All four regions (the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West) and eight of the nine divisions experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits due to mass layoffs in September. Among the census regions, the Midwest registered the largest over-the-year declines in initial claims.
Of the geographic divisions, the East North Central and the Pacific had the largest over-the-year declines in initial claims.
Thirty-one states experienced over-the-year decreases in initial claims, led by California, Illinois and Michigan.
California recorded the highest number of initial claims in September, followed by Florida, Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois.
This data is from the Mass Layoff Statistics program. See "Mass Layoffs — September 2010" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-10-1452, to learn more. Each mass layoff action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer.
