Geographic Distribution
Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in December due to mass layoffs was reported in the Midwest, 61,277. Transportation equipment manufacturing and heavy and civil engineering construction accounted for 31 percent of all mass-layoff initial claims in that region during the month. The West region had the second largest number of initial claims, 42,659, followed by the South, with 29,948, and the Northeast, with 27,387.The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs fell over the year in three of the four regions. The largest decrease was in the Midwest (-26,529), followed by the Northeast (-7,050) and the South (-2,519). The West reported an over-the-year increase in initial claims (+4,736). Seven 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 East North Central (-22,204), and Middle Atlantic (-5,040) divisions. The over-the-year increases were in the Pacific (+6,466) and East South Central (+2,485) divisions.
Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in December (32,279), mostly in motion picture and sound recording industries and in administrative and support services. Michigan was next highest with 10,841 initial claims reported, followed by Illinois (10,222), Pennsylvania (9,413) and Indiana (9,331). These five states accounted for 45 percent of all mass layoff events and initial claims for unemployment insurance.
Indiana reported the largest over-the-year decrease in the number of initial claims (-5,999), followed by Ohio (-5,383), Illinois (-4,784), and Wisconsin (-4,604). The largest over-the-year increases occurred in California (+6,326) and Kentucky (+4,479).
Review of 2004
During 2004, 15,980 mass layoff events occurred in the nation, resulting in 1,607,158 initial claims filings for unemployment insurance. In 2003, there were 18,963 such events and 1,888,926 initial claimants.The 10 industries with the highest number of mass-layoff initial claims accounted for 27 percent of the total in 2004. In 2003 they comprised 25 percent of the total.
Manufacturing accounted for 29 percent of all mass layoff events and 35 percent of initial claims filed during 2004. These were the lowest shares of events and initial claims in manufacturing for any year which data are available. In 2003, manufacturing accounted for 32 percent of events and 39 percent of initial claims. Within manufacturing, initial claim filings in 2004 were most numerous in transportation equipment, 163,026, followed by food processing, 82,114, and fabricated metal products, 30,672. The largest over-the-year decrease in initial claims in manufacturing occurred in machinery manufacturing (-31,963) and computer and electronic products (-25,658). The largest over-the-year increase in initial claims occurred in printing and related support activities (+558).
The number of initial claims filed in 2004 due to mass layoffs was higher in the West, 495,554, than in any other region. Layoffs in administrative and support services, motion picture and sound recording, and agricultural and forestry support activities accounted for 33 percent of the claims in the West. The fewest number of mass-layoff initial claims was reported in the Northeast region, 270,788. For the third consecutive year, the number of mass-layoff initial claims fell in each of the four regions. The largest decreases in initial claims were in the West (-99,383) and South (-79,826).
Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California recorded the largest number of initial claims filed in mass layoff events in 2004 (394,114), 25 percent of the national total. The states with the next highest numbers of initial claims were Michigan (99,124), New York (95,228), Pennsylvania (89,288), and Ohio (86,850). Half of all events and 48 percent of all initial claims were from these five states.
California reported the largest over-the-year decrease in initial claims (-73,459), followed by Texas (-27,538), and Pennsylvania (-23,068). The largest over-the-year increase occurred in Michigan (+32,258).
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