Establishments experiencing 50 or more UI initial claims filed against them within a five-week period are identified as having a potential mass layoff event. State agencies contact these employers by phone to determine whether at least 50 workers were separated for more than 30 days. If so, then additional information is collected during the employer interview pertaining to the layoff.

If it is determined during the employer interview that at least 50 workers were separated from employment for over 30 days, then the potential mass layoff event becomes a confirmed mass layoff event. Layoffs that are less than 30 days in duration are considered to be temporary layoff events.

MLS data are published monthly and the extended mass layoff data are published quarterly on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) MLS website: http://www.bls.gov/mls/

For more information/details on the MLS interview, please use the following link: http://www.bls.gov/respondents/mls/home.htm

Initial claims data for the MLS program are updated on a weekly basis. As a result, the data contained in New Jersey’s publication tables may not match the MLS data for New Jersey as reported on the BLS website.

The identity of establishments recorded by the MLS program is completely confidential.  For more information on the confidentiality of the MLS data, please refer to the following link: http://www.bls.gov/bls/confidentiality.htm

Confirmed Event: Fifty or more initial claims filed against and establishment during a five-week period, with at least 50 workers separated for more than 30 days, as confirmed by the employer during the employer interview.

Potential Event: An event where at least 50 claims were filed against an establishment during a five-week period. A potential event has yet to be determined by an employer interview.

Industry: Describes the type of economic activity engaged in by a group of firms as used in the compilation of economic statistics. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used in the MLS program.

Initial Claim: An individual who files any notice of unemployment to request a determination of entitlement to and eligibility for regular UI compensation.