Important Information
Changes to MLS Time Series Data
With the release of April 2011 mass layoff data on May 20, 2011, data suppression procedures will be updated
in the MLS time series database. These changes may affect data as far back as 1996. Similar changes were made to quarterly extended mass layoff data on May 11, 2011.
Change in North Carolina MLS Input Procedures
Beginning with data for November 2010, mass layoff information reported by North Carolina may not be comparable to prior
data due to a change in the unemployment insurance (UI) input procedures related to the handling of initial
claims filed by employers on behalf of laid-off workers. Previously, employer-filed initial claims were excluded
from use in the Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program because they are usually associated with layoffs that are
temporary in nature (i.e., less than 31 days in duration), and therefore would not meet the extended mass layoff
criteria. However, the temporary nature of these layoffs was not a certainty, and some extended mass layoff events
may have been missed. Employer-filed claims are now included as part of the North Carolina’s UI initial claim
inputs for determining mass layoffs to ensure that all mass layoff and extended mass layoff events are captured.
These changes in North Carolina MLS data may also affect aggregated data series for the South Atlantic division,
the South region, and the nation, though to a lesser relative degree.
Last Modified Date: May 19, 2011
|