Mass Layoffs for the Midwest
The Midwest region includes two divisions: the East North Central Division (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin) and the West North Central Division (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota). The Midwest region was the hardest hit by mass layoffs during 2006, with more than half a million initial unemployment claims posted during the year. In March of 2007, the Midwest was the only region to see a decrease in the number of initial unemployment claims due to mass layoffs, with the total number of new claims dropping by more than 7,000 as compared to the previous month.
Although the West North Central division includes more states, the heavier impact has fallen in the East North Central Division: both Michigan and Ohio made the "top five" states for initial claims during 2006, and in March Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin were among the top five states for new unemployment claims due to mass layoffs.
The Midwest saw the second lowest number of initial claimants in August 2007 (the West and South regions came in first and second, respectively), with 18,319. Over the year, the total number of initial claimants increased in all four regions. The Midwest saw the second greatest increase, with 5,235 initial claimants. Wisconsin had the third-highest increase in initial claims for an individual state for the entire year, with 2,641.
For more detailed information about mass layoffs in each of the divisions of the Midwest region, follow the links below.