April 21, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Mass-layoff initial claims for unemployment insurance by State, March 2006

In March 2006, California recorded the highest number of initial claims for unemployment insurance filed due to mass layoff events—29,527.

Mass-layoff initial claimants for unemployment insurance, March 2006
[Chart data—TXT]

Following California were Michigan (9,395), Illinois (7,478), Ohio (6,956), and Wisconsin (6,448). These five states accounted for 53 percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance.

Illinois had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial claims, largely due to layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing and in transit and ground passenger transportation. Michigan had the next largest increase in initial claims, followed by California.

The largest over-the-year decrease occurred in Ohio.

These data are from the Mass Layoff Statistics survey. To learn more, see Mass Layoffs in March 2006 (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-695. Initial claimants are persons who file any notice of unemployment to initiate a request for compensation. Mass layoff events involve at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits filed against a single establishment. Mass layoffs data for March 2006 are preliminary and subject to revision.

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