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Mass Layoff Statistics
Table 2. Business processes involved in extended mass layoff events, by reason for layoff, fourth quarters 2009 and 2010 (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 2010(p)                      

Total business process

1,910 2,325 16 170 1,579 96 80 97 220 49 18
Business demand
643 837 6 42 611 36 20 33 65 18 6
Contract cancellation
24 33 - 1 19 - 3 5 3 2 -
Contract
completion
371 441 - 16 362 11 9 10 25 7 1
Domestic competition
(2) 8 - 1 3 - 1 1 1 1 -
Excess inventory/
saturated market
- - - - - - - - - - -
Import
competition
(2) 5 - 1 2 2 - - - - -
Slack work/
insufficient
demand/non-seasonal business slowdown
243 350 6 23 225 23 7 17 36 8 5
Organizational changes
72 171 6 18 62 6 13 14 30 14 8
Business-
ownership
change
17 46 2 4 15 - 2 6 9 6 2
Reorgan-
ization
or
restructuring
of company
55 125 4 14 47 6 11 8 21 8 6
Financial issues
105 228 4 27 97 14 19 15 38 11 3
Bankruptcy
13 30 1 3 13 1 1 2 6 3 -
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase
profitability
63 135 3 15 56 11 13 11 20 3 3
Financial difficulty
29 63 - 9 28 2 5 2 12 5 -
Production
specific
8 15 - 2 6 1 - 1 4 1 -
Disaster/Safety
5 6 - - 4 - - 1 1 - -
Seasonal
804 1,036 - 81 778 38 26 31 77 4 1
Other/
Miscellaneous
273 32 - - 21 1 2 2 5 1 -
Fourth quarter 2009(r)                      

Total business process

2,416 2,880 (3) 233 1,900 56 102 94 336 96 63
Business demand
845 1,158 (3) 68 810 23 33 27 128 43 26
Contract cancellation
37 60 (3) 6 32 1 1 4 11 3 2
Contract
completion
290 349 (3) 12 285 4 6 5 20 9 8
Domestic competition
(2) 5 (3) 1 2 - 1 1 - - -
Excess inventory/
saturated market
10 20 (3) 6 8 - 1 2 3 - -
Import
competition
(2) 20 (3) 3 5 1 2 1 3 3 2
Slack work/
insufficient
demand/non-seasonal business slowdown
501 704 (3) 40 478 17 22 14 91 28 14
Organizational changes
89 209 (3) 21 76 5 15 15 48 17 12
Business-
ownership
change
29 64 (3) 5 24 1 5 4 16 6 3
Reorgan-
ization
or
restructuring
of company
60 145 (3) 16 52 4 10 11 32 11 9
Financial issues
179 401 (3) 43 164 12 33 20 83 26 20
Bankruptcy
21 54 (3) 7 17 1 8 4 11 5 1
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase
profitability
113 246 (3) 27 103 4 19 13 53 14 13
Financial difficulty
45 101 (3) 9 44 7 6 3 19 7 6
Production
specific
16 26 (3) 3 15 2 - - 4 1 1
Disaster/Safety
6 7 (3) 1 6 - - - - - -
Seasonal
828 1,038 (3) 96 805 12 20 30 66 6 3
Other/
Miscellaneous
453 41 (3) 1 24 2 1 2 7 3 1

Footnotes:
(1) Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
(2) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
(3) Identification of data by this business process began with first quarter 2010 data.
(r) = revised.
(p) = preliminary.

NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 

Last Modified Date: February 23, 2011