Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 07-1791 http://www.bls.gov/mls/ For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Media contact: 691-5902 Friday, November 16, 2007 EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2007 In the third quarter of 2007, there were 931 mass layoff events that resulted in the separation of 136,234 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the total number of layoff events was essentially unchanged from the third quarter of 2006, the num- ber of separations was lower than in the July-September 2006 time period. (See table A.) The largest over-the-year decreases in separations were in administrative and support services and in transportation equipment manufacturing. Layoff activity in credit intermediation and related ac- tivities quadrupled over the year, mostly due to higher layoff activity in the real estate credit industry. Thirty-nine percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the third quarter of 2007 indicated they anticipated some type of recall, the lowest percentage since the third quarter of 2003. Among the seven categories of economic reasons for layoff, business de- mand accounted for the highest share of events (44 percent) and number of separations (45,859) in July-September 2007. Layoffs due to seasonal fac- tors had the next highest proportion of events (22 percent). (See table B.) Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 16 percent of all extended mass layoff events and affected 29,846 workers, down from 38,151 separations re- ported for the third quarter 2006. Sixty-one extended mass layoffs involved the movement of work within the same company or to a different company, ei- ther domestically or outside the U.S. (See table C.) These events accounted for 8 percent of the nonseasonal layoff events and 11 percent of the nonsea- sonal separations. The national unemployment rate averaged 4.7 percent, not seasonally adjusted, in the third quarter of 2007, unchanged from a year earlier. Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by 1.4 percent, or about 1.6 million, over the year. - 2 - Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Period | Layoff events | Separations | Initial claimants | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 2003 | | | | | | January-March ........| 1,502 | 286,947 | 297,608 April-June ...........| 1,799 | 368,273 | 348,966 July-September .......| 1,190 | 236,333 | 227,909 October-December .....| 1,690 | 325,333 | 326,328 | | | 2004 | | | | | | January-March ........| 1,339 | 276,503 | 238,392 April-June ...........| 1,358 | 278,831 | 254,063 July-September .......| 886 | 164,608 | 148,575 October-December .....| 1,427 | 273,967 | 262,049 | | | 2005 | | | | | | January-March ........| 1,142 | 186,506 | 185,486 April-June ...........| 1,203 | 246,099 | 212,673 July-September........| 1,136 | 201,878 | 190,186 October-December .....| 1,400 | 250,178 | 246,188 | | | 2006 | | | | | | January-March ........| 963 | 183,089 | 193,510 April-June ...........| 1,353 | 295,964 | 264,927 July-September (r)....| 929 | 160,254 | 161,764 October-December (r)..| 1,640 | 296,662 | 330,887 | | | 2007 | | | | | | January-March (r).....| 1,111 | 226,062 | 198,991 April-June (r)........| 1,421 | 278,694 | 258,256 July-September (p)....| 931 | 136,234 | 115,742 | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- r = revised. p = preliminary. Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs Manufacturing industries accounted for 27 percent of private nonfarm extended layoff events and 28 percent of related separations during July- September 2007; in July-September 2006, manufacturing accounted for 33 percent of events and 36 percent of separations. (See table 1.) In the third quarter of 2007, the greatest number of separations in the manufac- turing sector was in transportation equipment manufacturing (8,208, mostly associated with motor vehicle parts manufacturing). The next highest in- dustries in terms of separations were food manufacturing (5,365) and com- puter and electronic product manufacturing (4,481). Layoffs in the finance and insurance sector more than tripled over the year, and accounted for 12 percent of all mass layoff events and 15 percent of separations. The layoffs in the finance sector were primarily in the credit intermediation and related activities industry, which reported its highest number of events and separations in program history. Construction accounted for 19 percent of events and 11 percent of separations, largely in specialty trade contracting, heavy and civil engineering construction, and building construction. Cutbacks in transportation and warehousing accounted for 8 percent of events and 10 percent of separations and were concentrated in the school and employee bus transportation industry. Information technology-producing industries (communications equipment, communications services, computer hardware, and software and computer ser- vices) accounted for 4 percent of extended mass layoff events and worker separations in the third quarter of 2007, the same proportions as in the third quarter of 2006. (See table 6.) - 3 - Table B. Distribution of extended layoff events and separations by economic reason categories, July-September 2007p ---------------------------------------------------------------- | Layoff events | Separations Category |--------------------------------------- | Number | Percent | Number | Percent ------------------------|--------------------------------------- | | | | Total ................| 931 | 100.0 | 136,234 | 100.0 | | | | Business demand.........| 407 | 43.7 | 45,859 | 33.7 Organizational changes .| 89 | 9.6 | 14,795 | 10.9 Financial issues .......| 111 | 11.9 | 24,197 | 17.8 Production specific ....| (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) Disaster/safety ........| (1) | (1) | (1) | (1) Seasonal ...............| 203 | 21.8 | 36,410 | 26.7 Other/miscellaneous ....| 108 | 11.6 | 11,988 | 8.8 | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. p = preliminary. Reasons for Extended Layoff Among the seven categories of economic reasons for extended mass lay- offs, 44 percent of the events were related to business demand (contract cancellation, contract completion, domestic competition, excess inventory, import competition, and slack work). These events resulted in 45,859 separations during the third quarter. (See table 2.) Business demand job cuts were most numerous in the specialty trade contractors industry, fol- lowed by administrative and support services and in transportation equip- ment manufacturing. Seasonal factors (seasonal and vacation period) accounted for 22 percent of the extended layoff events and resulted in 36,410 separations, primarily in transit and ground passenger transportation and food manufacturing. Job losses related to financial issues (bankruptcy, cost control, and financial difficulty) accounted for 12 percent of events and resulted in 24,197 separations. These layoffs were most common among workers in credit intermediation and related activities. Layoffs associated with organizational changes (business ownership change and reorganization or restructuring) amounted to 10 percent of events and 14,795 separations, largely in credit intermediation and related activities and in transportation equipment manufacturing. About 70 percent of the sepa- rations in the organizational change category were due to company reorgani- zation or restructuring. Over-the-year decreases in separations were reported in 5 of the 7 cate- gories of economic reasons for layoffs, with the largest declines in organi- zational change (-21,212) and in business demand (-13,764). Separations due to financial issues (+12,772) and seasonal factors (+8,719) increased over the year. - 4 - Table C. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, third quarter 2007p ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Action | Layoff events | Separations | | -----------------------------------|-----------------|----------------- | | Total, private nonfarm ............| 931 | 136,234 | | Total, excluding seasonal | | and vacation events (1) ......| 728 | 99,824 | | Total events with movement | | of work (2) ................| 61 | 10,887 | | Movement of work actions ...| 79 | (3) With separations reported.| 59 | 7,019 With separations unknown .| 20 | (3) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 The questions on movement of work were not asked of employers when the reason for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period. 2 A layoff event can involve more than one movement of work action. 3 Data are not available. p = preliminary. Movement of Work Between July and September of 2007, 61 extended mass layoff events involved the movement of work; this was 8 percent of total extended mass layoff events, excluding those for seasonal and vacation reasons. (See table C.) These movements of work were to other U.S. locations or to locations outside of the U.S., and they occurred either within the same company or to other companies. The extended mass layoff events involving movement of work were associated with the separation of 10,887 workers, 11 percent of all separations resulting from nonseasonal and nonvacation mass layoff events. A year earlier, there were 58 layoff events and 12,840 sep- arations associated with the movement of work. (See table 10.) Among the 61 extended mass layoff events with reported relocation of work, 70 percent were permanent closures of worksites, which affected 8,244 workers. In comparison, 16 percent of the total extended mass lay- off events reported for the third quarter of 2007 involved the permanent closure of worksites. Of the layoffs involving the movement of work, 70 percent of the events and 69 percent of the laid-off workers were from manufacturing industries during the third quarter. (See table 7.) Among all private nonfarm extended layoffs, manufacturing accounted for 27 percent of the events and 28 percent of the separations. - 5 - Table D. Movement of work actions by type of separation where the number of separations is known by employers, third quarter 2007p -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Activities | Actions (1) | Separations | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | With separations reported ......| 59 | 7,019 | | By location | | | | Out-of-country relocations ..| 20 | 3,047 Within company ............| 10 | 1,364 Different company .........| 10 | 1,683 | | Domestic relocations ........| 38 | 3,793 Within company ............| 34 | 3,396 Different company .........| 4 | 397 | | Unable to assign place of | | relocation ................ | 1 | 179 | | By company | | | | Within company ..............| 45 | 4,939 Domestic ..................| 34 | 3,396 Out of country ............| 10 | 1,364 Unable to assign ..........| 1 | 179 | | Different company ...........| 14 | 2,080 Domestic ..................| 4 | 397 Out of country ............| 10 | 1,683 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement of work were reported are shown. p = preliminary. While 10 percent of the extended mass layoff events in the total private nonfarm economy were because of organizational change, such changes accounted for 36 percent of layoff events associated with work relocation and resulted in 3,595 separations during the third quarter. (See table 8.) Most of these separations were due to reorganization or restructuring of the company. Among the regions, the South accounted for the largest proportion of workers affected by extended mass layoffs associated with the movement of work (46 percent), followed by the Midwest (24 percent), the West (17 percent), and the Northeast (13 percent). (See table 9.) Some extended mass layoff events involve more than one relocation of work action. For example, an extended mass layoff event at an employer may involve job loss due to movement of work to both another domestic location of the company and a location out of the country. This would be counted as two movement of work actions. The 61 extended layoff events with movement of work for the third quarter of 2007 involved 79 identifiable relocations of work. (See table C.) An identifiable relocation of work occurs when the employer provides sufficient information on the new location of work and/or the number of workers affected by the movement. Of the 79 relocations, employers were able to provide information on the specific number of separa- tions associated with the movement of work component of the layoff in 59 ac- tions involving 7,019 workers. Thus, a range of 7,019 (separations in move- ment of work actions where the employer was able to provide specific detail) to 10,887 (total separations in all layoff events that included movement of work) is established for separations due to the movement of work during the third quarter. (See table 10.) In the 59 actions where employers were able to provide more complete separations information, 76 percent of relocations (45 out of 59) occurred within the same company. (See table D.) In 64 percent of these movement- of-work relocations (38 out of 59), the work activities were reassigned to places elsewhere in the U.S. Thirty-four percent of the relocations in- volved out-of-country moves (20 out of 59). The separation of 3,047 workers was associated with out-of-country relocations, 3 percent of all nonseasonal and nonvacation extended mass layoff separations. Domestic relocation of work--both within the company and to other companies--affected 3,793 workers. (See table 11.) - 6 - Table E. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended layoff, third quarter 2006-third quarter 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Percentage of events Nature of the recall |_________________________________________ | | | | | | III | IV | I | II | III | 2006 | 2006 | 2007 | 2007(r)| 2007(p) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | | | | Anticipate a recall .......| 42.4 | 56.7 | 40.1 | 57.1 | 38.6 | | | | | Timeframe | | | | | | | | | | Within 6 months ...........| 88.3 | 89.8 | 83.6 | 87.5 | 85.8 Within 3 months .........| 68.8 | 38.9 | 51.3 | 59.7 | 64.6 | | | | | Size | | | | | | | | | | At least half .............| 90.6 | 93.5 | 87.2 | 93.3 | 87.7 All workers .............| 45.7 | 53.7 | 38.6 | 57.2 | 46.8 | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ r = revised. p = preliminary. Recall Expectations Thirty-nine percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the third quarter of 2007 indicated they anticipated some type of recall, the lowest since the third quarter of 2003. (See table E.) Of those employers expecting to recall workers, 47 percent anticipated recalling all of the separated employees, 88 percent anticipated extending the offer to at least half of all laid-off employees, and 86 percent expected a recall within 6 months. Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 92 percent of the employers expected a recall), employers antici- pated recalling laid-off workers in 24 percent of the events. A year earlier, 31 percent of employers expected a recall in nonseasonal and nonvacation events. In layoff events due to organizational changes, em- ployers anticipated a recall in only 6 percent of events. Size of Extended Layoff The average size of a layoff (as measured by separations per layoff event) in the third quarter 2007 was 146 compared to 173 per layoff in 2006. (See table A.) The average differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 66 in electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing to a high of 1,007 in amusements, gambling, and recreation. Layoff events during the third quarter 2007 continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 73 percent of the events involving fewer than 150 workers up from 68 percent a year ago. Forty-two percent of all separations in the third quarter 2007 were in lay- offs involving less then 150 workers, compared to 35 percent in 2006. Sepa- rations involving 500 or more workers, while comprising 4 percent of the events, accounted for 21 percent of all separations in July-September 2007, down from 27 percent in July-September 2006. (See table F.) - 7 - Table F. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff, third quarter 2007p ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Layoff events | Separations Size |--------------------------------------- | | | | | Number | Percent | Number | Percent ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Total ..................| 931 | 100.0 | 136,234 | 100.0 | | | | 50-99 .....................| 471 | 50.6 | 32,113 | 23.6 100-149 ...................| 211 | 22.7 | 24,701 | 18.1 150-199 ...................| 85 | 9.1 | 14,359 | 10.5 200-299 ...................| 79 | 8.5 | 18,378 | 13.5 300-499 ...................| 50 | 5.4 | 17,808 | 13.1 500-999 ...................| 30 | 3.2 | 20,225 | 14.8 1,000 or more .............| 5 | .5 | 8,650 | 6.3 ------------------------------------------------------------------- p = preliminary. Initial Claimant Characteristics A total of 115,742 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass layoffs in the third quarter of 2007. Of these claimants, 16 percent were black, 18 percent were Hispanic, 44 per- cent were women, 36 percent were 30 to 44 years of age, and 19 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) Among persons in the civil- ian labor force for the same period, 11 percent were black, 14 percent were Hispanic, 46 percent were women, 33 percent were age 30 to 44, and 17 percent were 55 years of age or older. Geographic Distribution In the third quarter, the number of separations due to extended mass layoff events was highest in the West (42,575), followed by the Northeast (39,406), the Midwest (30,785), and the South (23,468). (See table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the West were largely in credit intermediation and related activities and in specialty trade contractors. The South region reported the largest over-the-year decrease in separa- tions (-27,831), mainly due to fewer layoffs in administrative and support services. The number of separations in the Midwest decreased by 7,258. The Northeast region reported the largest over-the-year increase in separa- tions (+9,688), due in part to layoffs in transit and ground passenger trans- portation. Four of the 9 geographic divisions reported over-the-year decreases in laid-off workers, with the largest declines occurring in the South Atlantic (-22,243) and East North Central (-7,335) divisions. The Middle Atlantic divi- sion reported the largest increase in separations (+6,916), followed by the New England division (+2,772). Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the largest number of worker separations occurred in California (34,078), followed by New York (18,308), Illinois (13,333), Massachusetts (7,348), and Florida (6,990). These five states accounted for 59 percent of total layoff events and separations during the third quarter of 2007. (See table 5.) After ex- cluding the substantial impact of seasonal reasons, California still re- ported the highest number of job cuts (30,782), largely due to layoffs in credit intermediation and related activities and in specialty trade contractors. - 8 - Table G. Mass layoff events and separations, selected metropolitan areas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Events | Separations Metropolitan area |-----------------|----------------- | | | | | III | III | III | III | 2006(r)| 2007(p)| 2006(r)| 2007(p) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Total, nonmetropolitan areas ...............| 115 | 99 | 15,998 | 13,289 | | | | Total, 369 metropolitan areas ..............| 550 | 489 | 85,654 | 70,930 | | | | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. ..| 68 | 77 | 10,211 | 10,738 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long | | | | Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ....................| 69 | 43 | 10,499 | 9,907 Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. .| 26 | 27 | 5,214 | 4,662 Detriot-Warren-Livonia, Mich. .............| 15 | 16 | 1,678 | 3,562 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif. .....| 16 | 22 | 1,692 | 2,633 Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.-N.H. .......| 5 | 6 | 746 | 2,491 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. .....| 14 | 19 | 1,382 | 1,843 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. ..| 23 | 22 | 3,024 | 1,668 Providence-Fall River-Warwick, R.I.-Mass. .| (1) | 5 | (1) | 1,266 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. ....| 12 | 10 | 3,511 | 1,026 | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: The geographic boundaries of the metropolitan areas shown in this table are defined in Office of Management and Budget Bulletin 07-01, December 18, 2006. Over the year, Florida reported the greatest decrease in workers laid off during the third quarter (-18,315), followed by Ohio (-6,302) and Louisiana (-3,275). The largest increases occurred in New York (+7,372), Massachusetts (+5,120), California (+2,134), and Missouri (+1,515). Fifty-three percent of events and 52 percent of separations (70,930) occurred in metropolitan areas in the third quarter of 2007, compared with 59 percent of events and 53 percent of separations (85,654) during the third quarter of 2006. Among the 369 metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported the highest number of separations (10,738) in the third quarter of 2007. Next were New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., with 9,907 separations, and Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., with 4,662 separations. (See table G.) Employers located in nonmetropolitan areas separated 13,289 workers in mass layoffs, down from 15,998 workers in the third quarter of 2006. Note The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs cover layoffs of at least 31-days duration that involve 50 or more individuals from a single employer filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a consecutive 5- week period. Approximately 30 days after a mass layoff is triggered, the employer is contacted for additional information. Data for the third quar- ter are preliminary and subject to revision. This release also includes re- vised data for previous quarters. Data are not seasonally adjusted, but sur- vey data suggest that there is a seasonal pattern to layoffs. Thus, compari- sons between consecutive quarters should not be used as an indicator of trend. For additional information about the program, see the Technical Note. ______________________________ The report on Mass Layoffs in October 2007 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 21. - 9 - Technical Note The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program which identifies, describes, and tracks the effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment insurance database. Employers which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during a con- secutive 5-week period are contacted by the state agency to determine whether these separations are of at least 31 days duration, and, if so, information is obtained on the total number of persons separated and the reasons for these separations. Employers are identified according to in- dustry classification and location, and unemployment insurance claimants are identified by such demographic factors as age, race, gender, ethnic group, and place of residence. The program yields information on an individual's entire spell of unemployment, to the point when regular unemployment insurance benefits are exhausted. Definitions Employer. Employers in the MLS program include those covered by state unemployment insurance laws. Information on employers is obtained from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which is admini- stered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Extended layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an employer during a 5-week period, with at least 50 workers separated for more than 30 days. Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or period of eligibility. Layoff. The separation of persons from an employer as part of a mass layoff event. (See below.) Such layoffs involve both persons subject to recall and those who are terminated by the establishment. Mass layoff. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an employer beginning in a given month, regardless of dura- tion. Worksite closure. The complete closure of either multi-unit or single- unit employers or the partial closure of a multi-unit employer where entire worksites affected by layoffs are closed or planned to be closed. - 10 - Movement of work concepts and questions Because of the employer interview component, the BLS decided to use the MLS program as a vehicle for collecting additional information on offshoring and outsourcing associated with job loss, by adding questions that address movement of work. The term "moving work" means that the company experiencing the layoff has reassigned work activities that were performed at a worksite by the company's employees (1) to another work- site within the company; (2) to another company under formal arrangements at the same worksite; or (3) to another company under formal arrangements at another worksite. The type of work activities subject to movement can include accounting, customer service, cleaning, warehousing, etc. "Overseas relocation" is the movement of work from within the U.S. to locations outside of the U.S. "Overseas relocation" can occur within the same company and involve movement of work to a different location of that company outside of the U.S., or to a different company altogether. "Domestic relocation" is the movement of work to other locations inside the U.S., either within the same company or to a different company. "Overseas relocation" and "domestic relocation" are no longer used in the same way as they were in earlier extended mass layoff news releases. There- fore, the data presented in this news release are not comparable to those that were presented in earlier news releases. Questions on movement of work and location are asked for all identified layoff events when the reason for separation is other than "seasonal work" or "vacation period." Seasonal and vacation layoff events were excluded because movement of work appears unlikely. Questions on movement of work are asked after the analyst verifies that a layoff in fact occurred and lasted more than 30 days, and obtained the total number of workers separated from jobs, the date the layoff began, and the economic reason for the layoff. If the reason for layoff is other than seasonal or vacation, the employer was asked the following: (1) "Did this layoff include your company moving work from this lo- cation(s) to a different geographic location(s) within your company?" (2) "Did this layoff include your company moving work that was performed in-house by your employees to a different company, through contractual ar- rangements?" A "yes" response to either question is followed by: "Is the location inside or outside of the U.S.?" and "How many of the layoffs were a result of this relocation?" Layoff actions are classified as "overseas relocation" if the employer responds "yes" to questions 1 and/or 2, and indicates that the location(s) was outside of the U.S. Domestic relocation is determined if the employer responds "yes" to questions 1 and/or 2 and indicates that the location(s) was within the U.S. After asking the movement of work questions, the employer interview continues and responses are obtained for questions on recall expectations and open/closed status of the worksite. - 11 - Reliability of the data The identification of employers and layoff events in the MLS program and associated characteristics of claimants is based on administrative data on covered establishments and unemployment insurance claims, and, therefore, is not subject to issues associated with sampling error. Nonsampling errors such as typographical errors may occur but are not likely to be significant. While the MLS employers and layoff events are not subject to sampling error, and all such employers are asked the interview questions, the employer responses are subject to nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the in- ability to obtain information for all respondents, inability or unwill- ingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data. For the third quarter of 2007, outright refusal to participate in the employer interview accounted for 3.8 percent of all private nonfarm events. Although included in the total number of instances involving the movement of work, for the third quarter, employers in 20 relocations were unable to provide the number of separations specifically associated with the movement of work, 7 of which involved out-of-country moves. Other information Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339. Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2006 and 2007 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance Industry III II III III II III III II III 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p Total, private nonfarm (1) ................. 929 1,421 931 160,254 278,694 136,234 161,764 258,256 115,742 Mining ....................................... 4 (2) (2) 1,296 (2) (2) 607 (2) (2) Utilities .................................... (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Construction ................................. 155 191 176 16,118 20,669 15,488 23,051 26,175 17,121 Manufacturing ................................ 302 286 249 56,928 48,649 38,394 60,014 55,395 34,741 Food .................................... 42 56 26 7,261 10,419 5,365 7,265 10,159 2,509 Beverage and tobacco products ........... 3 (2) (2) 720 (2) (2) 453 (2) (2) Textile mills ........................... 16 10 9 2,571 1,462 2,729 3,518 1,327 3,016 Textile product mills ................... 6 (2) 3 613 (2) 702 804 (2) 630 Apparel ................................. 17 9 15 2,791 1,431 1,646 2,065 1,490 1,542 Leather and allied products ............. (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Wood products ........................... 21 10 16 2,896 988 1,873 3,048 926 1,838 Paper ................................... 9 11 3 1,070 1,063 234 1,001 1,036 221 Printing and related support activities . 6 8 (2) 1,057 1,197 (2) 782 1,004 (2) Petroleum and coal products ............. (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Chemicals ............................... 7 10 5 1,160 1,314 361 790 1,105 370 Plastics and rubber products ............ 16 11 10 2,178 1,344 1,044 2,796 1,195 1,361 Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 6 5 8 919 431 919 979 510 838 Primary metals .......................... 9 9 9 1,454 1,150 1,486 1,408 1,552 1,617 Fabricated metal products ............... 12 16 21 1,309 2,246 3,093 1,829 2,524 3,071 Machinery ............................... 17 20 17 3,002 2,934 3,183 3,073 5,000 2,918 Computer and electronic products ........ 21 21 26 4,504 2,512 4,481 3,299 2,730 3,195 Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 9 5 5 1,762 698 328 1,487 889 408 Transportation equipment ................ 62 54 50 17,955 15,225 8,208 21,417 20,338 9,028 Furniture and related products .......... 14 19 14 2,435 2,551 1,411 2,574 2,129 1,049 Miscellaneous manufacturing ............. 6 7 7 1,076 960 791 954 735 714 Wholesale trade .............................. 23 24 19 4,157 3,904 2,313 2,939 3,183 1,383 Retail trade ................................. 52 64 50 12,992 20,215 8,652 12,530 16,785 7,343 Transportation and warehousing ............... 72 172 79 11,098 40,224 13,636 9,639 43,885 12,601 Information .................................. 29 29 14 6,224 3,271 1,327 3,937 3,699 1,562 Finance and insurance ........................ 33 79 115 6,932 13,760 20,600 7,615 13,821 15,445 Real estate and rental and leasing ........... (2) 4 7 (2) 380 976 (2) 361 1,057 Professional and technical services .......... 37 55 28 5,712 26,456 3,539 6,492 14,855 3,303 Management of companies and enterprises ...... 3 5 7 378 478 618 467 410 607 Administrative and waste services ............ 107 77 55 20,057 12,463 7,070 19,716 12,340 6,316 Educational services ......................... 5 14 9 453 1,691 1,319 522 1,465 1,704 Health care and social assistance ............ 40 170 46 5,164 23,511 6,083 3,883 20,233 4,387 Arts, entertainment, and recreation .......... 21 45 20 4,505 18,804 5,612 2,466 4,835 1,820 Accommodation and food services .............. 33 143 38 6,735 36,075 7,131 6,372 32,720 4,159 Other services, except public administration . 8 59 13 974 7,484 2,560 985 7,504 1,508 Unclassified ................................. - - 2 - - 239 - - 160 1 For the third quarter of 2007, data on layoffs were reported by employers in all states and the District of Columbia. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 2. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2006 and 2007 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance Reason for layoff III II III III II III III II III 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p Total, private nonfarm (1) ..... 929 1,421 931 160,254 278,694 136,234 161,764 258,256 115,742 Business demand ................... 446 417 407 59,623 52,099 45,859 74,043 63,421 49,069 Contract cancellation ........... 19 18 14 3,614 2,778 1,874 2,917 2,363 1,509 Contract completion ............. 255 217 192 34,151 27,921 18,935 42,117 32,739 19,698 Domestic competition ............ - 4 3 - 561 254 - 519 177 Excess inventory/saturated market ........................ - 6 5 - 892 1,251 - 1,072 1,132 Import competition .............. 17 18 16 3,546 2,704 3,067 3,988 2,712 2,999 Slack work/insufficient demand/ non-seasonal business slowdown. 155 154 177 18,312 17,243 20,478 25,021 24,016 23,554 Organizational changes ............ 135 79 89 36,007 15,469 14,795 34,075 17,100 11,899 Business-ownership change ....... 29 16 23 9,329 3,550 4,414 5,947 1,768 2,733 Reorganization or restructuring of company .................... 106 63 66 26,678 11,919 10,381 28,128 15,332 9,166 Financial issues .................. 57 110 111 11,425 26,754 24,197 6,628 21,464 16,329 Bankruptcy ...................... 15 17 19 5,304 3,035 3,673 1,723 2,019 2,407 Cost control/cost cutting/ increase profitability ........ - 44 30 - 8,387 5,002 - 7,634 4,426 Financial difficulty ............ 42 49 62 6,121 15,332 15,522 4,905 11,811 9,496 Production specific ............... 21 20 (2) 5,911 5,887 (2) 5,086 8,249 (2) Automation/technological advances ...................... (2) (2) 4 (2) (2) 1,248 (2) (2) 959 Energy related .................. - (2) - - (2) - - (2) - Governmental regulations/ intervention .................. - 4 (2) - 684 (2) - 335 (2) Labor dispute/contract negotiations/strike ........... 4 4 (2) 1,230 1,395 (2) 827 1,657 (2) Material or supply shortage ..... 3 (2) - 204 (2) - 770 (2) - Model changeover ................ 4 4 - 2,568 2,286 - 2,040 4,582 - Plant or machine repair/ maintenance ................... (2) (2) 4 (2) (2) 865 (2) (2) 559 Product line discontinued ....... 7 (2) - 1,494 (2) - 1,089 (2) - Disaster/safety ................... 4 3 (2) 671 306 (2) 322 248 (2) Hazardous work environment ...... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Natural disaster (not weather related) ...................... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Non-natural disaster ............ - 3 - - 306 - - 248 - Extreme weather-related event ... - - - - - - - - - Seasonal .......................... 177 649 203 27,691 154,838 36,410 26,225 124,547 24,237 Seasonal ........................ 166 349 112 26,693 98,770 20,780 25,268 66,355 10,938 Vacation period-school related or otherwise .................. 11 300 91 998 56,068 15,630 957 58,192 13,299 Other/miscellaneous ............... 89 143 108 18,926 23,341 11,988 15,385 23,227 12,263 Other ........................... 32 11 8 8,291 1,776 1,237 4,646 1,809 1,609 Data not provided: refusal ...... 47 53 36 9,371 10,875 3,887 9,366 10,830 3,875 Data not provided: does not know .......................... 10 79 64 1,264 10,690 6,864 1,373 10,588 6,779 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 3. State and selected claimant characteristics: Extended mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, private nonfarm sector, second and third quarters, 2007 Total Percent of total initial Hispanic Persons age 55 Layoff events claimants Black origin Women and over State II III II III II III II III II III II III 2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p Total, private nonfarm (1).. 1,421 931 258,256 115,742 18.4 16.2 14.5 17.9 54.2 44.2 23.1 18.9 Alabama ........................ 14 8 2,919 1,168 55.6 71.4 2.8 4.8 61.6 47.6 22.7 17.6 Alaska ......................... 7 (2) 1,328 (2) 4.4 1.8 16.9 31.5 45.2 23.0 27.4 23.9 Arizona ........................ 19 4 2,675 545 3.7 12.5 56.9 30.8 66.4 43.3 18.4 18.7 Arkansas ....................... 14 (2) 1,833 (2) 29.5 7.0 2.1 4.4 54.1 23.7 15.9 1.8 California ..................... 340 294 52,778 32,206 10.4 9.0 36.5 35.2 43.5 39.2 16.2 13.3 Colorado ....................... 13 (2) 1,451 (2) 2.9 2.9 24.4 12.8 57.5 59.3 22.9 24.4 Connecticut .................... 17 (2) 3,404 (2) 11.3 13.6 9.7 8.0 67.9 60.0 27.8 16.8 Delaware ....................... 3 - 270 - 54.8 - 11.5 - 87.0 - 17.4 - District of Columbia ........... (2) (2) (2) (2) 84.4 98.6 7.8 1.4 60.4 84.4 24.0 5.0 Florida ........................ 70 50 10,566 4,508 21.6 16.7 30.4 28.7 55.2 46.9 27.4 18.7 Georgia ........................ 13 21 1,895 2,962 43.7 46.7 .2 4.5 56.4 58.9 15.6 20.1 Hawaii ......................... 7 (2) 1,076 (2) 5.4 .9 13.9 8.9 49.6 35.7 18.9 30.5 Idaho .......................... 5 (2) 462 (2) .2 - 8.7 65.1 74.2 66.3 39.8 38.6 Illinois ....................... 89 70 20,615 8,899 26.2 23.0 8.5 11.2 60.8 43.9 20.9 17.0 Indiana ........................ 24 14 3,714 2,968 20.2 10.0 3.0 3.4 64.0 42.3 23.8 22.1 Iowa ........................... 4 4 509 453 7.3 3.1 1.4 3.3 64.6 38.6 35.2 9.9 Kansas ......................... 13 3 1,241 433 22.3 7.2 1.8 .5 67.1 42.0 23.6 30.3 Kentucky ....................... 17 13 3,120 1,292 6.8 7.8 .4 .1 30.8 26.5 18.9 21.8 Louisiana ...................... 19 (2) 2,152 (2) 76.0 77.4 1.1 - 86.4 82.5 21.7 13.9 Maine .......................... 9 4 825 278 .5 .7 .2 - 33.8 50.7 15.8 16.2 Maryland ....................... 29 12 3,835 1,252 49.6 32.7 .1 .9 53.2 57.5 21.5 16.0 Massachusetts .................. 13 22 1,666 4,040 13.9 13.9 3.5 2.0 54.9 47.5 27.0 24.3 Michigan ....................... 51 29 15,842 4,480 22.5 22.0 2.8 2.8 54.4 47.2 18.8 12.3 Minnesota ...................... 28 8 3,600 873 8.8 .7 8.1 2.7 34.6 25.9 19.3 19.9 Mississippi .................... 11 5 995 561 57.8 78.6 1.1 1.4 59.6 75.2 18.1 12.7 Missouri ....................... 42 18 11,689 1,625 22.2 22.3 .2 .4 53.0 57.2 22.1 20.2 Montana ........................ 9 - 713 - .1 - 3.5 - 61.3 - 30.3 - Nebraska ....................... 3 (2) 421 (2) 18.5 2.1 3.8 1.4 52.0 41.8 38.7 21.3 Nevada ......................... 6 (2) 731 (2) 30.9 15.5 21.3 25.8 75.8 54.3 20.5 32.8 New Hampshire .................. 6 (2) 779 (2) .6 - 1.0 1.9 74.6 38.9 27.7 59.3 New Jersey ..................... 69 23 16,256 2,742 19.2 24.4 8.2 9.6 74.0 50.2 36.3 23.3 New Mexico ..................... 6 6 705 877 3.1 4.1 36.5 39.9 21.6 34.4 20.7 18.0 New York ....................... 77 110 18,145 17,288 15.9 19.9 9.9 18.3 54.6 51.5 30.3 28.6 North Carolina ................. 15 6 2,393 645 43.7 22.0 3.5 11.8 50.5 62.2 21.5 23.7 North Dakota ................... (2) - (2) - - - .8 - 9.3 - 20.2 - Ohio ........................... 78 28 12,613 3,089 20.8 15.5 3.0 2.1 53.2 35.7 20.0 17.2 Oklahoma ....................... (2) (2) (2) (2) 3.1 13.3 6.2 9.9 49.2 63.5 24.6 22.1 Oregon ......................... 22 10 5,856 1,232 2.9 1.1 13.0 25.4 52.3 46.0 23.9 17.2 Pennsylvania ................... 84 71 22,107 9,728 9.7 6.7 2.6 4.0 51.3 35.8 32.4 22.0 Rhode Island ................... 9 4 1,830 411 4.3 3.2 16.8 27.3 84.9 80.5 32.5 20.0 South Carolina ................. 9 6 1,102 905 67.2 65.4 .3 .6 63.7 69.3 1.8 8.5 South Dakota ................... (2) (2) (2) (2) 2.4 - .6 1.6 70.4 67.2 36.7 39.3 Tennessee ...................... 21 8 3,120 682 36.1 20.2 - - 57.9 61.7 27.0 19.6 Texas .......................... 36 24 6,186 3,308 18.4 22.7 46.2 29.8 59.9 48.0 16.4 13.1 Utah ........................... 6 4 674 436 1.2 1.1 7.0 16.5 53.9 12.4 14.5 2.3 Vermont ........................ 9 (2) 1,487 (2) .8 - .5 - 47.2 35.0 24.3 21.0 Virginia ....................... 24 10 4,018 862 46.3 19.7 2.7 2.4 56.9 44.8 22.7 23.1 Washington ..................... 21 7 3,145 701 8.1 1.0 11.0 13.3 38.3 25.2 16.5 16.0 West Virginia .................. 5 (2) 655 (2) .3 - - - 26.9 17.6 11.3 16.0 Wisconsin ...................... 28 11 4,234 1,784 16.0 1.3 5.2 5.2 66.7 29.4 32.9 22.0 Wyoming ........................ (2) - (2) - - - - - 21.1 - 9.9 - Puerto Rico .................... 16 9 4,316 1,477 .2 .1 98.0 96.8 55.7 58.8 8.5 12.8 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 3 Data are not available. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 4. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2006 and 2007 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance Census region and division III II III III II III III II III 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p United States (1) ..... 929 1,421 931 160,254 278,694 136,234 161,764 258,256 115,742 Northeast ..................... 211 293 238 29,718 59,017 39,406 33,597 66,499 34,820 New England ............... 26 63 34 5,846 13,777 8,618 3,666 9,991 5,062 Middle Atlantic ........... 185 230 204 23,872 45,240 30,788 29,931 56,508 29,758 South ......................... 259 303 171 51,299 48,541 23,468 44,755 45,316 18,843 South Atlantic ............ 184 170 108 36,137 27,927 13,894 31,910 24,926 11,400 East South Central ........ 40 63 34 7,141 10,280 5,372 5,671 10,154 3,703 West South Central ........ 35 70 29 8,021 10,334 4,202 7,174 10,236 3,740 Midwest ....................... 196 363 188 38,043 75,305 30,785 40,101 74,776 24,806 East North Central ........ 165 270 152 33,240 58,772 25,905 33,535 57,018 21,220 West North Central ........ 31 93 36 4,803 16,533 4,880 6,566 17,758 3,586 West .......................... 263 462 334 41,194 95,831 42,575 43,311 71,665 37,273 Mountain .................. 18 65 19 2,578 22,257 3,799 2,110 7,482 2,699 Pacific ................... 245 397 315 38,616 73,574 38,776 41,201 64,183 34,574 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas: East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Table 5. State distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2006 and 2007 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance State III II III III II III III II III 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p Total, private nonfarm (1).. 929 1,421 931 160,254 278,694 136,234 161,764 258,256 115,742 Alabama ........................ 14 14 8 2,652 2,739 1,714 2,188 2,919 1,168 Alaska ......................... 4 7 (2) 2,114 3,953 (2) 731 1,328 (2) Arizona ........................ 4 19 4 855 5,141 1,076 445 2,675 545 Arkansas ....................... 5 14 (2) 662 2,191 (2) 1,206 1,833 (2) California ..................... 214 340 294 31,944 59,378 34,078 35,828 52,778 32,206 Colorado ....................... 3 13 (2) 451 13,630 (2) 413 1,451 (2) Connecticut .................... 9 17 (2) 3,195 5,489 (2) 1,374 3,404 (2) Delaware ....................... (2) 3 - (2) 252 - (2) 270 - District of Columbia ........... - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) Florida ........................ 106 70 50 25,305 12,996 6,990 17,524 10,566 4,508 Georgia ........................ 16 13 21 2,423 1,718 2,285 3,905 1,895 2,962 Hawaii ......................... 3 7 (2) 541 1,396 (2) 541 1,076 (2) Idaho .......................... 4 5 (2) 395 543 (2) 375 462 (2) Illinois ....................... 60 89 70 12,752 22,131 13,333 11,304 20,615 8,899 Indiana ........................ 13 24 14 2,158 3,006 2,211 2,158 3,714 2,968 Iowa ........................... (2) 4 4 (2) 358 491 (2) 509 453 Kansas ......................... 4 13 3 571 1,938 333 521 1,241 433 Kentucky ....................... 13 17 13 1,107 2,873 1,975 1,581 3,120 1,292 Louisiana ...................... 11 19 (2) 3,488 2,493 (2) 2,594 2,152 (2) Maine .......................... (2) 9 4 (2) 1,767 341 (2) 825 278 Maryland ....................... 14 29 12 1,683 3,153 1,270 1,613 3,835 1,252 Massachusetts .................. 12 13 22 2,228 2,426 7,348 1,870 1,666 4,040 Michigan ....................... 41 51 29 6,718 17,445 5,163 7,824 15,842 4,480 Minnesota ...................... 13 28 8 1,571 3,714 1,163 1,559 3,600 873 Mississippi .................... (2) 11 5 (2) 1,207 796 (2) 995 561 Missouri ....................... 10 42 18 1,143 9,564 2,658 3,462 11,689 1,625 Montana ........................ (2) 9 - (2) 675 - (2) 713 - Nebraska ....................... (2) 3 (2) (2) 550 (2) (2) 421 (2) Nevada ......................... (2) 6 (2) (2) 768 (2) (2) 731 (2) New Hampshire .................. (2) 6 (2) (2) 779 (2) (2) 779 (2) New Jersey ..................... 26 69 23 5,132 21,452 5,927 3,517 16,256 2,742 New Mexico ..................... 4 6 6 323 705 881 323 705 877 New York ....................... 93 77 110 10,936 11,049 18,308 14,563 18,145 17,288 North Carolina ................. 14 15 6 1,812 3,279 761 2,959 2,393 645 North Dakota ................... - (2) - - (2) - - (2) - Ohio ........................... 37 78 28 10,174 12,050 3,872 9,736 12,613 3,089 Oklahoma ....................... 4 (2) (2) 723 (2) (2) 725 (2) (2) Oregon ......................... 11 22 10 2,035 5,798 1,516 1,921 5,856 1,232 Pennsylvania ................... 66 84 71 7,804 12,739 6,553 11,851 22,107 9,728 Rhode Island ................... (2) 9 4 (2) 1,829 443 (2) 1,830 411 South Carolina ................. 16 9 6 2,231 986 1,265 2,344 1,102 905 South Dakota ................... - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) Tennessee ...................... 12 21 8 3,004 3,461 887 1,675 3,120 682 Texas .......................... 15 36 24 3,148 5,490 3,646 2,649 6,186 3,308 Utah ........................... - 6 4 - 724 540 - 674 436 Vermont ........................ (2) 9 (2) (2) 1,487 (2) (2) 1,487 (2) Virginia ....................... 12 24 10 1,848 4,038 952 1,654 4,018 862 Washington ..................... 13 21 7 1,982 3,049 420 2,180 3,145 701 West Virginia .................. 5 5 (2) 763 1,313 (2) 409 655 (2) Wisconsin ...................... 14 28 11 1,438 4,140 1,326 2,513 4,234 1,784 Wyoming ........................ - (2) - - (2) - - (2) - Puerto Rico .................... 16 16 9 2,368 2,035 635 5,377 4,316 1,477 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 6. Information technology-producing industries: Extended mass layoff events and separations, private nonfarm sector, 2000-2007 Information technology-producing industries (1) Total extended Year mass layoffs Computer Software and Communications Communications hardware (2) computer services (3) equipment (4) services (5) Layoff Layoff Layoff Layoff Layoff events Separations events Separations events Separations events Separations events Separations 2000 First quarter .... 1,081 202,500 22 5,195 8 1,931 9 1,402 4 771 Second quarter ... 1,055 205,861 18 8,862 11 1,580 7 805 7 977 Third quarter .... 817 174,628 10 1,678 9 1,132 4 1,465 6 1,280 Fourth quarter ... 1,638 332,973 16 3,070 20 3,297 5 946 7 1,020 Total ........ 4,591 915,962 66 18,805 48 7,940 25 4,618 24 4,048 2001 First quarter .... 1,546 304,171 91 20,991 34 5,710 22 4,441 24 5,312 Second quarter ... 1,828 430,499 161 38,986 75 10,219 36 12,109 28 6,386 Third quarter .... 1,629 330,391 142 24,813 45 5,724 39 8,200 36 7,134 Fourth quarter ... 2,372 459,771 109 17,797 51 7,767 43 10,124 48 11,252 Total ........ 7,375 1,524,832 503 102,587 205 29,420 140 34,874 136 30,084 2002 First quarter .... 1,611 299,266 84 18,574 35 3,824 32 8,192 42 6,664 Second quarter ... 1,624 344,606 69 11,764 39 4,326 27 4,870 53 8,538 Third quarter .... 1,186 255,152 76 15,017 36 4,359 34 6,529 42 7,945 Fourth quarter ... 1,916 373,307 74 14,298 27 6,180 19 3,645 39 8,987 Total ........ 6,337 1,272,331 303 59,653 137 18,689 112 23,236 176 32,134 2003 First quarter .... 1,502 286,947 71 11,900 28 5,214 23 4,402 41 6,591 Second quarter ... 1,799 368,273 54 9,221 20 2,856 21 3,098 29 5,891 Third quarter .... 1,190 236,333 46 6,488 24 4,189 9 1,289 15 2,604 Fourth quarter ... 1,690 325,333 25 5,080 8 1,167 9 1,619 28 6,635 Total ........ 6,181 1,216,886 196 32,689 80 13,426 62 10,408 113 21,721 2004 First quarter .... 1,339 276,503 27 3,222 13 2,786 8 894 23 4,197 Second quarter ... 1,358 278,831 18 2,959 15 2,775 - - 22 5,295 Third quarter .... 886 164,608 13 2,288 14 1,467 4 430 13 4,317 Fourth quarter ... 1,427 273,967 18 3,055 10 1,547 4 563 23 3,457 Total ........ 5,010 993,909 76 11,524 52 8,575 16 1,887 81 17,266 2005 First quarter .... 1,142 186,506 13 1,526 9 2,355 4 439 17 3,569 Second quarter ... 1,203 246,099 20 2,973 13 1,558 4 842 11 1,904 Third quarter .... 1,136 201,878 23 3,307 7 1,034 (6) (6) 11 1,127 Fourth quarter ... 1,400 250,178 19 4,122 3 720 (6) (6) 8 1,125 Total ........ 4,881 884,661 75 11,928 32 5,667 13 3,000 47 7,725 2006 First quarter .... 963 183,089 12 1,159 6 744 (6) (6) 7 833 Second quarter ... 1,353 295,964 10 3,294 7 1,564 8 988 7 1,252 Third quarter .... 929 160,254 14 3,544 6 487 (6) (6) 11 1,831 Fourth quarter ... 1,640 296,662 12 4,039 4 708 5 1,482 9 1,017 Total ........ 4,885 935,969 48 12,036 23 3,503 19 3,753 34 4,933 2007 First quarter .... 1,111 (r)226,062 19 3,007 5 875 3 415 5 885 Second quarter(r) 1,421 278,694 22 3,667 4 413 5 433 6 592 Third quarter(p) . 931 136,234 20 3,609 5 913 5 590 4 340 1 Information technology-producing industries are defined in Digital Economy 2003, (U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, 2003). In the MLS program, however, computer and software merchant wholesalers and computer and software stores are only included in the computer hardware industry. Thus, data published in previous news releases for the software and computer services industry are not comparable. 2 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: semiconductor machinery manufacturing; office machinery manufacturing; electronic computer manufacturing; computer storage device manufacturing; computer terminal manufacturing; other computer peripheral equipment mfg.; electron tube manufacturing; bare printed circuit board manufacturing; semiconductors and related device mfg.; electronic capacitor manufacturing; electronic resistor manufacturing; electronic coils, transformers, and inductors; electronic connector manufacturing; printed circuit assembly manufacturing; other electronic component manufacturing; industrial process variable instruments; electricity and signal testing instruments; analytical laboratory instrument mfg.; computer and software merchant wholesalers; and computer and software stores. 3 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: software publishers; internet service providers; web search portals; data processing and related services; computer and software merchant wholesalers; computer and software stores; custom computer programming services; computer systems design services; computer facilities management services; other computer related services; office equipment rental and leasing; and computer and office machine repair. 4 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: telephone apparatus manufacturing; audio and video equipment manufacturing; broadcast and wireless communications equip.; fiber optic cable manufacturing; software reproducing; and magnetic and optical recording media mfg. 5 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: wired telecommunications carriers; cellular and other wireless carriers; telecommunications resellers; cable and other program distribution; satellite telecommunications; other telecommunications; and communication equipment repair. 6 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. NOTE: Dash represents zero. r = revised. p = preliminary. Table 7. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work, selected quarters, 2006 and 2007 Layoff events Separations Industry III II III III II III 2006 2007r 2007p 2006 2007r 2007p Total, private nonfarm (1) ................ 58 65 61 12,840 11,352 10,887 Mining ...................................... - - - - - - Utilities ................................... - - - - - - Construction ................................ - - - - - - Manufacturing ............................... 36 48 43 7,311 8,820 7,475 Food ................................... 3 5 (2) 421 1,329 (2) Beverage and tobacco products .......... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Textile mills .......................... (2) (2) 5 (2) (2) 1,505 Textile product mills .................. - - (2) - - (2) Apparel ................................ 5 3 5 1,250 440 660 Leather and allied products ............ - - - - - - Wood products .......................... (2) - - (2) - - Paper .................................. - (2) - - (2) - Printing and related support activities (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Petroleum and coal products ............ - - - - - - Chemicals .............................. (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Plastics and rubber products ........... (2) 5 5 (2) 542 595 Nonmetallic mineral products ........... - - (2) - - (2) Primary metals ......................... - 3 (2) - 495 (2) Fabricated metal products .............. (2) 4 3 (2) 1,100 462 Machinery .............................. 3 (2) 3 662 (2) 565 Computer and electronic products ....... (2) 4 (2) (2) 457 (2) Electrical equipment and appliances .... 4 (2) (2) 805 (2) (2) Transportation equipment ............... 6 7 5 1,365 1,830 891 Furniture and related products ......... 3 3 (2) 828 612 (2) Miscellaneous manufacturing ............ (2) 4 3 (2) 576 188 Wholesale trade ............................. 7 (2) 5 2,069 (2) 678 Retail trade ................................ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Transportation and warehousing .............. 3 (2) (2) 1,616 (2) (2) Information ................................. (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Finance and insurance ....................... (2) 4 7 (2) 590 1,612 Real estate and rental and leasing .......... - - - - - - Professional and technical services ......... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Management of companies and enterprises ..... (2) - - (2) - - Administrative and waste services ........... (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Educational services ........................ - - - - - - Health care and social assistance ........... - 3 - - 258 - Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Accommodation and food services ............. - - - - - - Other services, except public administration (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Unclassified ................................ - - - - - - 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 8. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work, selected quarters, 2006 and 2007 Layoff events Separations Reason for layoff III II III III II III 2006 2007r 2007p 2006 2007r 2007p Total, private nonfarm (1) .... 58 65 61 12,840 11,352 10,887 Business demand .................. 10 (2) 17 2,094 (2) 3,097 Contract cancellation ......... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Contract completion ........... - (2) (2) - (2) (2) Domestic competition .......... - (2) - - (2) - Excess inventory/saturated market ...................... - (2) (2) - (2) (2) Import competition ............ 6 7 10 1,095 1,236 2,063 Slack work/insufficient demand/ non-seasonal business slowdown .. (2) 4 (2) (2) 1,005 (2) Organizational changes ........... 33 29 22 8,094 4,258 3,595 Business-ownership change ..... 3 (2) 4 607 (2) 903 Reorganization or restructuring of company .................. 30 (2) 18 7,487 (2) 2,692 Financial issues ................. 6 20 17 1,268 4,141 3,623 Bankruptcy .................... (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Cost control/cost cutting/ increase profitability ...... - 15 (2) - 3,275 (2) Financial difficulty .......... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Production specific .............. 4 - (2) 958 - (2) Automation/technological advances .................... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Energy related ................ - - - - - - Governmental regulations/ intervention ................ - - - - - - Labor dispute/contract negotiations/strike ......... - - - - - - Material or supply shortage ... - - - - - - Model changeover .............. - - - - - - Plant or machine repair/ maintenance ................. - - - - - - Product line discontinued ..... (2) - - (2) - - Disaster/safety .................. - (2) - - (2) - Hazardous work environment .... - - - - - - Natural disaster (not weather related) .................... - - - - - - Non-natural disaster .......... - (2) - - (2) - Extreme weather-related event . - - - - - - Other/miscellaneous .............. 5 (2) (2) 426 (2) (2) Other ......................... 5 (2) (2) 426 (2) (2) Data not provided: refusal .... - - - - - - Data not provided: does not know ........................ - - (2) - - (2) 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 9. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work, selected quarters, 2006 and 2007 Layoff events Separations Census region and division III II III III II III 2006 2007r 2007p 2006 2007r 2007p United States (1).. 58 65 61 12,840 11,352 10,887 Northeast ................. 14 13 9 2,580 1,808 1,400 New England ........... 4 (2) 3 1,156 (2) 514 Middle Atlantic ....... 10 (2) 6 1,424 (2) 886 South ..................... 24 25 29 5,123 4,482 5,058 South Atlantic ........ 16 10 14 3,017 1,909 2,115 East South Central .... (2) 8 (2) (2) 949 (2) West South Central .... (2) 7 (2) (2) 1,624 (2) Midwest ................... 13 17 14 3,260 2,716 2,566 East North Central .... 9 12 8 2,593 1,810 1,355 West North Central .... 4 5 6 667 906 1,211 West ...................... 7 10 9 1,877 2,346 1,863 Mountain .............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Pacific ............... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. Table 10. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2006 and 2007 Layoff events Separations Action III II III III II III 2006 2007r 2007p 2006 2007r 2007p Total, private nonfarm (1) .......... 929 1,421 931 160,254 278,694 136,234 Total, excluding seasonal and vacation events (2) ..... 752 772 728 132,563 123,856 99,824 Total, movement of work (3) . 58 65 61 12,840 11,352 10,887 Movement of work actions ................ 72 89 79 (4) (4) (4) With separations reported .......... 49 66 59 6,820 7,401 7,019 With separations unknown ........... 23 23 20 (4) (4) (4) 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 The questions on movement of work were not asked of employers when the reason for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period. 3 Movement of work can involve more than one action. 4 Data are not available. r = revised. p = preliminary. Table 11. Movement of work actions by type of separation where number of separations is known by employers, selected quarters, 2006 and 2007 Actions (1) Separations Activities III II III III II III 2006 2007r 2007p 2006 2007r 2007p With separations reported (2).. 49 66 59 6,820 7,401 7,019 By location Out-of-country relocations .. 12 23 20 2,071 3,537 3,047 Within company .......... 9 22 10 1,030 3,387 1,364 Different company ....... 3 1 10 1,041 150 1,683 Domestic relocations ........ 37 43 38 4,749 3,864 3,793 Within company .......... 31 34 34 4,020 3,254 3,396 Different company ....... 6 9 4 729 610 397 Unable to assign place of relocation ............... - - 1 - - 179 By company Within company .............. 40 56 45 5,050 6,641 4,939 Domestic ................ 31 34 34 4,020 3,254 3,396 Out of country .......... 9 22 10 1,030 3,387 1,364 Unable to assign ........ - - 1 - - 179 Different company ........... 9 10 14 1,770 760 2,080 Domestic ................ 6 9 4 729 610 397 Out of country .......... 3 1 10 1,041 150 1,683 Unable to assign ........ - - - - - - 1 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement of work were reported are shown. 2 See footnote 1, table 1. r = revised. p = preliminary. Note: Dash represents zero.