Mass Layoff Statistics
The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a Federal-State cooperative program that uses each state's unemployment insurance (UI) data to track the effects of major job cutbacks.
A potential mass layoff event occurs when at least 50 initial claims are filed against an UI number during a consecutive 5-week period. State agencies contact the employer by phone to determine whether at least 50 people were separated for over 30 days, and, if so, information is obtained on the total number of persons separated, the reasons for separation, and recall expectations.
If it is determined that at least 50 people were separated for over 30 days, then a potential mass layoff event becomes an extended mass layoff. Mass Layoff data are published monthly and the extended mass layoffs data are published quarterly on the Bureau of Labor Statistics MLS web site.
Monthly MLS Data for New York State (historical data: 2007 to present) (xls) (csv) (pdf)
In March 2012, there were 54 mass layoff events with 5,226 associated initial claims in New York State. The number of mass layoff events in March 2012 increased by 5 compared to March 2011 while associated initial claims increased by 67. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer.
Quarterly MLS Data for New York State (historical data: 2005 to present) (xls) (csv) (pdf)
In the first quarter 2012, employers in New York State initiated 86 mass layoff events that resulted in the separation of 12,008 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures.
Note: The monthly data series covers mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. For private nonfarm establishments, information on the length of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs lasting more than 30 days (referred to as “extended mass layoffs”). 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 more than 30 days. See Technical Notes for more detailed information.