Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 08-0204
http://www.bls.gov/mls/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, February 14, 2008
EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 2007
AND ANNUAL TOTALS FOR 2007
In the fourth quarter of 2007, there were 1,619 mass layoff events that
resulted in the separation of 265,454 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. The construction industry experi-
enced a record high in both layoff events and separations in the fourth
quarter of 2007. Other industries registering fourth quarter highs in
terms of separated workers were arts, entertainment, and recreation and
finance and insurance, the latter mostly due to higher layoff activity
in credit intermediation and related activities. Both the total number
of layoff events and the number of separations were lower than during the
October-December 2006 time period. (See table A.) Fourth quarter 2007
layoff data are preliminary and are subject to revision. (See the Tech-
nical Note.)
Among the 7 categories of economic reasons for layoff, the completion
of seasonal work accounted for the highest share of events (42 percent)
and number of separations (119,325) in October-December 2007. Layoffs
due to business demand reasons had the next highest proportion of events
(34 percent). (See table B.) The only category of economic reasons for
which the number of separations increased over the year was financial
issues.
Sixty-one extended mass layoff events involved the movement of work and
were associated with the separation of 10,076 workers. (See table C.)
These events accounted for 7 percent of the nonseasonal layoff events and
nonseasonal separations.
- 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 .......| 929 | 160,254 | 161,764
October-December (r)..| 1,640 | 296,662 | 330,901
| | |
2007 | | |
| | |
January-March (r).....| 1,111 | 226,074 | 199,295
April-June (r)........| 1,421 | 278,719 | 258,812
July-September (r)....| 1,019 | 160,806 | 172,508
October-December (p)..| 1,619 | 265,454 | 234,612
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 8 percent of all extended
mass layoff events, the lowest proportion reported since collection began
in 1996. Events involving permanent closures affected 27,723 workers, down
from 43,158 separations reported during the fourth quarter 2006. Fifty-six
percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the fourth quarter of
2007 indicated they anticipated some type of recall, about the same as last
year.
The national unemployment rate averaged 4.6 percent, not seasonally ad-
justed, in the fourth quarter of 2007, up from 4.2 percent a year earlier.
Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by
0.9 percent, or about 1.1 million, over the year.
For all of 2007, the total number of extended mass layoff events was 5,170,
affecting 931,053 workers. While the total number of layoff events increased
in 2007 from a year earlier, the number of separations decreased over the per-
iod. Additional information on the annual data is available starting on
page 8 of this release.
Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs
Construction industries experienced a record high number of extended mass
layoff events (622) and separations (78,716) in the fourth quarter of 2007.
(See table 1.) The largest number of separations was in heavy and civil
engineering construction (44,151, mostly associated with highway, street,
and bridge construction), followed by specialty trade contractors (22,559)
and construction of buildings (12,006).
Manufacturing accounted for 24 percent of events and 27 percent of separa-
tions in the fourth quarter, largely in food manufacturing and transportation
equipment manufacturing. Layoffs in the administrative and waste services
sector accounted for 8 percent of all extended mass layoff events and 7 per-
cent of separations. The layoffs in this sector were concentrated in land-
scaping services. Cutbacks in the finance and insurance sector accounted for
6 percent of events and separations and were primarily in the credit interme-
diation and related activities industry.
Information technology-producing industries (communications equipment, com-
munications services, computer hardware, and software and computer services)
accounted for 24 extended mass layoff events and 3,351 separations during the
fourth quarter of 2007, the lowest figures reported for any quarter since 2000.
(See table 6.)
- 3 -
Table B. Distribution of extended layoff events and separations
by economic reason categories, October-December 2007(p)
----------------------------------------------------------------
| Layoff events | Separations
Category |---------------------------------------
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent
------------------------|---------------------------------------
| | | |
Total ................| 1,619 | 100.0 | 265,454 | 100.0
| | | |
Business demand.........| 548 | 33.8 | 73,241 | 27.6
Organizational changes .| 81 | 5.0 | 21,122 | 8.0
Financial issues .......| 111 | 6.9 | 22,238 | 8.4
Production specific ....| 22 | 1.4 | 3,655 | 1.4
Disaster/safety ........| 5 | .3 | 692 | .3
Seasonal ...............| 683 | 42.2 | 119,325 | 45.0
Other/miscellaneous ....| 169 | 10.4 | 25,181 | 9.5
| | | |
----------------------------------------------------------------
p = preliminary.
Reasons for Extended Layoffs
Among the seven categories of economic reasons for extended mass layoffs,
42 percent of the events were related to seasonal factors (seasonal and
vacation period). These events resulted in 119,325 separations during the
fourth quarter of 2007. (See table 2.) Seasonal job cuts were most numer-
ous in heavy and civil engineering construction (highway, street, and bridge
construction), amusements, gambling, and recreation (amusement and theme parks),
and in specialty trade contractors (nonresidential site preparation contractors).
Business demand reasons (contract cancellation, contract completion, domes-
tic competition, excess inventory, import competition, and slack work) accounted
for 34 percent of the extended layoff events and resulted in 73,241 separations,
primarily in specialty trade contractors and in heavy and civil engineering con-
struction.
Job losses related to financial issues (bankruptcy, cost control, and
financial difficulty) accounted for 7 percent of events and resulted in
22,238 separations. These layoffs were most common among workers in credit
intermediation and related activities and in hospitals.
Over-the-year decreases in separations were reported in 6 of the 7 cate-
gories of economic reasons for layoffs, with the largest declines in organiza-
tional change (-14,995) and seasonal (-10,207). Separations due to financial
issues registered the only over-the-year increase (+8,169).
- 4 -
Table C. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected
measures, fourth quarter 2007(p)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
Action | Layoff events | Separations
| |
-----------------------------------|-----------------|-----------------
| |
Total, private nonfarm ............| 1,619 | 265,454
| |
Total, excluding seasonal | |
and vacation events (1) ......| 936 | 146,129
| |
Total events with movement | |
of work (2) ................| 61 | 10,076
| |
Movement of work actions ...| 80 | (3)
With separations reported.| 61 | 6,682
With separations unknown .| 19 | (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 October and December of 2007, 61 extended mass layoff events
involved the movement of work and were associated with the separation of
10,076 workers. (See table C.) These movements of work were to other
domestic locations or to locations outside of the U.S., and they occurred
either within the same company or to other companies. A year earlier,
there were 69 layoff events and 15,782 separations associated with the
movement of work. (See table 10.)
Among the 61 extended mass layoff events with reported relocation of
work in the fourth quarter of 2007, 66 percent were permanent closures of
worksites, which affected 7,147 workers. In comparison, 8 percent of the
total extended mass layoff events reported for the quarter involved the
permanent closure of worksites.
Of the layoffs involving the movement of work, 70 percent of the events
and 71 percent of the laid-off workers were from manufacturing industries
during the fourth quarter. (See table 7.) Among all private nonfarm ex-
tended layoffs, manufacturing accounted for 24 percent of the events and
27 percent of the separations.
- 5 -
Table D. Movement of work actions by type of separation where the
number of separations is known by employers, fourth quarter 2007(p)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
Activities | Actions (1) | Separations
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
With separations reported ......| 61 | 6,682
| |
By location | |
| |
Out-of-country relocations ..| 24 | 2,667
Within company ............| 23 | 2,580
Different company .........| 1 | 87
| |
Domestic relocations ........| 37 | 4,015
Within company ............| 36 | 3,835
Different company .........| 1 | 180
| |
By company | |
| |
Within company ..............| 59 | 6,415
Domestic ..................| 36 | 3,835
Out of country ............| 23 | 2,580
| |
Different company ...........| 2 | 267
Domestic ..................| 1 | 180
Out of country ............| 1 | 87
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement
of work were reported are shown.
p = preliminary.
While 5 percent of the extended mass layoff events in the total pri-
vate nonfarm economy were because of organizational change, such changes
accounted for 44 percent of layoff events associated with work reloca-
tion and resulted in 4,605 separations during the fourth quarter. (See
table 8.)
Among the regions, the Midwest accounted for the largest proportion of
workers affected by extended mass layoffs associated with the movement
of work (57 percent), followed by the South (21 percent), the Northeast
(14 percent), and the West (9 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 fourth quarter of 2007 involved 80 identi-
fiable 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 80 relocations, employers were able to provide information on the speci-
fic number of separations associated with the movement of work component of
the layoff in 61 actions involving 6,682 workers. (See table 10.)
In the 61 actions where employers were able to provide more complete
separations information, 97 percent of relocations (59 out of 61) occurred
within the same company. (See table D.) Sixty-one percent of these relo-
cations (37 out of 61) were domestic reassignments, while 39 percent invol-
ved out-of-country moves (24 out of 61). Domestic relocation of work--both
within the company and to other companies--affected 4,015 workers. Out-of-
country relocations were associated with the separation of 2,667 workers,
2 percent of all nonseasonal and nonvacation extended mass layoff separa-
tions. (See table 11.)
- 6 -
Table E. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended
layoff, fourth quarter 2006-fourth quarter 2007
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| Percentage of events
Nature of the recall |_________________________________________
| | | | |
| IV | I | II | III | IV
| 2006 | 2007 | 2007 | 2007(r)| 2007(p)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | | |
Anticipate a recall .......| 56.7 | 40.1 | 57.1 | 37.9 | 56.5
| | | | |
Timeframe | | | | |
| | | | |
Within 6 months ...........| 89.8 | 83.6 | 87.5 | 83.9 | 88.0
Within 3 months .........| 38.9 | 51.3 | 59.7 | 62.7 | 33.7
| | | | |
Size | | | | |
| | | | |
At least half .............| 93.5 | 87.2 | 93.3 | 86.0 | 91.1
All workers .............| 53.7 | 38.6 | 57.2 | 45.6 | 50.3
| | | | |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Recall Expectations
Fifty-six percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the fourth
quarter of 2007 indicated they anticipated some type of recall, about the
same as a year earlier. (See table E.) Of those employers expecting to re-
call workers, 50 percent anticipated recalling all of the separated employees,
91 percent anticipated extending the offer to at least half of all laid-off
employees, and 88 percent expected a recall within 6 months.
Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which
98 percent of the employers expected a recall), employers anticipated recalling
laid-off workers in 26 percent of the events, essentially unchanged from 27 per-
cent a year earlier.
Size of Extended Layoffs
The average size of a layoff (as measured by separations per layoff event)
in the fourth quarter 2007 was 164, compared to 181 per layoff in 2006. The
average differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 75 in clothing and
clothing accessories stores to a high of 776 in transit and ground passenger
transportation.
- 7 -
Table F. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff,
fourth quarter 2007(p)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Layoff events | Separations
Size |---------------------------------------
| | | |
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent
-------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | |
Total ..................| 1,619 | 100.0 | 265,454 | 100.0
| | | |
50-99 .....................| 720 | 44.5 | 50,227 | 18.9
100-149 ...................| 392 | 24.2 | 46,512 | 17.5
150-199 ...................| 163 | 10.1 | 26,985 | 10.2
200-299 ...................| 175 | 10.8 | 40,286 | 15.2
300-499 ...................| 104 | 6.4 | 36,636 | 13.8
500-999 ...................| 43 | 2.7 | 28,790 | 10.8
1,000 or more .............| 22 | 1.4 | 36,018 | 13.6
-------------------------------------------------------------------
p = preliminary.
Layoff events during October-December 2007 continued to be concentrated
at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 69 percent of
the events involving fewer than 150 workers. Layoffs involving less than
150 workers accounted for 36 percent of all separations during the period,
compared to 32 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006. Separations in-
volving 500 or more workers, while comprising only 4 percent of the events,
accounted for 24 percent of all separations, down from 28 percent a year
earlier. (See table F.)
Initial Claimant Characteristics
A total of 234,612 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were
associated with extended mass layoffs in the fourth quarter of 2007. Of
these claimants, 12 percent were black, 18 percent were Hispanic, 29 per-
cent were women, 36 percent were 30 to 44 years of age, and 16 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, 47 percent were women, 33 percent were age 30 to 44, and
18 percent were 55 years of age or older.
Geographic Distribution
Among the 4 census regions, the highest number of separations due to
extended mass layoff events in the fourth quarter of 2007 was in the Midwest,
with 110,899, followed by the West, with 79,404. (See table 4.) Extended mass
layoffs in the Midwest were largely in heavy and civil engineering construction
and in specialty trade contractors.
The Midwest region reported the largest over-the-year decrease in separa-
tions (-20,206), mainly due to fewer layoffs in transportation equipment manu-
facturing, followed by the South (-10,900). The West region experienced the
only over-the-year increase in separations (+9,190), due in part to layoffs in
food manufacturing. Six of the 9 geographic divisions reported over-the-year
decreases in laid-off workers, with the largest declines occurring in the East
North Central (-18,848) and South Atlantic (-11,507) divisions. The Pacific
division reported the largest increase in separations (+12,536).
California recorded the largest number of worker separations (58,922), fol-
lowed by Illinois (30,467), Ohio (19,959), Michigan (16,067), Wisconsin (12,107),
and Minnesota (12,047). These six states accounted for 59 percent of total ex-
tended mass layoff events and 56 percent of total separations during the fourth
quarter of 2007. (See table 5.) After excluding the substantial impact of sea-
sonal reasons, California still reported the highest number of job cuts (49,548),
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 |-----------------|-----------------
| | | |
| IV | IV | IV | IV
| 2006(r)| 2007(p)| 2006(r)| 2007(p)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | |
Total, nonmetropolitan areas ...............| 259 | 189 | 36,079 | 36,446
| | | |
Total, 369 metropolitan areas ..............| 858 | 814 |l55,348 |121,829
| | | |
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. .| 92 | 100 | 14,974 | 15,687
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. ..| 72 | 91 | 10,589 | 11,691
Detriot-Warren-Livonia, Mich. .............| 45 | 45 | 12,224 | 9,541
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long | | | |
Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ....................| 44 | 38 | 5,338 | 6,610
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, | | | |
Minn.-Wis. ...............................| 41 | 37 | 6,565 | 5,874
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. ..| 20 | 39 | 1,842 | 4,086
Medford, Ore. .............................| 3 | 3 | 3,680 | 3,250
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif. .....| 12 | 30 | 1,678 | 3,171
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. ....| 14 | 15 | 3,282 | 2,991
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. .....| 22 | 33 | 2,294 | 2,828
| | | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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, Michigan reported the greatest decrease in separated workers in
extended layoffs during the fourth quarter (-9,307), followed by Florida (-8,514)
and New York (-4,182). The largest increases occurred in California (+18,483),
Tennessee (+5,073), and Iowa (+2,288).
Fifty percent of events and 46 percent of separations (121,829) occurred in met-
ropolitan areas in the fourth quarter of 2007, compared with 52 percent of events
and 52 percent of separations (155,348) during the fourth quarter of 2006. Among
the 369 metropolitan areas, Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., reported the
highest number of separations (15,687) in the fourth quarter of 2007. Next were
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana,Calif., with 11,691 separations and Detroit-Warren-
Livonia, Mich., with 9,541 separations. (See table G.) Employers located in non-
metropolitan areas separated 36,446 workers in extended mass layoffs, essentially
unchanged from 36,079 workers in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Review of 2007
For all of 2007, employers reported 5,170 extended mass layoff actions, affecting
931,053 workers. Compared to 2006, the number of events was up from 4,885, but the
number of separations was down slightly from 935,969. (See table H.) The annual
average national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.6 percent from 2006, while
private nonfarm payroll employment increased by 1.1 percent, or 1,310,000 jobs.
- 9 -
Table H. Selected measures of mass layoff activity, 1996-2007
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
Period | Layoff events | Separations | Initial claimants
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
1996 ..............| 4,760 | 948,122 | 805,810
1997 ..............| 4,671 | 947,843 | 879,831
1998 ..............| 4,859 | 991,245 | 1,056,462
1999 ..............| 4,556 | 901,451 | 796,917
2000 ..............| 4,591 | 915,962 | 846,267
2001 ..............| 7,375 | 1,524,832 | 1,457,512
2002 ..............| 6,337 | 1,272,331 | 1,218,143
2003 ..............| 6,181 | 1,216,886 | 1,200,811
2004 ..............| 5,010 | 993,909 | 903,079
2005 ..............| 4,881 | 884,661 | 834,533
2006 (r) ..........| 4,885 | 935,969 | 951,102
2007 (p) ..........| 5,170 | 931,053 | 865,227
| | |
----------------------------------------------------------------------
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Eleven percent of extended events in 2007 were permanent closures, accounting
for 124,937 worker separations. Permanent closures were most numerous in the
manufacturing sector, primarily in transportation equipment manufacturing, plas-
tics and rubber products, food, and computer and electronic products. When com-
pared with 2006, layoff activity resulting in permanent closures decreased in 2007.
In 2007, employers expected a recall in 49 percent of the mass layoff events,
down from 52 percent of events in 2006.
Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs
Manufacturing had the largest share of extended events and separations in 2007--
25 percent of both. Separations were most numerous in transportation equipment
manufacturing (59,150, mainly in motor vehicle manufacturing) and in food manufac-
turing (42,541, largely fruit and vegetable canning and fresh and frozen seafood
processing). Compared to 2006, 13 of the 21 manufacturing subgroups had decreases
in the number of separations, with the largest decreases occurring in transporta-
tion equipment manufacturing (-22,128) and food manufacturing (-7,688). Fabricated
metal product manufacturing had the largest increase (+2,650), followed by machinery
manufacturing (+2,404) and wood product manufacturing (+2,209).
The construction, and finance and insurance industries, both had the highest levels
of layoff events and separations since the series began in 1996. Construction lay-
offs were primarily concentrated in heavy and civil engineering construction (highway,
street, and bridge construction), and layoffs in finance and insurance were highest in
credit intermediation and related activities (real estate credit).
Reasons for Extended Layoffs
In 2007, seasonal factors (seasonal and vacation period) were the most-cited reason
for layoff among the seven categories, accounting for 35 percent of all layoff events
and 38 percent of all separations, unchanged from 2006. Seasonal layoffs in 2007 oc-
curred primarily in transit and ground passenger transportation, heavy and civil engi-
neering construction, and food services and drinking places.
- 10 -
Layoff activity due to business demand reasons (contract cancellation, contract
completion, domestic competition, excess inventory, import competition, and slack
work) also accounted for 35 percent of the extended mass layoff events and resulted in
237,301 separations. Business demand layoffs occurred largely among specialty trade
contractors, transportation equipment manufacturing, administrative and support ser-
vices, and heavy and civil engineering construction.
Over-the-year decreases in separations were reported in 5 of the 7 categories of
economic reasons for layoffs, with the largest declines in organizational change
(-27,228) and in business demand reasons (-20,577). Separations due to financial
issues (+50,042) increased over the year.
Movement of Work
In 2007, there were 259 extended mass layoff events that involved work moving
within the same company or to a different company, domestically or out of the U.S.
The events involving movement of work were associated with the separation of 45,212
workers, about 8 percent of all separations resulting from nonseasonal/nonvacation
mass layoff events. Sixty-nine percent of events with movement of work involved the
permanent closure of a worksite, affecting 32,444 workers. Manufacturing industries
accounted for more than two-thirds of the events and separations involving movement
of work, mostly in transportation equipment manufacturing and in computer and electric
product manufacturing. Among the regions, the South accounted for the largest propor-
tion of laid-off workers associated with the movement of work (34 percent), followed
by the Midwest (31 percent).
As part of the 259 layoff events, 342 identifiable movement-of-work actions were
taken by employers. Employers were able to provide information on specific separa-
tions associated with the movement of work component of the layoff in 248 actions (out
of the 342), which totaled 29,709 laid-off workers. Thus for 2007, the number of se-
parations due to the movement of work ranged between 29,709 (separations in movement-of-
work actions where the employer was able to provide specific detail) to 45,212 (total
separations in all layoff events that included movement of work).
Of the 248 movement-of-work actions for which complete information is available,
2 out of 3 relocations were to other locations within the U.S., and 88 percent involved
moving work within the company. The separation of 11,526 workers was associated with
out-of-country relocations, which accounts for 39 percent of the separations related
to the movement of work and 2 percent of all separations in nonseasonal/nonvacation
extended mass layoff events.
Geographic Distribution
The West reported more workers affected by extended mass layoffs in 2007 than any
other region, 333,954. In the West, food and beverage stores had the largest number of
separations, with 51,365, followed by credit intermediation and related activities, and
specialty trade contractors. The South region reported the lowest annual number of se-
parations (152,509). Compared to 2006, 3 of the 4 geographic regions reported a decrease
in laid-off workers, with the largest decline in the South (-47,302). The West had the
only over-the-year increase (+86,650).
Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California reported the largest
number of separated workers in 2007 (252,805), the highest number of annual separa-
tions since 2003 and the highest number of extended mass layoff events in the program’s
history. States with the next highest number of separations due to extended mass lay-
offs were Illinois (81,719), Michigan (53,504), New York (51,755), Ohio (43,831), and
New Jersey (41,389). These six states accounted for 55 percent of events and 56 per-
cent of separations in 2007. Florida recorded the largest over-the-year decline in
separations (-41,635); California had the largest over-the-year increase in the number
of separations (+91,998).
- 11 -
Among the 369 metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported
the highest number of separations, 45,824. The next highest numbers of separations
were in Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., with 35,424 and New York-Northern
New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., with 34,287. Employers located in nonmetropoli-
tan areas separated 101,238 workers in mass layoffs during 2007, essentially unchanged
from 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 fourth quarter are preliminary and subject to revision.
This release also includes revised data for previous quarters. Data are not season-
ally adjusted, but survey data suggest that there is a seasonal pattern to layoffs.
Thus, comparisons 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 January 2008 is scheduled to be released on
Wednesday, February 27, 2008.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Upcoming Changes to Mass Layoff Data |
| |
| With the release of January 2008 data on February 27, 2008, the Mass |
|Layoff Statistics program will revise the basis for industry classification|
|from the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to the |
|2007 NAICS. The new classification reflects minor definitional changes |
|within manufacturing, telecommunications, financial activities, and profes-|
|sional, scientific, and technical services. Several industry titles and |
|descriptions will also be updated. |
| |
| For additional information on the 2007 NAICS, see http://www.census.gov/|
| epcd/www/naics.html. |
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- 12 -
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 eligi-
bility 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.
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Revisions to preliminary data
The latest quarterly data in this news release are considered preliminary.
After the initial publication of quarterly information, more data are col-
lected as remaining employer interviews for the quarter are completed and
additional initial claimant information associated with extended layoff
events is received.
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 loca-
tion(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.
- 14 -
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 fourth quarter of
2007, outright refusal to participate in the employer interview accounted
for 3.3 percent of all private nonfarm events. Although included in the
total number of instances involving the movement of work, for the fourth
quarter, employers in 19 relocations were unable to provide the number of
separations specifically associated with the movement of work, 4 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
IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV
2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................. 1,640 1,019 1,619 296,662 160,806 265,454 330,901 172,508 234,612
Mining ....................................... 29 4 21 4,632 677 2,890 4,798 530 1,973
Utilities .................................... 3 - (2) 454 - (2) 517 - (2)
Construction ................................. 567 187 622 72,481 17,315 78,716 87,619 28,053 72,476
Manufacturing ................................ 479 269 385 93,795 43,329 71,611 130,869 53,469 79,252
Food .................................... 78 30 65 18,402 5,833 15,624 20,263 6,608 13,700
Beverage and tobacco products ........... 11 (2) 5 971 (2) 572 1,065 (2) 545
Textile mills ........................... 13 9 11 2,504 2,730 1,808 3,135 4,552 2,925
Textile product mills ................... 6 3 (2) 743 908 (2) 1,370 918 (2)
Apparel ................................. 9 16 9 836 1,706 1,344 893 1,788 1,161
Leather and allied products ............. 3 - (2) 408 - (2) 227 - (2)
Wood products ........................... 44 21 39 5,134 2,756 5,545 7,963 3,496 5,463
Paper ................................... 6 5 5 633 893 759 691 882 729
Printing and related support activities . 8 (2) 14 1,004 (2) 2,142 1,192 (2) 1,318
Petroleum and coal products ............. 20 - 15 2,931 - 2,100 3,146 - 2,021
Chemicals ............................... 4 6 7 521 463 1,836 439 583 1,489
Plastics and rubber products ............ 24 11 14 3,838 1,213 2,577 4,563 1,617 1,864
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 39 8 52 6,319 919 7,114 7,585 1,074 6,710
Primary metals .......................... 16 9 13 1,678 1,486 2,378 2,189 2,331 2,294
Fabricated metal products ............... 28 21 20 3,512 3,093 2,712 4,419 3,574 2,578
Machinery ............................... 20 18 21 2,563 3,608 4,056 3,946 3,546 5,463
Computer and electronic products ........ 20 27 10 5,913 5,957 1,595 3,135 4,911 1,017
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 14 5 11 4,493 328 2,873 7,304 441 6,568
Transportation equipment ................ 84 54 49 25,957 8,694 12,100 52,231 14,582 19,794
Furniture and related products .......... 23 14 14 3,333 1,411 1,876 3,553 1,124 1,976
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............. 9 7 6 2,102 791 1,574 1,560 995 851
Wholesale trade .............................. 26 19 35 3,140 2,336 3,990 3,145 1,838 3,319
Retail trade ................................. 70 59 63 27,329 10,094 15,372 22,430 11,481 9,632
Transportation and warehousing ............... 33 84 39 4,964 15,251 8,976 4,841 14,498 6,421
Information .................................. 23 18 26 2,724 2,415 3,825 4,141 2,713 5,016
Finance and insurance ........................ 52 134 93 11,269 25,563 15,429 8,112 24,368 13,000
Real estate and rental and leasing ........... 5 8 6 401 1,194 859 412 1,354 742
Professional and technical services .......... 33 35 43 5,479 5,144 7,724 7,159 5,728 6,959
Management of companies and enterprises ...... 6 8 8 1,182 782 1,392 1,129 1,043 876
Administrative and waste services ............ 165 60 127 30,030 8,225 18,697 31,253 9,349 16,431
Educational services ......................... 3 9 (2) 266 1,323 (2) 458 1,726 (2)
Health care and social assistance ............ 20 49 22 3,352 9,708 4,661 2,516 5,001 3,217
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .......... 41 22 45 13,589 6,118 17,219 5,283 2,734 4,664
Accommodation and food services .............. 73 40 65 20,100 8,622 11,520 14,813 6,978 8,472
Other services, except public administration . 12 13 13 1,475 2,560 1,843 1,406 1,572 1,464
Unclassified ................................. - 1 - - 150 - - 73 -
1 For the fourth 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
IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV
2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p
Total, private nonfarm (1)...... 1,640 1,019 1,619 296,662 160,806 265,454 330,901 172,508 234,612
Business demand ................... 565 421 548 81,305 49,268 73,241 135,626 72,956 84,227
Contract cancellation ........... 19 15 16 2,159 2,320 3,028 2,311 1,723 2,368
Contract completion ............. 312 201 260 41,797 20,331 29,753 58,169 31,535 31,133
Domestic competition ............ - 3 (2) - 254 (2) - 208 (2)
Excess inventory/saturated
market ........................ - 6 (2) - 1,551 (2) - 1,641 (2)
Import competition .............. 22 16 15 3,245 3,273 2,786 3,318 3,601 2,740
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown. 212 180 245 34,104 21,539 36,180 71,828 34,248 46,652
Organizational changes ............ 143 99 81 36,117 17,717 21,122 30,333 17,208 15,369
Business-ownership change ....... 25 27 20 11,279 4,990 9,279 4,580 3,472 4,710
Reorganization or restructuring
of company .................... 118 72 61 24,838 12,727 11,843 25,753 13,736 10,659
Financial issues .................. 64 123 111 14,069 29,267 22,238 11,609 24,108 18,698
Bankruptcy ...................... 15 21 14 2,229 6,819 4,480 1,814 2,904 2,265
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ........ - 36 35 - 6,130 6,915 - 8,023 9,195
Financial difficulty ............ 49 66 62 11,840 16,318 10,843 9,795 13,181 7,238
Production specific ............... 28 (2) 22 9,168 (2) 3,655 5,159 (2) 4,066
Automation/technological
advances ...................... 3 4 (2) 271 1,468 (2) 353 1,293 (2)
Energy related .................. (2) - - (2) - - (2) - -
Governmental regulations/
intervention .................... - 4 (2) - 997 (2) - 604 (2)
Labor dispute/contract
negotiations/strike ........... (2) (2) 7 (2) (2) 1,177 (2) (2) 1,774
Material or supply shortage ..... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Model changeover ................ (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Plant or machine repair/
maintenance ................... 7 (2) 8 1,714 (2) 1,360 1,094 (2) 815
Product line discontinued ....... 11 - (2) 4,329 - (2) 1,781 - (2)
Disaster/safety ................... 8 (2) 5 733 (2) 692 1,249 (2) 632
Hazardous work environment ...... (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Natural disaster (not weather
related) ...................... - (2) - - (2) - - (2) -
Non-natural disaster ............ - (2) - - (2) - - (2) -
Extreme weather-related event ... (2) - 5 (2) - 692 (2) - 632
Seasonal .......................... 697 218 683 129,532 40,361 119,325 119,430 34,465 86,355
Seasonal ........................ 691 123 679 128,648 23,314 119,043 118,713 20,066 85,959
Vacation period-school related
or otherwise .................. 6 95 4 884 17,047 282 717 14,399 396
Other/miscellaneous ............... 135 140 169 25,738 19,623 25,181 27,495 20,406 25,265
Other ........................... 18 9 10 3,726 1,363 1,642 5,540 2,050 2,069
Data not provided: refusal ...... 49 43 53 9,990 6,003 7,871 9,990 6,000 7,872
Data not provided: does not
know .......................... 68 88 106 12,022 12,257 15,668 11,965 12,356 15,324
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, third and fourth quarters, 2007
Total Percent of total
initial Hispanic Persons age 55
Layoff events claimants Black origin Women and over
State
III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV
2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p 2007r 2007p
Total, private nonfarm (1) .. 1,019 1,619 172,508 234,612 15.5 12.2 18.4 17.6 42.5 29.2 18.2 16.3
Alabama ........................ 8 8 1,411 1,128 69.5 58.2 4.5 3.0 45.2 46.7 18.0 16.9
Alaska ......................... (2) 7 (2) 904 4.1 3.2 26.3 13.7 27.8 25.0 21.8 16.5
Arizona ........................ 8 5 1,578 733 7.9 16.4 24.9 32.9 55.7 50.3 12.2 7.1
Arkansas ....................... 7 8 1,107 2,718 46.7 20.5 4.5 1.2 31.3 35.1 9.8 22.7
California ..................... 317 422 50,397 57,132 8.3 6.9 36.6 38.3 39.5 35.2 13.6 13.9
Colorado ....................... (2) 15 (2) 1,804 2.9 2.5 12.7 41.0 59.5 13.7 24.3 18.8
Connecticut .................... (2) 8 (2) 976 13.2 13.7 7.8 6.7 58.9 34.0 16.3 22.0
Delaware ....................... - (2) - (2) - 7.8 - 7.8 - 30.1 - 63.1
District of Columbia ........... (2) (2) (2) (2) 98.6 54.7 1.4 17.2 83.8 62.5 4.9 7.8
Florida ........................ 50 59 5,986 5,660 15.4 13.0 28.9 25.4 46.2 40.2 18.4 20.4
Georgia ........................ 21 15 4,594 3,479 44.0 33.6 5.3 9.3 58.5 41.2 17.7 16.6
Hawaii ......................... 3 3 344 317 11.6 11.4 9.9 10.1 32.6 21.1 23.3 11.7
Idaho .......................... 3 7 1,137 1,051 1.8 .4 11.6 24.5 34.7 30.5 17.5 15.4
Illinois ....................... 70 178 12,863 21,260 25.5 13.2 11.1 22.8 44.1 19.0 15.6 12.6
Indiana ........................ 14 45 3,363 10,380 9.8 12.5 3.4 4.3 43.9 25.4 22.8 14.7
Iowa ........................... 4 19 614 4,853 2.9 1.8 5.2 4.6 36.8 24.3 9.4 17.1
Kansas ......................... 3 8 476 1,105 8.4 12.0 .6 6.2 43.9 25.2 29.4 17.6
Kentucky ....................... 13 15 1,433 1,721 8.2 2.5 .1 .1 26.6 12.0 22.1 17.3
Louisiana ...................... 4 8 738 728 26.4 66.1 .4 1.6 20.7 17.7 30.6 16.3
Maine .......................... 4 8 310 902 1.0 1.3 - .2 48.7 27.6 15.2 19.0
Maryland ....................... 12 19 1,394 2,359 34.7 32.3 .9 .1 57.3 35.2 16.3 20.0
Massachusetts .................. 22 25 4,696 2,452 14.3 8.4 2.5 .8 48.2 27.6 23.1 19.6
Michigan ....................... 29 94 8,027 21,569 24.2 21.9 2.8 7.2 41.3 25.2 12.4 17.4
Minnesota ...................... 8 75 1,159 8,892 .8 2.7 2.7 9.4 24.5 14.5 18.8 16.8
Mississippi .................... 5 4 588 613 78.1 64.4 1.7 .2 74.7 26.8 12.8 20.9
Missouri ....................... 21 33 2,523 3,093 26.7 7.5 .3 .4 52.0 27.5 20.5 25.1
Montana ........................ - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nebraska ....................... (2) 6 (2) 520 2.1 2.1 1.4 9.8 41.8 7.9 21.3 30.8
Nevada ......................... (2) 9 (2) 1,262 15.5 7.4 25.7 20.8 54.3 24.6 32.9 18.5
New Hampshire .................. (2) 3 (2) 337 - 1.2 1.9 1.8 38.9 5.6 59.3 29.4
New Jersey ..................... 30 37 4,234 4,309 22.2 15.3 8.5 11.5 49.9 41.0 22.2 24.1
New Mexico ..................... 6 3 1,156 377 4.4 1.6 40.5 79.0 34.3 51.7 17.2 29.4
New York ....................... 135 50 23,233 8,327 17.9 9.8 16.8 9.2 49.3 29.0 28.0 18.0
North Carolina ................. 6 5 943 656 23.5 44.4 9.0 2.0 61.5 35.1 20.6 26.1
North Dakota ................... - 8 - 962 - .5 - 3.2 - 12.3 - 17.4
Ohio ........................... 28 116 5,577 16,512 13.1 13.2 1.6 3.1 28.5 24.0 16.7 14.2
Oklahoma ....................... 4 (2) 363 (2) 17.4 3.6 7.2 5.4 62.0 30.4 19.8 3.6
Oregon ......................... 12 22 1,695 5,392 .8 1.5 21.6 27.4 46.6 38.6 14.5 17.9
Pennsylvania ................... 72 62 14,114 12,841 6.6 6.2 3.6 4.3 34.5 36.8 22.3 20.6
Rhode Island ................... 4 6 411 700 3.2 2.7 27.3 12.9 80.5 32.3 20.0 15.7
South Carolina ................. 6 12 1,134 1,457 60.9 72.5 .6 .1 60.9 56.7 8.7 9.4
South Dakota ................... (2) (2) (2) (2) - - 1.6 14.7 65.6 34.7 40.6 37.3
Tennessee ...................... 9 27 1,031 4,497 22.4 40.3 - .1 59.8 40.0 19.1 25.3
Texas .......................... 24 29 5,217 4,048 20.3 19.6 30.1 41.3 42.6 37.0 11.7 11.2
Utah ........................... 5 11 570 1,631 1.9 .9 14.4 14.4 17.7 10.4 4.4 11.6
Vermont ........................ (2) 4 (2) 399 - - - .5 35.7 26.6 17.2 22.8
Virginia ....................... 10 18 887 1,527 19.7 43.9 2.6 5.2 44.8 52.5 23.1 19.4
Washington ..................... 15 15 1,979 2,323 4.3 4.0 14.0 33.9 31.9 33.0 15.9 18.1
West Virginia .................. (2) 6 (2) 500 - .4 - - 17.6 8.8 16.0 15.8
Wisconsin ...................... 11 76 2,787 9,832 1.2 4.2 15.2 8.0 27.7 14.3 24.9 13.4
Wyoming ........................ - (2) - (2) - 1.3 - - - 40.8 - 34.2
Puerto Rico .................... 11 8 2,647 1,213 .1 .1 97.1 98.5 63.2 55.0 11.1 13.8
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 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
IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV
2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p
United States (1) ..... 1,640 1,019 1,619 296,662 160,806 265,454 330,901 172,508 234,612
Northeast ..................... 293 271 203 45,223 46,902 35,931 58,821 47,392 31,243
New England ............... 52 34 54 9,957 8,696 11,055 7,959 5,811 5,766
Middle Atlantic ........... 241 237 149 35,266 38,206 24,876 50,862 41,581 25,477
South ......................... 279 182 237 50,120 26,981 39,220 49,384 27,093 31,314
South Atlantic ............ 171 108 137 32,139 15,450 20,632 31,115 15,205 15,805
East South Central ........ 55 35 54 8,559 5,471 11,325 7,569 4,463 7,959
West South Central ........ 53 39 46 9,422 6,060 7,263 10,700 7,425 7,550
Midwest ....................... 657 191 659 131,105 32,557 110,899 149,932 37,594 99,053
East North Central ........ 504 152 509 105,530 26,161 86,682 122,480 32,617 79,553
West North Central ........ 153 39 150 25,575 6,396 24,217 27,452 4,977 19,500
West .......................... 411 375 520 70,214 54,366 79,404 72,764 60,429 73,002
Mountain .................. 68 26 51 14,289 6,237 10,943 10,703 5,201 6,934
Pacific ................... 343 349 469 55,925 48,129 68,461 62,061 55,228 66,068
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
IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV
2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p
Total, private nonfarm (1) . 1,640 1,019 1,619 296,662 160,806 265,454 330,901 172,508 234,612
Alabama ........................ 15 8 8 3,228 1,714 1,489 2,768 1,411 1,128
Alaska ......................... 12 (2) 7 4,548 (2) 1,486 2,088 (2) 904
Arizona ........................ 4 8 5 554 2,014 782 524 1,578 733
Arkansas ....................... 5 7 8 2,411 1,083 1,140 1,367 1,107 2,718
California ..................... 288 317 422 40,439 42,041 58,922 50,141 50,397 57,132
Colorado ....................... 17 (2) 15 3,067 (2) 3,193 2,316 (2) 1,804
Connecticut .................... 9 (2) 8 2,135 (2) 1,543 1,754 (2) 976
Delaware ....................... - - (2) - - (2) - - (2)
District of Columbia ........... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Florida ........................ 82 50 59 16,355 8,199 7,841 14,812 5,986 5,660
Georgia ........................ 22 21 15 2,811 2,285 2,813 4,233 4,594 3,479
Hawaii ......................... 6 3 3 836 503 447 794 344 317
Idaho .......................... 13 3 7 1,800 1,280 1,523 1,818 1,137 1,051
Illinois ....................... 181 70 178 33,328 13,488 30,467 30,604 12,863 21,260
Indiana ........................ 48 14 45 8,264 2,211 8,082 10,058 3,363 10,380
Iowa ........................... 17 4 19 1,448 491 3,736 5,238 614 4,853
Kansas ......................... 9 3 8 1,096 333 1,027 1,372 476 1,105
Kentucky ....................... 23 13 15 2,959 1,975 2,385 2,649 1,433 1,721
Louisiana ...................... 9 4 8 2,143 813 1,624 1,151 738 728
Maine .......................... 8 4 8 1,459 341 1,827 1,293 310 902
Maryland ....................... 20 12 19 2,280 1,377 2,460 3,088 1,394 2,359
Massachusetts .................. 24 22 25 5,215 7,348 5,969 3,718 4,696 2,452
Michigan ....................... 105 29 94 25,374 5,166 16,067 47,956 8,027 21,569
Minnesota ...................... 83 8 75 12,921 1,163 12,047 13,355 1,159 8,892
Mississippi .................... 5 5 4 702 796 708 594 588 613
Missouri ....................... 36 21 33 8,607 4,174 5,370 6,250 2,523 3,093
Montana ........................ 12 - - 1,676 - - 1,727 - -
Nebraska ....................... (2) (2) 6 (2) (2) 859 (2) (2) 520
Nevada ......................... 3 (2) 9 1,139 (2) 854 1,328 (2) 1,262
New Hampshire .................. 5 (2) 3 490 (2) 415 540 (2) 337
New Jersey ..................... 45 30 37 9,737 6,927 6,805 7,150 4,234 4,309
New Mexico ..................... 9 6 3 1,501 1,156 387 1,501 1,156 377
New York ....................... 105 135 50 13,690 24,583 9,508 19,966 23,233 8,327
North Carolina ................. 12 6 5 1,086 761 503 1,508 943 656
North Dakota ................... 5 - 8 1,128 - 962 982 - 962
Ohio ........................... 96 28 116 22,570 3,882 19,959 18,485 5,577 16,512
Oklahoma ....................... 5 4 (2) 603 413 (2) 1,360 363 (2)
Oregon ......................... 19 12 22 7,514 1,813 6,217 6,215 1,695 5,392
Pennsylvania ................... 91 72 62 11,839 6,696 8,563 23,746 14,114 12,841
Rhode Island ................... (2) 4 6 (2) 464 779 (2) 411 700
South Carolina ................. 9 6 12 1,713 1,493 1,510 1,571 1,134 1,457
South Dakota ................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Tennessee ...................... 12 9 27 1,670 986 6,743 1,558 1,031 4,497
Texas .......................... 34 24 29 4,265 3,751 4,398 6,822 5,217 4,048
Utah ........................... 8 5 11 1,507 604 2,004 1,243 570 1,631
Vermont ........................ 4 (2) 4 472 (2) 522 472 (2) 399
Virginia ....................... 17 10 18 6,676 963 4,653 4,065 887 1,527
Washington ..................... 18 15 15 2,588 1,387 1,389 2,823 1,979 2,323
West Virginia .................. 7 (2) 6 1,016 (2) 673 1,636 (2) 500
Wisconsin ...................... 74 11 76 15,994 1,414 12,107 15,377 2,787 9,832
Wyoming ........................ (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Puerto Rico .................... 14 11 8 2,038 938 557 2,916 2,647 1,213
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 2 1,075 11 1,127
Fourth quarter ... 1,400 250,178 19 4,122 3 720 3 644 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)226,074 19 3,007 5 875 3 415 5 885
Second quarter ... 1,421 (r)278,719 22 3,634 4 413 5 433 6 592
Third quarter .... (r)1,019 (r)160,806 22 5,279 7 1,117 4 403 4 342
Fourth quarter(p). 1,619 265,454 7 1,173 5 960 3 352 9 866
Total(p) ..... 5,170 931,053 70 13,093 21 3,365 15 1,603 24 2,685
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
IV III IV IV III IV
2006 2007r 2007p 2006 2007r 2007p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................ 69 63 61 15,782 12,361 10,076
Mining ...................................... - - - - - -
Utilities ................................... - - - - - -
Construction ................................ - - - - - -
Manufacturing ............................... 50 45 43 12,775 8,949 7,189
Food ................................... 3 (2) 3 559 (2) 683
Beverage and tobacco products .......... - (2) - - (2) -
Textile mills .......................... 4 5 (2) 1,120 1,505 (2)
Textile product mills .................. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Apparel ................................ (2) 5 - (2) 660 -
Leather and allied products ............ (2) - - (2) - -
Wood products .......................... - - - - - -
Paper .................................. - - (2) - - (2)
Printing and related support activities (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 411
Petroleum and coal products ............ - - - - - -
Chemicals .............................. - - (2) - - (2)
Plastics and rubber products ........... 3 5 (2) 468 595 (2)
Nonmetallic mineral products ........... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Primary metals ......................... (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 388
Fabricated metal products .............. 3 3 5 525 462 879
Machinery .............................. 4 3 (2) 515 565 (2)
Computer and electronic products ....... (2) 3 3 (2) 1,924 620
Electrical equipment and appliances .... 7 (2) 5 3,198 (2) 1,310
Transportation equipment ............... 9 6 10 1,664 1,059 1,438
Furniture and related products ......... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............ 3 3 - 842 188 -
Wholesale trade ............................. (2) 5 (2) (2) 678 (2)
Retail trade ................................ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Transportation and warehousing .............. 3 (2) (2) 754 (2) (2)
Information ................................. (2) - 3 (2) - 252
Finance and insurance ....................... 7 7 5 1,028 1,612 860
Real estate and rental and leasing .......... (2) - - (2) - -
Professional and technical services ......... (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 577
Management of companies and enterprises ..... - - (2) - - (2)
Administrative and waste services ........... 3 - (2) 427 - (2)
Educational services ........................ - - - - - -
Health care and social assistance ........... - - - - - -
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... - - - - - -
Accommodation and food services ............. - - - - - -
Other services, except public administration - (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 IV III IV IV III IV
2006r 2007r 2007p 2006r 2007r 2007p
Total, private nonfarm (1) .... 69 63 61 15,782 12,361 10,076
Business demand .................. 12 17 (2) 2,129 3,303 (2)
Contract cancellation .......... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Contract completion ............ (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Domestic competition ........... - - - - - -
Excess inventory/saturated
market ....................... - (2) - - (2) -
Import competition ............. 7 10 7 1,463 2,269 1,165
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Organizational changes ........... 43 23 27 8,340 4,723 4,605
Business-ownership change ...... 5 4 5 1,160 903 1,325
Reorganization or restructuring
of company ................... 38 19 22 7,180 3,820 3,280
Financial issues ................. (2) 18 18 (2) 3,763 2,981
Bankruptcy ..................... - - - - - -
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ....... - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Financial difficulty ........... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Production specific .............. 8 (2) - 4,016 (2) -
Automation/technological
advances ..................... - (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 ...... 8 - - 4,016 - -
Disaster/safety .................. - - - - - -
Hazardous work environment ..... - - - - - -
Natural disaster (not weather
related) ..................... - - - - - -
Non-natural disaster ........... - - - - - -
Extreme weather-related event .. - - - - - -
Other/miscellaneous .............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Other .......................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (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
IV III IV IV III IV
2006 2007r 2007p 2006 2007r 2007p
United States (1) . 69 63 61 15,782 12,361 10,076
Northeast ................. 10 9 9 2,006 1,400 1,362
New England ........... (2) 3 3 (2) 514 562
Middle Atlantic ....... (2) 6 6 (2) 886 800
South ..................... 20 29 16 5,292 5,292 2,102
South Atlantic ........ 10 14 8 2,086 2,321 902
East South Central .... 7 (2) 5 1,206 (2) 512
West South Central .... 3 (2) 3 2,000 (2) 688
Midwest ................... 28 15 28 5,933 2,706 5,747
East North Central .... 20 8 22 4,469 1,355 4,140
West North Central .... 8 7 6 1,464 1,351 1,607
West ...................... 11 10 8 2,551 2,963 865
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
IV III IV IV III IV
2006 2007r 2007p 2006 2007r 2007p
Total, private nonfarm (1) .......... 1,640 1,019 1,619 296,662 160,806 265,454
Total, excluding seasonal
and vacation events (2) ..... 943 801 936 167,130 120,445 146,129
Total, movement of work (3) . 69 63 61 15,782 12,361 10,076
Movement of work
actions .............. 94 87 80 (4) (4) (4)
With separations
reported ........ 66 60 61 10,462 7,159 6,682
With separations
unknown ......... 28 27 19 (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
IV III IV IV III IV
2006 2007r 2007p 2006 2007r 2007p
With separations reported (2) . 66 60 61 10,462 7,159 6,682
By location
Out-of-country relocations .. 27 21 24 5,581 3,187 2,667
Within company .......... 24 11 23 5,426 1,504 2,580
Different company ....... 3 10 1 155 1,683 87
Domestic relocations ........ 39 38 37 4,881 3,793 4,015
Within company .......... 35 34 36 4,494 3,396 3,835
Different company ....... 4 4 1 387 397 180
Unable to assign place of
relocation ............... - 1 - - 179 -
By company
Within company .............. 59 46 59 9,920 5,079 6,415
Domestic ................ 35 34 36 4,494 3,396 3,835
Out of country .......... 24 11 23 5,426 1,504 2,580
Unable to assign ........ - 1 - - 179 -
Different company ........... 7 14 2 542 2,080 267
Domestic ................ 4 4 1 387 397 180
Out of country .......... 3 10 1 155 1,683 87
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.
United States Department of Labor
