218,273     1,935     207,129       944     114,556
December ...................     1,799     194,759     1,658     183,178       722      93,193
             
             2002           

January ....................     1,801     208,835     1,659     195,862       739      96,689
February ...................     1,773     204,089     1,620     192,450       701      91,285
March ......................     1,674     187,924     1,517     175,998       610      75,367
April ......................     1,685     186,574     1,497     169,228       591      69,481
May ........................     1,720     191,841     1,558     178,993       611      74,809
June .......................     1,615     170,307     1,438     156,759       551      73,064
July .......................     1,637     179,165     1,457     164,398       568      73,230
August .....................     1,475     160,855     1,330     149,148       562      65,564
September ..................     1,909     217,475     1,742     202,640       607      79,413
October ....................     1,716     178,860     1,524     162,411       598      71,765
November ...................     1,644     176,462     1,500     165,578       607      70,640
December ...................     1,825     193,627     1,661     179,368       638      86,714
             
             2003           

January ....................     1,383     134,258     1,193     120,033       402      49,440
February ...................     1,771     185,502     1,589     173,392       643      75,331
March ......................     1,773     176,540     1,577     161,662       618      75,289
April ......................     1,735     176,645     1,574     165,416       646      86,857
May ........................     1,709     186,158     1,532     173,123       624      87,615
June .......................     1,704     163,646     1,515     148,547       636      70,888
July .......................     1,653     163,061     1,444     147,883       590      71,203
August .....................     1,502     170,353     1,364     156,731       540      71,944
September ..................     1,559     145,961     1,370     132,233       471      56,274
October ....................     1,541     154,908     1,312     136,604       412      49,518
November ...................     1,400     137,651     1,241     125,115       397      46,955
December ...................     1,425     141,780     1,281     129,464       420      53,436
             
             2004           

January ....................     1,458     146,147     1,257     127,917       413      50,074
February ...................     1,237     126,421     1,091     115,302       358      36,783
March ......................     1,348     142,480     1,211     134,118       409      63,380
April ......................     1,422     149,049     1,239     132,180       360      43,158
May ........................     1,178     114,247     1,016     100,499       314      37,950
June .......................     1,375     141,300     1,215     129,466       361      47,548
July .......................     1,363     139,374     1,200     127,011       390      49,276
August .....................     1,392     130,483     1,208     115,035       330      36,422
September ..................     1,281     123,761     1,153     114,223       332      45,917
October ....................     1,274     125,414     1,145     116,042       350      44,908
November ...................     1,361     130,168     1,201     117,545       402      43,504
December ...................     1,211     119,649     1,064     108,157       283      34,940
             
             2005           

January ....................     1,457     150,990     1,321     140,826       379      58,908
February(p) ................     1,128     117,684     1,001     107,415       345      43,186
March(p) ...................     1,194     130,848     1,060     121,408       371      55,377


    p = preliminary. 





Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, April 2001 to March 2005,
not seasonally adjusted            

                                      Total             Private nonfarm        Manufacturing

             Date
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants    Events   claimants
             
             2001                    
                                 
April ......................     1,450     176,265     1,353     166,167       608      78,845
May ........................     1,434     159,365     1,331     151,186       528      64,887
June .......................     2,107     253,826     1,784     226,022       737     116,005
July .......................     2,117     273,807     1,952     259,128     1,144     168,877
August .....................     1,490     166,148     1,386     158,307       603      79,515
September ..................     1,327     160,402     1,214     151,161       485      58,544
October ....................     1,831     215,483     1,676     202,053       742     107,030
November ...................     2,721     295,956     2,373     270,268     1,122     151,969
December ...................     2,440     268,893     2,319     259,497     1,103     136,820
                       
             2002 

January ....................     2,146     263,777     2,028     252,245       892     128,825
February ...................     1,382     138,808     1,253     129,849       481      58,784
March ......................     1,460     161,316     1,335     151,305       500      59,613
April ......................     1,506     165,814     1,378     153,216       461      50,897
May ........................     1,723     179,799     1,571     166,801       488      52,720
June .......................     1,584     162,189     1,266     136,424       336      42,130
July .......................     2,042     245,294     1,819     226,892       907     135,271
August .....................     1,248     128,103     1,151     119,874       427      48,668
September ..................     1,062     124,522       957     114,736       352      43,755
October ....................     1,497     171,100     1,270     149,327       493      64,655
November ...................     2,153     240,171     1,860     216,237       719      92,712
December ...................     2,474     264,158     2,324     252,807       984     126,826
                       
             2003 

January ....................     2,315     225,430     2,130     210,918       822      90,244
February ...................     1,363     124,965     1,222     116,264       435      48,161
March ......................     1,207     113,026     1,099     104,468       390      41,063
April ......................     1,581     161,412     1,470     152,937       499      62,349
May ........................     1,703     174,204     1,538     160,729       499      61,278
June .......................     1,691     157,552     1,336     127,743       389      40,845
July .......................     2,087     226,435     1,815     206,901       946     136,410
August .....................     1,258     133,839     1,163     124,131       405      52,620
September ..................       868      82,647       756      73,914       271      31,428
October ....................     1,523     158,240     1,265     137,706       438      53,741
November ...................     1,438     138,543     1,234     123,524       408      48,419
December ...................     1,929     192,633     1,793     182,750       648      77,915
                       
             2004 

January ....................     2,428     239,454     2,226     220,687       848      89,551
February ...................       941      84,201       832      76,577       240      23,043
March ......................       920      92,554       847      87,782       258      34,686
April ......................     1,458     157,314     1,316     142,657       343      36,172
May ........................       988      87,501       878      78,786       219      22,141
June .......................     1,379     134,588     1,077     110,804       222      27,307
July .......................     2,094     253,929     1,860     234,877       885     145,895
August .....................       809      69,033       745      63,876       194      17,698
September ..................       708      68,972       637      63,102       189      25,808
October ....................     1,242     127,918     1,101     117,375       372      48,265
November ...................     1,399     130,423     1,201     115,549       412      44,243
December ...................     1,614     161,271     1,487     152,092       436      50,726
                       
             2005 

January ....................     2,564     263,952     2,421     253,409       823     108,985
February(p) ................       810      74,644       722      68,372       230      24,931
March(p) ...................       806      88,937       733      83,793       246      33,030


    p = preliminary. 





           
Table 3. 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 
                                                     2004      2005     2005p     2005p      2004       2005      2005p      2005p 

               Seasonally adjusted 

      Total .....................................    1,348     1,457    1,128     1,194     142,480    150,990   117,684    130,848
  
 Total, private nonfarm .........................    1,211     1,321    1,001     1,060     134,118    140,826   107,415    121,408
  Manufacturing .................................      409       379      345       371      63,380     58,908    43,186     55,377
   
            Not seasonally adjusted

      Total(1) ..................................      920     2,564      810       806      92,554    263,952    74,644     88,937

Total, private ..................................      884     2,488      779       777      89,955    257,761    72,331     86,306
  Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ....       37        67       57        44       2,173      4,352     3,959      2,513

 Total, private nonfarm .........................      847     2,421      722       733      87,782    253,409    68,372     83,793
  Mining ........................................        4        17    ( 2 )     ( 2 )         206      1,272     ( 2 )      ( 2 )
  Utilities .....................................    ( 2 )     ( 2 )    ( 2 )     ( 2 )       ( 2 )      ( 2 )     ( 2 )      ( 2 )
  Construction ..................................      106       470      118        91       7,288     33,590     7,245      6,648
  Manufacturing .................................      258       823      230       246      34,686    108,985    24,931     33,030
      Food ......................................       56        88       60        50       6,220      8,703     5,237      5,049
      Beverage and tobacco products .............        9        11        4         5       1,039        888       384        308
      Textile mills .............................        6        17        5         8         456      2,635       560      1,162
      Textile product mills .....................    ( 2 )        19       10         4       ( 2 )      2,677       874        337
      Apparel ...................................       13        38        7         9       1,050      3,893     1,083      1,351
      Leather and allied products ...............        -     ( 2 )    ( 2 )         4           -      ( 2 )     ( 2 )        634
      Wood products .............................       16        61       16        17       1,540      8,243     1,606      1,361
      Paper .....................................        7        13        6     ( 2 )         529      1,048       493      ( 2 )
      Printing and related support activities ...        7        15        9         8         501      1,237       668        493
      Petroleum and coal products ...............        -     ( 2 )        -     ( 2 )           -      ( 2 )         -      ( 2 )

      Chemicals .................................        7        15    ( 2 )     ( 2 )         416      1,294     ( 2 )      ( 2 )
      Plastics and rubber products ..............       14        58       13         9       1,061      6,006       902        851
      Nonmetallic mineral products ..............       12        55       10         8         860      4,815       877        372
      Primary metals ............................        4        39    ( 2 )        10         375      4,359     ( 2 )      1,655
      Fabricated metal products .................       16        59       11        15       1,103      5,796       833      1,245
      Machinery .................................       10        48        9         9         693      6,828       765      1,101
      Computer and electronic products ..........       15        30       15        11       1,274      2,918       897      1,266
      Electrical equipment and appliances .......       12        39        6        10       2,789      5,662     1,352        785
      Transportation equipment ..................       38       165       29        48      13,430     35,324     6,915     13,543
      Furniture and related products ............       11        30        8         9         985      4,757       644        576
      Miscellaneous manufacturing ...............    ( 2 )        14        5         5       ( 2 )      1,154       316        363

  Wholesale trade ...............................       19        35       18         7       1,518      2,954     1,229        481
  Retail trade ..................................       77       198       75        64       6,733     18,822     6,398      5,811
  Transportation and warehousing ................       38       197       26        44       4,682     22,226     2,955      5,340
  Information ...................................       32        47       26        30       4,912      6,141     5,059      8,303
  Finance and insurance .........................       27        35       24        22       2,228      3,289     1,561      1,506
  Real estate and rental and leasing ............        5        16    ( 2 )         6         332      1,491     ( 2 )        277
  Professional and technical services ...........       29        48       14        22       2,619      4,729       798      3,709
  Management of companies and enterprises .......    ( 2 )         5        -         3       ( 2 )        358         -        315
  Administrative and waste services .............      129       302      119        89      11,546     28,865    12,354      6,572
  Educational services ..........................    ( 2 )     ( 2 )    ( 2 )     ( 2 )       ( 2 )      ( 2 )     ( 2 )      ( 2 )
  Health care and social assistance .............       19        35       12        16       1,039      2,739       662      1,097
  Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...........        4        40        8         7         167      4,558       430        516
  Accommodation and food services ...............       82       117       37        78       8,755      9,364     3,475      9,666
  Other services, except public administration ..        9        28        5     ( 2 )         506      3,408       300      ( 2 )
  Unclassified ..................................        1         3        1         2          85        264        56        100

 Government .....................................       36        76       31        29       2,599      6,191     2,313      2,631
  Federal .......................................        5        23        7         7         428      1,920       591        704
  State .........................................       10        18       11         8         763      1,736       784        802
  Local .........................................       21        35       13        14       1,408      2,535       938      1,125

    1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 
    p = preliminary.
    NOTE: Dash represents zero. 






              
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2003 to March 2005,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                   Private nonfarm                               

                                 Total mass layoffs                             Extended mass layoffs           Realization
             Date                                       Mass layoffs          lasting more than 30 days          rates (1)   

                                          Initial               Initial                     Initial                      Initial  
                                Events   claimants    Events   claimants        Events     claimants        Events      claimants 
             2003           

January ....................     2,315     225,430     2,130     210,918
February ...................     1,363     124,965     1,222     116,264
March ......................     1,207     113,026     1,099     104,468

First Quarter ..............     4,885     463,421     4,451     431,650         1,502       297,608          33.7         68.9

April ......................     1,581     161,412     1,470     152,937
May ........................     1,703     174,204     1,538     160,729
June .......................     1,691     157,552     1,336     127,743

Second Quarter .............     4,975     493,168     4,344     441,409         1,799       348,966          41.4         79.1

July .......................     2,087     226,435     1,815     206,901
August .....................     1,258     133,839     1,163     124,131
September ..................       868      82,647       756      73,914

Third Quarter ..............     4,213     442,921     3,734     404,946         1,190       227,909          31.9         56.3

October ....................     1,523     158,240     1,265     137,706
November ...................     1,438     138,543     1,234     123,524
December ...................     1,929     192,633     1,793     182,750

Fourth Quarter .............     4,890     489,416     4,292     443,980         1,690       326,328          39.4         73.5

           2004          

January ....................     2,428     239,454     2,226     220,687
February ...................       941      84,201       832      76,577
March ......................       920      92,554       847      87,782
                             
First Quarter ..............     4,289     416,209     3,905     385,046         1,339       238,305          34.3         61.9
                            
April ......................     1,458     157,314     1,316     142,657
May ........................       988      87,501       878      78,786
June .......................     1,379     134,588     1,077     110,804
                            
Second Quarter .............     3,825     379,403     3,271     332,247         1,358       253,231          41.5         76.2
                            
July .......................     2,094     253,929     1,860     234,877
August .....................       809      69,033       745      63,876
September ..................       708      68,972       637      63,102
                            
Third Quarter ..............     3,611     391,934     3,242     361,855           887       145,889          27.4         40.3
                            
October ....................     1,242     127,918     1,101     117,375
November ...................     1,399     130,423     1,201     115,549
December ...................     1,614     161,271     1,487     152,092
                            
Fourth Quarter .............     4,255     419,612     3,789     385,016         1,295       178,834          34.2         46.4
                                                                                                                          
           2005          

January ....................     2,564     263,952     2,421     253,409
February(p) ................       810      74,644       722      68,372
March(p) ...................       806      88,937       733      83,793

First Quarter(p) ...........     4,180     427,533     3,876     405,574


    1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial 
claimant realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants associated with layoffs lasting 
more than 30 days. 
    2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more data on these layoffs become available. 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 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,
not seasonally adjusted 

                           
                                                                                     Initial claimants for            
                                          Mass layoff events                         unemployment insurance           
 Census region and division
 
                                March    January    February    March        March     January      February    March 
                                2004       2005      2005p      2005p        2004        2005        2005p      2005p 
 
      United States(1) ....      920      2,564        810        806       92,554     263,952      74,644      88,937

Northeast .................      123        556        120        105       12,196      54,866      11,226      10,919

  New England .............       12         88         17         14          912       8,009       2,126       1,147
  Middle Atlantic .........      111        468        103         91       11,284      46,857       9,100       9,772

South .....................      207        490        143        154       22,094      57,126      14,788      17,171

  South Atlantic ..........      101        216         75         78        8,749      22,965       5,987       6,642
  East South Central ......       41        173         32         30        4,141      20,528       5,778       4,926
  West South Central ......       65        101         36         46        9,204      13,633       3,023       5,603

Midwest ...................      185        774        173        214       25,756      90,975      17,129      28,413

  East North Central ......      138        601        144        166       19,002      72,600      13,041      22,547
  West North Central ......       47        173         29         48        6,754      18,375       4,088       5,866

West ......................      405        744        374        333       32,508      60,985      31,501      32,434
                                                                                     
  Mountain ................       30         60         31         37        3,146       5,467       2,315       3,386
  Pacific .................      375        684        343        296       29,362      55,518      29,186      29,048


    1 See footnote 1, table 3.
    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 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                     Initial claimants for            
                                         Mass layoff events                          unemployment insurance           
           State       
                              March    January     February     March        March      January     February     March 
                              2004       2005        2005p      2005p        2004         2005        2005p      2005p 

   Total(1) .............      920       2,564         810       806        92,554      263,952      74,644     88,937

Alabama .................        7          85           8         7           654       12,310         620        725
Alaska ..................        -       ( 2 )           -         -             -        ( 2 )           -          -
Arizona .................        6           7       ( 2 )        10           593          642       ( 2 )        929
Arkansas ................        3           6       ( 2 )         4           422          622       ( 2 )        269
California ..............      341         602         321       274        25,730       47,222      27,567     26,727
Colorado ................    ( 2 )          10           4         3         ( 2 )          871         307        643
Connecticut .............        -           7       ( 2 )     ( 2 )             -          629       ( 2 )      ( 2 )
Delaware ................    ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         -         ( 2 )        ( 2 )       ( 2 )          -
District of Columbia ....    ( 2 )       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         -         ( 2 )        ( 2 )       ( 2 )          -
Florida .................       57          62          36        36         4,405        4,800       2,018      2,669
Georgia .................       11          62          14        15           927        6,433       1,415      1,324
Hawaii ..................        8           7           3     ( 2 )           788          643         210      ( 2 )
Idaho ...................       10           9           6         5         1,156          719         431        460
                                                                                      
Illinois ................       29          91          42        21         3,812        8,596       4,138      2,035
Indiana .................       13          72          15        20         2,609       11,308       1,248      2,177
Iowa ....................       11          48           4        10         1,330        7,250         367        804
Kansas ..................        5          34           5         3           357        3,061         519        202
Kentucky ................       18          52          15        13         2,164        5,222       4,585      1,912
Louisiana ...............       10          24           7         4           887        3,417         503        267
Maine ...................    ( 2 )          10       ( 2 )     ( 2 )         ( 2 )          776       ( 2 )      ( 2 )
Maryland ................    ( 2 )          23       ( 2 )         -         ( 2 )        1,902       ( 2 )          -
Massachusetts ...........        6          44           8         8           386        4,116         450        684
Michigan ................       27         182          26        46         4,548       20,127       2,270      5,002
Minnesota ...............        9          33           6        12         2,979        2,857       1,907      1,110
Mississippi .............    ( 2 )       ( 2 )           5         -         ( 2 )        ( 2 )         308          -
Missouri ................       14          44          11        19         1,429        3,711         904      3,469

Montana .................    ( 2 )           6           3     ( 2 )         ( 2 )          511         157      ( 2 )
Nebraska ................        5          10           3         4           363        1,212         391        281
Nevada ..................        7          25          10         9           642        2,481         730        590
New Hampshire ...........    ( 2 )           7       ( 2 )         -         ( 2 )          741       ( 2 )          -
New Jersey ..............       23          94          29        14         2,151        8,505       3,282      1,326
New Mexico ..............        3       ( 2 )       ( 2 )         5           323        ( 2 )       ( 2 )        413
New York ................       27         180          41        35         2,451       22,185       3,384      3,150
North Carolina ..........       13          21           7        11         1,261        1,897         777        879
North Dakota ............    ( 2 )       ( 2 )           -         -         ( 2 )        ( 2 )           -          -
Ohio ....................       31         140          26        31         4,167       18,132       1,855      8,919
Oklahoma ................        8          14           4         3         3,254        2,735         246        939
Oregon ..................       13          50           4        10         1,858        5,427         301      1,337
Pennsylvania ............       61         194          33        42         6,682       16,167       2,434      5,296

Rhode Island ............        3          14           3     ( 2 )           219        1,357       1,135      ( 2 )
South Carolina ..........        6          13           4         5           863        1,371         525        498
South Dakota ............    ( 2 )       ( 2 )           -         -         ( 2 )        ( 2 )           -          -
Tennessee ...............       14          33           4        10         1,231        2,771         265      2,289
Texas ...................       44          57          24        35         4,641        6,859       2,198      4,128
Utah ....................    ( 2 )           -           3         3         ( 2 )            -         252        235
Vermont .................    ( 2 )           6       ( 2 )     ( 2 )         ( 2 )          390       ( 2 )      ( 2 )
Virginia ................       10          30          11        11         1,010        4,620       1,085      1,272
Washington ..............       13          22          15        11           986        1,939       1,108        910
West Virginia ...........    ( 2 )       ( 2 )           -         -         ( 2 )        ( 2 )           -          -
Wisconsin ...............       38         116          35        48         3,866       14,437       3,530      4,414
Wyoming .................    ( 2 )           -       ( 2 )         -         ( 2 )            -       ( 2 )          -

Puerto Rico .............        4          25          15        10           318        3,080       1,494      1,303


    1 See footnote 1, table 3.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 
    p = preliminary.
    NOTE: Dash represents zero.