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Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 09-0842http://www.bls.gov/mls/ For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, July 23, 2009
MASS LAYOFFS IN JUNE 2009
Employers took 2,763 mass layoff actions in June that resulted in the separation of 279,231workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits duringthe month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Each actioninvolved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events decreased by170 and associated initial claims decreased by 33,649. Both measures had been at record high levels inMay. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 1,046, and associated initial claimsincreased by 104,483. In June, 1,235 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector,seasonally adjusted, resulting in 159,310 initial claims. Over the year, the number of manufacturingevents increased by 680, and associated initial claims increased by 79,566. (See table 1.)
05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,500
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
EventsTotalPrivate nonfarmManufacturingChart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,July 2004-June 2009050,000100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000350,000
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
ClaimsTotalPrivate nonfarmManufacturingChart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,July 2004-June 2009
 During the 19 months from December 2007 through June 2009, the total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 39,822, and the number of initial claims filed (seasonally adjusted) inthose events was 4,090,538. (December 2007 was designated as the start of a recession by the NationalBureau of Economic Research.)The national unemployment rate was 9.5 percent in June 2009, seasonally adjusted, up slightly from9.4 percent the prior month and up from 5.6 percent a year earlier. In June, total nonfarm payrollemployment decreased by 467,000 over the month and by 5,664,000 from a year earlier.
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United StatesDepartmentof Labor
 
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Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in June 2009,not seasonally adjusted
YearInitial claimsElementary and secondary schools ......................28,751 200928,751School and employee bus transportation .............18,930 200721,611Food service contractors ......................................12,113 200714,527Temporary help services
1
...................................8,567 200013,815Child day care services ........................................7,911 20079,115Construction machinery manufacturing ..............7,454 20097,454Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing .....7,034 19987,608Professional employer organizations
1
................5,303 20095,303Motion picture and video production ..................3,578 20009,435Aircraft manufacturing ........................................3,365 20093,365
1
See the Technical Note for more information on these industries.
IndustryInitial claimsJune peak 
 Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)The number of mass layoff events in June was 2,519 on a not seasonally adjusted basis; the numberof associated initial claims was 256,357. (See table 2.) Over the year, increases were recorded in boththe number of mass layoff events (+897) and initial claims (+89,615). This year, both average weeklyevents and initial claimants reached their highest June levels in program history; data are available back to 1995. (Average weekly analysis mitigates the effect of differing lengths of months. See theTechnical Note.) Ten of the 19 major industry sectors reported program highs in terms of averageweekly initial claimants for the month of June—construction; wholesale trade; retail trade; transpor-tation and warehousing; real estate and rental and leasing; management of companies and enterprises;administrative and waste services; health care and social assistance; arts, entertainment, and recreation;and accommodation and food services. Government also reported a program high in terms of averageweekly initial claimants for the month of June.The manufacturing sector accounted for 27 percent of all mass layoff events and 33 percent of initial claims filed in June 2009; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 19 percent of events and 25percent of initial claims. This June, the number of manufacturing claimants was greatest in trans-portation equipment (24,865) and machinery (14,644). (See table 3.) The transportation and ware-housing sector accounted for 7 percent of mass layoff events and 9 percent of the associated initialclaims during the month.Of the 10 detailed industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims, 4 reached a serieshigh for June: construction machinery manufacturing; aircraft manufacturing; professional employerorganizations; and elementary and secondary schools. The industry with the largest number of initialclaims was elementary and secondary schools (28,751), which includes both publicly- and privately-owned entities. (See table A.)
 
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 Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)Among the 4 census regions, the Midwest registered the highest number of initial claims in Junedue to mass layoffs (76,301), followed by the West (71,501) and the South (61,962). (See table 5.)Initial claims associated with mass layoffs increased over the year in all 4 regions, with the Midwest(+36,910) and the South (+23,509) experiencing the largest increases. In 2009, all regions except theMidwest reported their highest June levels of average weekly initial claims in program history.Of the 9 geographic divisions, the Pacific (64,317) had the highest number of initial claims due tomass layoffs in June, followed by the East North Central (59,347) and the Middle Atlantic (40,077).(See table 5.) All divisions experienced over-the-year increases in initial claims, led by the East NorthCentral (+30,798), the Pacific (+13,043), and the South Atlantic (+13,016). This year, 4 of the 9 divi-sions—Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, East South Central, and Pacific—reached program highs forJune in terms of average weekly initial claims.
 
California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in June with56,138. The states with the next highest number of mass layoff initial claims were Illinois (20,576),Pennsylvania (18,363), and Florida (15,785). (See table 6.) Forty-three states registered over-the-yearincreases in initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by Illinois (+15,809), California (+11,384),Michigan (+5,895), and Alabama (+5,746). In 2009, 16 states reached program highs in average weeklyinitial claims for the month of June—Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, NewJersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, andWisconsin.
 
NoteThe monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in agiven month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. For private nonfarm establishments, informationon the length of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffslasting more than 30 days (referred to as “extended mass layoffs”). The quarterly release provides moreinformation 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 morethan 30 days. (See table 4.) See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.______________________________The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the Second Quarter of 2009 is scheduled to be released onWednesday, August 12. The report on Mass Layoffs in July 2009 is scheduled to be released on Friday,August 21.
 
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