Table 2. Business processes involved in extended mass layoff events, by reason for layoff, fourth quarters 2011 and 2012 (1)
Reason Extended mass layoff events Total business process Core processes Support processes
Strat. Mgmt. Procurement, logistics, distribution Ops. Product development Marketing, sales, account management Customer and after-sales service General managment and firm infra-structure Human resource management Technology and process development
Fourth quarter 2012(p)

Total business process

 1,674 2,186 32 162 1,423 113 81 114 180 53 28

Business demand

 529 728 8 60 512 40 16 19 45 18 10

Contract cancellation

 23 49 1 3 21 1 2 5 10 5 1

Contract
completion

 350 414 3 27 347 15 1 5 10 5 1

Domestic competition

 (2) 9 1 2 3 2 - - 1 - -

Excess inventory/
saturated market

 5 12 - 2 5 3 - - 1 1 -

Import
competition

 (2) 1 - - 1 - - - - - -

Slack work/
insufficient
demand/non-seasonal business slowdown

 147 243 3 26 135 19 13 9 23 7 8

Organizational changes

 55 107 3 4 47 7 7 9 19 7 4

Business-
ownership
change

 19 37 1 2 16 3 4 - 8 2 1

Reorgan-
ization
or
restructuring
of company

 36 70 2 2 31 4 3 9 11 5 3

Financial issues

 97 249 9 30 84 12 24 14 52 15 9

Bankruptcy

 43 117 4 19 38 3 14 7 22 8 2

Cost control/cost cutting/
increase
profitability

 29 69 2 6 23 6 5 5 13 6 3

Financial difficulty

 25 63 3 5 23 3 5 2 17 1 4

Production
specific

 19 44 3 5 16 5 2 3 6 2 2

Disaster/Safety

 34 66 - 2 33 6 1 17 3 4 -

Seasonal

 736 957 9 60 714 43 27 51 48 4 1

Other/
Miscellaneous

 204 35 - 1 17 - 4 1 7 3 2
Fourth quarter 2011

Total business process

 1,903 2,306 19 127 1,594 120 77 94 191 63 21

Business demand

 633 800 7 28 614 26 17 12 63 29 4

Contract cancellation

 21 28 1 - 19 1 1 1 3 1 1

Contract
completion

 428 503 1 9 419 9 3 3 34 24 1

Domestic competition

 (2) 1 - - 1 - - - - - -

Excess inventory/
saturated market

 (2) 4 - 1 2 - - 1 - - -

Import
competition

 - - - - - - - - - - -

Slack work/
insufficient
demand/non-seasonal business slowdown

 181 264 5 18 173 16 13 7 26 4 2

Organizational changes

 73 164 4 12 66 5 11 13 34 11 8

Business-
ownership
change

 18 35 1 3 18 1 1 2 8 1 -

Reorgan-
ization
or
restructuring
of company

 55 129 3 9 48 4 10 11 26 10 8

Financial issues

 76 173 3 18 70 16 10 14 33 5 4

Bankruptcy

 15 40 1 5 15 1 3 5 8 2 -

Cost control/cost cutting/
increase
profitability

 33 80 2 11 28 6 6 6 16 2 3

Financial difficulty

 28 53 - 2 27 9 1 3 9 1 1

Production
specific

 (2) 40 1 3 19 3 2 2 6 3 1

Disaster/Safety

 (2) 7 - 1 4 1 - - - - 1

Seasonal

 818 1,081 4 64 797 67 36 46 51 13 3

Other/
Miscellaneous

 279 41 - 1 24 2 1 7 4 2 -

Footnotes:
(1) Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
(2) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
(p) = preliminary.

NOTE: Dash represents zero.