Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 08-0668
http://www.bls.gov/mls/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, May 15, 2008
(NOTE: This news release was reissued on Friday, May 16, 2008, to
correct a data value shown in table 10. The value for total private
nonfarm separations in the first quarter 2008 was corrected from
8,326 to 188,326. Data in the other tables and other figures in the
text were not affected by this correction.)
EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2008
In the first quarter of 2008, there were 1,111 mass layoff events that
resulted in the separation of 188,326 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. A strike at a transportation equip-
ment manufacturer was a contributing factor in 31 extended layoff events
affecting 19,887 workers at other firms. The total number of layoff events
was essentially unchanged from the January-March 2007 time period, while
the number of associated separations was lower. (See table A.) First
quarter 2008 layoff data are preliminary and are subject to revision. (See
the Technical Note.)
Among the 7 categories of economic reasons for layoff, business demand
accounted for the highest share of events (47 percent) and number of separa-
tions (79,358) in January-March 2008. (See table B.) Layoff activity attri-
buted to business demand factors increased from the same period in 2007, when
these reasons were cited in 39 percent of layoff events and involved 62,693
laid-off workers.
Since the collection of movement of work data began in 2004, a series
low 47 extended mass layoff events associated with 8,856 separated workers
were recorded in the first quarter of 2008. (See table C.) These events
accounted for 5 percent of the nonseasonal layoff events and 6 percent of
the nonseasonal separations.
Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 12 percent of all extended mass
layoff events and affected 33,103 workers during the first quarter of 2008.
Forty-three percent of the employers reporting a layoff indicated they antici-
pated some type of recall. Of those employers expecting to recall workers, a
record low 30 percent indicated that the offer would be extended to all employ-
ees. Extended mass layoffs without an expectation of recall occurred mainly in
credit intermediation and related activities and in transportation equipment
manufacturing.
The national unemployment rate averaged 5.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted,
in the first quarter of 2008, up from 4.8 percent a year earlier. Private non-
farm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by 0.4 percent, or
507,000 over the year.
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| |
| Changes to Extended Mass Layoff Data |
| |
| Effective with this news release, the Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS)|
|program has switched the basis for their industry classification |
|from the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) |
|to the 2007 NAICS for extended mass layoff data. The new classifi- |
|cation includes minor definitional changes within manufacturing; |
|telecommunications; financial activities; and professional, scienti- |
|fic, and technical services. Several industry titles and descrip- |
|tions also were updated. For more information on the MLS program's |
|change to NAICS 2007, see http://www.bls.gov/mls/mls2007naics.htm. |
| |
| For additional information on the 2007 NAICS, see http://www. |
|census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html. |
| |
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- 2 -
Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
Period | Layoff events | Separations | Initial claimants
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |
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 .....| 1,640 | 296,662 | 330,901
| | |
2007 | | |
| | |
January-March (r).....| 1,110 | 225,600 | 199,250
April-June (r)........| 1,421 | 278,719 | 259,082
July-September (r)....| 1,019 | 160,830 | 173,518
October-December (r)..| 1,814 | 301,377 | 346,030
| | |
2008 | | |
| | |
January-March (p).....| 1,111 | 188,326 | 165,933
| | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs
Manufacturing industries accounted for 31 percent of private nonfarm extended
mass layoff events and 40 percent of related separations in the first quarter
of 2008. (See table 1.) The largest number of separations was in transporta-
tion equipment manufacturing (31,340, mostly associated with automobile manufac-
turing), followed by food manufacturing (9,478). A strike involving a transport-
ation equipment manufacturer was a contributing factor in 55 percent of the separ-
ations in that industry.
The construction sector accounted for 26 percent of events and 16 percent of
separations during January-March 2008, largely in specialty trade contracting and
heavy and civil engineering construction. Layoffs in the retail trade sector ac-
counted for 8 percent of all extended mass layoff events and 11 percent of separa-
tions and were concentrated in general merchandise stores.
- 3 -
Table B. Distribution of extended layoff events and separations
by economic reason categories, January-March 2008p
----------------------------------------------------------------
| Layoff events | Separations
Category |---------------------------------------
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent
------------------------|---------------------------------------
| | | |
Total ................| 1,111 | 100.0 | 188,326 | 100.0
| | | |
Business demand.........| 520 | 46.8 | 79,358 | 42.1
Organizational changes .| 91 | 8.2 | 18,675 | 9.9
Financial issues .......| 106 | 9.5 | 22,972 | 12.2
Production specific ....| 24 | 2.2 | 11,760 | 6.2
Disaster/safety ........| 6 | .5 | 968 | .5
Seasonal ...............| 226 | 20.3 | 38,540 | 20.5
Other/miscellaneous ....| 138 | 12.4 | 16,053 | 8.5
| | | |
----------------------------------------------------------------
p = preliminary.
Reasons for Extended Layoffs
Among the 7 categories of economic reasons for extended mass layoffs, events
related to business demand factors (contract cancellation, contract completion,
domestic competition, excess inventory, import competition, and slack work) ac-
counted for 47 percent of the extended layoffs and resulted in 79,358 separations
during the first quarter of 2008. (See table 2.) Business demand job cuts were
most numerous in transportation equipment manufacturing (motor vehicle manufact-
uring) and in specialty trade contracting (building equipment contractors). About
one-quarter of all layoff events and separations were due to slack work, the high-
est proportion of events since first quarter 2002 and the highest proportion of
separations since third quarter 2001. However, 11 percent of these slack work
events and 42 percent of the associated separations were strike-related cutbacks
in the transportation equipment manufacturing sector.
Job losses related to seasonal factors (seasonal and vacation period) accounted
for 20 percent of the extended layoff events and resulted in 38,540 separations,
primarily in food manufacturing and general merchandise stores.
Financial issues (bankruptcy, cost control, and financial difficulty) accounted
for 10 percent of events and resulted in 22,972 separations. These layoffs were
most common among workers in credit intermediation and related activities and in
furniture and home furnishings stores.
- 4 -
Table C. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected
measures, first quarter 2008(p)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
Action | Layoff events | Separations
| |
-----------------------------------|-----------------|-----------------
| |
Total, private nonfarm ............| 1,111 | 188,326
| |
Total, excluding seasonal | |
and vacation events (1) ......| 885 | 149,786
| |
Total events with movement | |
of work (2) ................| 47 | 8,856
| |
Movement of work actions ...| 59 | (3)
With separations reported.| 36 | 5,297
With separations unknown .| 23 | (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
Since the collection of movement of work data began in 2004, a series low 47
extended mass layoff events associated with 8,856 separated workers were recorded
in the first quarter of 2008. (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
70 layoff events and 11,438 separations associated with the movement of work.
(See table 10.)
Among the 47 extended mass layoff events with reported relocation of work in
the first quarter of 2008, 64 percent were permanent closures of worksites, which
affected 6,566 workers. In comparison, 12 percent of the total extended mass lay-
off events reported for the quarter involved the permanent closure of worksites
affecting 33,103 workers.
Of the layoffs involving the movement of work, 60 percent of the events and
53 percent of the laid-off workers were from manufacturing industries during
the first quarter. (See table 7.) Among all private nonfarm extended layoffs,
manufacturing accounted for 31 percent of the events and 40 percent of the
separations.
- 5 -
Table D. Movement of work actions by type of separation where the
number of separations is known by employers, first quarter 2008(p)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
Activities | Actions (1) | Separations
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
With separations reported ......| 36 | 5,297
| |
By location | |
| |
Out-of-country relocations ..| 13 | 1,181
Within company ............| 10 | 882
Different company .........| 3 | 299
| |
Domestic relocations ........| 23 | 4,116
Within company ............| 21 | 3,201
Different company .........| 2 | 915
| |
By company | |
| |
Within company ..............| 31 | 4,083
Domestic ..................| 21 | 3,201
Out of country ............| 10 | 882
| |
Different company ...........| 5 | 1,214
Domestic ..................| 2 | 915
Out of country ............| 3 | 299
| |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement
of work were reported are shown.
p = preliminary.
While 18 percent of the extended mass layoff events in the total private non-
farm economy were because of either financial issues or organizational changes,
such reasons accounted for 66 percent of layoff events associated with work relo-
cation and resulted in 6,012 separations during the first quarter. (See table 8.)
Among the regions, the South accounted for the largest proportion of workers
affected by extended mass layoffs associated with the movement of work (38 per-
cent), followed by the West (28 percent), the Midwest (26 percent), and the
Northeast (9 percent). (See table 9.)
Some extended mass layoff events involve more than one relocation of work ac-
tion. 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 ac-
tions. The 47 extended layoff events with movement of work for the first quarter
of 2008 involved 59 identifiable relocations of work. (See table C.) An identi-
fiable 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 59 relocations, employers were able to provide information on the specific
number of separations associated with the movement of work component of the layoff
in 36 actions involving 5,297 workers. (See table 10.)
In the 36 actions where employers were able to provide more complete separations
information, 86 percent of relocations (31 out of 36) occurred within the same com-
pany. (See table D.) Sixty-four percent of these relocations (23 out of 36) were do-
mestic reassignments, while 36 percent involved out-of-country moves (13 out of 36).
Domestic relocation of work--both within the company and to other companies--affected
4,116 workers. Out-of-country relocations were associated with the separation of 1,181
workers, 1 percent of all nonseasonal and nonvacation extended mass layoff separations.
(See table 11.)
- 6 -
Table E. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended
layoff, first quarter 2007-first quarter 2008
------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
| Percentage of events
Nature of the recall |_________________________________________
| | | | |
| I | II | III | IV | I
| 2007 | 2007 | 2007 | 2007(r)| 2008(p)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | | |
Anticipate a recall .......| 40.2 | 57.1 | 37.9 | 55.8 | 43.2
| | | | |
Timeframe | | | | |
| | | | |
Within 6 months ...........| 83.6 | 87.5 | 83.9 | 87.9 | 71.7
Within 3 months .........| 51.3 | 59.7 | 62.7 | 34.2 | 46.7
| | | | |
Size | | | | |
| | | | |
At least half .............| 87.2 | 93.3 | 86.0 | 90.5 | 74.6
All workers .............| 38.6 | 57.2 | 45.6 | 50.5 | 29.6
| | | | |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Recall Expectations
Forty-three percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the first quarter
of 2008 indicated they anticipated some type of recall, up slightly from a year earl-
ier. (See table E.) However, of those employers expecting to recall workers, a re-
cord low 30 percent indicated that the offer would be extended to all displaced employ-
ees. For events without an expectation of recall, the highest number of separations
occurred in credit intermediation and related activities, in transportation equipment
manufacturing, and in general merchandise stores. Seventy-two percent of employers
expected to recall the laid-off employees within 6 months, a record low for the series.
Seventy-five percent of employers anticipated extending the offer to at least half of
the workers.
Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 89 per-
cent of the employers expected a recall), employers anticipated recalling laid-off
workers in 32 percent of the events, up from 27 percent a year earlier.
- 7 -
Table F. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff,
first quarter 2008(p)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Layoff events | Separations
Size |---------------------------------------
| | | |
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent
-------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | |
Total ..................| 1,111 | 100.0 | 188,326 | 100.0
| | | |
50-99 .....................| 519 | 46.7 | 36,653 | 19.5
100-149 ...................| 268 | 24.1 | 31,555 | 16.8
150-199 ...................| 102 | 9.2 | 17,092 | 9.1
200-299 ...................| 106 | 9.5 | 24,500 | 13.0
300-499 ...................| 67 | 6.0 | 25,165 | 13.4
500-999 ...................| 33 | 3.0 | 20,132 | 10.7
1,000 or more .............| 16 | 1.4 | 33,229 | 17.6
-------------------------------------------------------------------
p = preliminary.
Size of Extended Layoffs
The average size of a layoff (as measured by separations per layoff event) in
the first quarter of 2008 was 170, compared to 203 per layoff in the first quarter
of 2007. The average differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 67 in
leather and allied products to a high of 776 in motion picture and sound recording
industries.
Layoff events during January-March 2008 continued to be concentrated at the lower
end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 71 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 29 percent in the first quarter of 2007.
Separations involving 500 or more workers, while comprising only 4 percent of the
events, accounted for 28 percent of all separations in the first quarter of 2008, down
from 41 percent a year earlier. (See table F.)
Initial Claimant Characteristics
A total of 165,933 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with
extended mass layoffs in the first quarter of 2008. Of these claimants, 14 percent were
black, 18 percent were Hispanic, 35 percent were women, 35 percent were 30 to 44 years
of age, and 18 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) Among persons
in the civilian 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 first quarter of 2008 was in the Midwest, with 71,890, followed
by the West, with 65,141. (See table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the Midwest were
largely in transportation equipment manufacturing and in administrative and support
services. The Midwest region accounted for 38 percent of all separations, up from
25 percent in the same period last year. Thirty-five percent of the extended layoffs
were reported by the West, a decrease from 46 percent in the first quarter of 2007.
Among the 9 census regions, the highest number of separations during the first
quarter of 2008 was in the East North Central, with 63,758, followed by the Pacific,
with 59,012. (See table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the East North Central division
were largely in transportation equipment manufacturing.
California recorded the largest number of worker separations (55,469), followed by
Ohio (19,420), Illinois (17,771), and Michigan (14,149). These four states accounted
for 56 percent of total extended mass layoff events and 57 percent of total separa-
tions during the first quarter of 2008. (See table 5.) After excluding the substant-
ial impact of seasonal reasons, California still reported the highest number of job
cuts (46,437), largely due to layoffs in specialty trade contractors and in heavy and
civil engineering construction.
California accounted for 29 percent of all separations in January-March 2008, down
sharply from 41 percent in 2007. Ohio accounted for 10 percent of the separations in
the first quarter of 2008, up from 4 percent in 2007.
In the first quarter of 2008, Michigan reported the largest number of separations
related to the transportation equipment manufacturing strike (7,107), followed by
Ohio (6,760) and Indiana (4,580).
- 8 -
Table G. Mass layoff events and separations, selected metropolitan areas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |
| Events | Separations
Metropolitan area |-----------------|-----------------
| | | |
| I | I | I | I
| 2007(r)| 2008(p)| 2007(r)| 2008(p)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | |
Total, nonmetropolitan areas ...............| 120 | 105 | 17,422 | 15,688
| | | |
Total, 369 metropolitan areas ..............| 624 | 587 | 86,443 | 92,165
| | | |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. ..| 72 | 78 | 9,304 | 11,454
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. .| 59 | 47 | 8,689 | 7,746
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long | | | |
Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ....................| 47 | 35 | 6,886 | 5,660
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. .....| 31 | 37 | 3,245 | 4,523
Detriot-Warren-Livonia, Mich. .............| 22 | 26 | 2,766 | 4,426
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. ....| 9 | 15 | 768 | 2,758
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, Va. ....| (1) | (1) | (1) | (1)
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. ..| 23 | 19 | 2,746 | 2,250
St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. .......................| 9 | 7 | 2,704 | 1,902
Shreveport-Bossier City, La. ..............| (1) | 3 | (1) | 1,840
| | | |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 08-01,
November 20, 2007.
Fifty-three percent of events and 49 percent of separations (92,165) occurred in
metropolitan areas in the first quarter of 2008, compared with 56 percent of events
and 38 percent of separations (86,443) during the first quarter of 2007. Among the
369 metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported the high-
est number of separations (11,454) in the first quarter of 2008. Next were Chicago-
Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., with 7,746 separations and New York-Northern New
Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., with 5,660 separations. (See table G.) Employers
located in nonmetropolitan areas separated 15,688 workers in extended mass layoffs.
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 first quarter are preliminary and subject to revision.
This release also includes revised data for previous quarters. Data are not sea-
sonally adjusted, but survey data suggest that there is a seasonal pattern to lay-
offs. Thus, comparisons between consecutive quarters should not be used as an in-
dicator of trend.
For additional information about the program, see the Technical Note.
______________________________
The report on Mass Layoffs in April 2008 is scheduled to be released on
Thursday, May 22.
- 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 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.
- 10 -
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.
- 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 first quarter of
2008, outright refusal to participate in the employer interview accounted
for 3.9 percent of all private nonfarm events. Although included in the
total number of instances involving the movement of work, for the first
quarter, employers in 23 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, 2007 and 2008
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
Industry
I IV I I IV I I IV I
2007r 2007r 2008p 2007r 2007r 2008p 2007r 2007r 2008p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................. 1,110 1,814 1,111 225,600 301,377 188,326 199,250 346,030 165,933
Mining ....................................... 7 27 (2) 843 3,584 (2) 557 3,491 (2)
Utilities .................................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Construction ................................. 305 682 291 30,513 86,848 30,767 37,493 100,624 30,585
Manufacturing ................................ 369 442 343 68,797 80,539 74,453 82,529 117,512 68,254
Food .................................... 64 71 43 10,176 17,131 9,478 11,999 16,912 6,535
Beverage and tobacco products ........... 9 (2) 8 1,084 (2) 1,416 1,569 (2) 1,392
Textile mills ........................... 10 10 11 1,716 1,799 1,063 2,992 4,834 2,558
Textile product mills (3)................ 4 5 (2) 603 968 (2) 785 1,806 (2)
Apparel (3) ............................. 14 10 10 1,583 1,524 952 1,698 1,379 987
Leather and allied products ............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Wood products ........................... 22 49 31 3,688 6,553 4,271 4,528 7,628 5,923
Paper ................................... 7 6 5 820 899 457 724 1,045 472
Printing and related support activities . 13 14 4 1,989 2,323 346 1,579 2,272 381
Petroleum and coal products ............. (2) 18 (2) (2) 2,760 (2) (2) 2,925 (2)
Chemicals ............................... 9 11 5 1,610 2,892 933 995 2,354 425
Plastics and rubber products (3) ........ 15 19 18 3,167 2,998 2,799 1,542 2,724 1,981
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 29 56 32 2,984 7,773 3,296 3,346 9,755 3,117
Primary metals .......................... 9 14 11 1,282 2,456 2,451 1,650 3,131 1,801
Fabricated metal products ............... 16 21 23 1,831 2,774 2,795 2,367 3,317 2,429
Machinery (3) ........................... 16 22 19 3,304 4,364 3,040 3,346 6,548 2,704
Computer and electronic products ........ 24 12 21 4,326 1,857 3,444 3,687 1,738 2,538
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 7 16 10 733 3,616 1,897 1,327 8,524 2,632
Transportation equipment (3) ............ 63 55 67 23,131 12,858 31,340 33,601 35,566 29,117
Furniture and related products (3) ...... 27 19 16 3,527 2,490 2,775 3,775 3,100 2,360
Miscellaneous manufacturing (3) ......... 6 7 5 803 1,648 1,229 482 1,028 447
Wholesale trade .............................. 17 38 29 2,249 4,442 2,914 1,615 5,470 2,155
Retail trade ................................. 89 76 89 70,086 19,152 21,102 22,642 21,129 19,213
Transportation and warehousing ............... 35 43 42 5,711 9,719 6,895 5,513 8,752 6,163
Information .................................. 17 29 20 2,640 5,061 5,845 3,177 7,215 3,511
Finance and insurance (3) .................... 57 104 74 8,993 18,575 12,190 9,692 18,927 11,457
Real estate and rental and leasing (3) ....... 7 9 5 806 1,461 453 901 1,176 456
Professional and technical services (3) ...... 31 50 29 7,990 9,634 5,397 7,808 9,675 2,697
Management of companies and enterprises ...... 6 9 5 1,183 1,642 700 668 1,226 434
Administrative and waste services (3) ........ 72 136 82 13,448 21,525 12,142 13,808 24,702 10,181
Educational services ......................... (2) (2) 4 (2) (2) 393 (2) (2) 349
Health care and social assistance ............ 19 22 14 2,432 4,697 3,412 1,843 3,476 1,675
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .......... 22 50 19 2,427 17,859 2,398 2,318 7,218 1,680
Accommodation and food services .............. 47 73 52 6,267 12,843 7,940 7,389 11,819 5,971
Other services, except public administration . 7 14 5 805 2,220 441 664 1,945 401
Unclassified ................................. - 3 3 - 696 404 - 514 259
1 For the first quarter of 2008, 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.
3 Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years due to a change in NAICS versions.
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, 2007 and 2008
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
Reason for layoff
I IV I I IV I I IV I
2007r 2007r 2008p 2007r 2007r 2008p 2007r 2007r 2008p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ..... 1,110 1,814 1,111 225,600 301,377 188,326 199,250 346,030 165,933
Business demand ................... 437 613 520 62,693 83,995 79,358 84,844 137,224 80,248
Contract cancellation ........... 23 17 16 3,503 2,564 2,264 3,269 3,384 1,775
Contract completion ............. 193 286 212 24,371 34,838 25,769 31,181 49,155 25,782
Domestic competition ............ 7 (2) - 885 (2) - 728 (2) -
Excess inventory/saturated
market ......................... 15 (2) 6 3,525 (2) 1,380 3,834 (2) 653
Import competition .............. 23 16 14 2,744 2,868 2,096 2,791 6,065 1,644
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown.. 176 282 272 27,665 42,200 47,849 43,041 76,589 50,394
Organizational changes ............ 127 92 91 68,354 22,626 18,675 18,814 20,535 13,602
Business-ownership change ....... 34 24 18 54,698 9,673 5,626 5,260 5,693 1,489
Reorganization or restructuring
of company ..................... 93 68 73 13,656 12,953 13,049 13,554 14,842 12,113
Financial issues .................. 99 124 106 21,689 24,652 22,972 20,939 25,800 16,611
Bankruptcy ...................... 12 15 22 2,858 4,665 5,433 1,670 2,597 2,974
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ......... 54 42 34 11,672 8,254 5,297 12,216 13,274 5,878
Financial difficulty ............ 33 67 50 7,159 11,733 12,242 7,053 9,929 7,759
Production specific ............... 24 25 24 5,959 3,935 11,760 7,295 4,864 8,051
Automation/technological
advances ...................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Energy related .................. - - - - - - - - -
Governmental regulations/
intervention ................... 4 (2) (2) 568 (2) (2) 388 (2) (2)
Labor dispute/contract
negotiations/strike ............ (2) 10 4 (2) 1,457 5,054 (2) 2,386 2,186
Material or supply shortage ..... 9 (2) 5 803 (2) 4,289 955 (2) 3,977
Model changeover ................ (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Plant or machine repair/
maintenance .................... (2) 8 5 (2) 1,360 507 (2) 972 399
Product line discontinued ....... 4 (2) 4 642 (2) 1,104 397 (2) 908
Disaster/safety ................... 20 6 6 1,639 778 968 1,615 809 568
Hazardous work environment ...... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Natural disaster (not weather
related) ....................... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Non-natural disaster ............ (2) - - (2) - - (2) - -
Extreme weather-related event ... 16 6 (2) 1,290 778 (2) 1,237 809 (2)
Seasonal .......................... 261 752 226 39,255 129,733 38,540 40,110 119,180 31,356
Seasonal ........................ (2) 747 226 (2) 129,317 38,540 (2) 118,616 31,356
Vacation period-school related
or otherwise ................... (2) 5 - (2) 416 - (2) 564 -
Other/miscellaneous ............... 142 202 138 26,011 35,658 16,053 25,633 37,618 15,497
Other ........................... 9 12 15 1,454 2,091 1,363 950 3,150 1,691
Data not provided: refusal ...... 52 57 46 9,922 11,227 6,535 9,903 11,241 6,494
Data not provided: does not
know ........................... 81 133 77 14,635 22,340 8,155 14,780 23,227 7,312
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, fourth quarter, 2007 and first quarter, 2008
Total Percent of total
initial Hispanic Persons age 55
Layoff events claimants Black origin Women and over
State
IV I IV I IV I IV I IV I IV I
2007r 2008p 2007r 2008p 2007r 2008p 2007r 2008p 2007r 2008p 2007r 2008p
Total, private nonfarm (1) . 1,814 1,111 346,030 165,933 12.4 14.3 16.4 18.1 29.5 34.7 16.7 17.9
Alabama ........................ 9 11 1,867 1,730 59.4 51.3 2.5 5.2 46.7 46.8 20.4 16.2
Alaska ......................... 8 (2) 1,373 (2) 3.4 3.8 14.2 15.4 25.9 25.0 17.0 21.2
Arizona ........................ 7 3 1,079 287 11.6 15.0 30.7 31.0 40.6 35.2 9.6 11.1
Arkansas ....................... 8 3 3,229 331 19.5 41.4 1.2 2.4 36.5 65.9 24.1 20.2
California ..................... 435 402 79,551 52,822 7.1 8.6 38.0 39.3 34.7 34.7 13.8 14.0
Colorado ....................... 18 9 2,308 1,324 2.3 7.2 41.9 17.5 12.3 34.2 18.4 16.9
Connecticut .................... 8 3 1,231 246 13.2 8.9 7.4 8.5 33.5 43.9 22.4 32.9
Delaware ....................... 3 - 209 - 29.7 - 9.1 - 23.9 - 41.1 -
District of Columbia ........... (2) - (2) - 50.0 - 18.0 - 51.6 - 13.9 -
Florida ........................ 61 15 7,122 1,329 13.9 12.9 25.2 24.5 40.4 31.9 21.6 22.0
Georgia ........................ 15 19 6,450 3,149 28.7 29.2 11.2 9.3 42.3 47.3 16.0 17.6
Hawaii ......................... 4 6 495 603 7.9 8.1 10.7 12.8 19.0 12.3 12.7 10.6
Idaho .......................... 14 6 2,041 683 .4 .3 18.2 14.6 23.2 23.7 15.6 16.5
Illinois ....................... 178 98 27,605 13,287 14.4 24.8 21.6 15.9 21.5 37.3 13.0 15.4
Indiana ........................ 54 23 17,360 7,658 10.1 9.1 4.5 4.3 24.3 27.4 15.8 20.4
Iowa ........................... 27 9 6,287 2,321 2.3 1.2 3.8 1.6 24.0 37.5 17.5 16.4
Kansas ......................... 8 6 1,335 663 12.7 14.9 6.3 2.9 26.7 46.9 18.3 18.1
Kentucky ....................... 18 16 2,179 1,660 2.2 13.3 - .3 11.2 30.5 16.7 17.9
Louisiana ...................... 12 7 1,296 2,252 62.7 42.7 1.9 3.2 26.5 27.0 15.3 25.9
Maine .......................... 8 (2) 1,388 (2) 3.2 3.1 .3 .3 35.1 52.9 20.0 21.8
Maryland ....................... 25 6 3,285 853 34.9 19.6 .5 4.5 38.0 33.2 18.8 29.0
Massachusetts .................. 26 18 3,554 2,008 9.1 12.1 .7 1.4 31.1 43.3 21.6 16.7
Michigan ....................... 95 56 32,411 14,190 22.6 19.5 6.0 2.7 24.4 27.7 17.4 22.5
Minnesota ...................... 75 15 11,285 1,252 3.1 3.7 9.1 3.4 16.1 25.8 16.3 15.7
Mississippi .................... 5 7 747 558 67.1 54.3 .3 1.1 32.3 36.4 20.3 19.5
Missouri ....................... 40 19 5,015 1,634 7.7 14.5 .4 .4 33.6 43.1 26.9 17.7
Montana ........................ 10 3 1,379 280 .4 - 3.6 2.5 9.9 18.2 17.8 26.8
Nebraska ....................... 6 (2) 580 (2) 2.1 .6 9.0 23.6 7.8 2.5 31.6 18.0
Nevada ......................... 13 9 3,121 1,200 9.5 4.3 17.5 32.3 28.6 35.9 19.2 19.6
New Hampshire .................. 3 (2) 369 (2) 1.1 .7 1.6 3.7 5.7 41.5 29.0 9.6
New Jersey ..................... 54 28 7,609 3,152 17.4 22.5 9.2 11.1 42.3 44.4 23.5 22.8
New Mexico ..................... 3 5 428 660 1.4 2.7 79.7 37.4 50.5 26.8 29.7 36.8
New York ....................... 106 47 19,864 6,329 9.6 10.8 8.6 7.9 24.0 28.6 19.3 17.5
North Carolina ................. 6 13 992 1,795 39.9 61.6 3.9 4.2 40.5 52.0 25.6 24.7
North Dakota ................... 8 - 1,166 - .5 - 3.9 - 13.2 - 18.2 -
Ohio ........................... 116 64 22,436 13,598 13.3 17.0 2.8 3.1 24.1 30.4 14.5 18.2
Oklahoma ....................... (2) (2) (2) (2) 3.5 17.4 5.3 3.1 29.8 56.7 5.3 8.7
Oregon ......................... 24 10 6,795 3,009 1.2 .5 26.7 26.4 40.8 35.5 18.2 21.2
Pennsylvania ................... 78 61 21,399 9,125 7.1 6.9 4.2 5.0 36.9 34.2 19.6 23.3
Rhode Island ................... 6 3 726 218 2.8 1.4 12.5 7.8 31.4 34.9 16.0 40.4
South Carolina ................. 13 7 1,942 728 69.8 43.3 .1 .1 58.9 47.7 8.4 3.7
South Dakota ................... (2) (2) (2) (2) - 5.6 14.7 16.7 34.7 68.9 37.3 10.0
Tennessee ...................... 28 16 6,770 1,462 33.9 21.5 .1 - 40.8 58.2 28.8 19.3
Texas .......................... 29 22 5,552 2,456 21.6 18.6 39.7 33.3 36.5 34.6 11.7 20.4
Utah ........................... 11 5 2,105 465 1.0 3.9 13.8 24.1 9.5 50.1 12.5 8.4
Vermont ........................ 4 (2) 423 (2) - 1.0 .5 - 27.4 31.6 22.9 20.7
Virginia ....................... 21 14 2,656 2,819 42.0 26.0 5.0 1.3 52.5 44.4 19.5 23.1
Washington ..................... 25 5 3,907 550 4.1 4.7 24.3 4.4 31.9 42.4 16.8 18.0
West Virginia .................. 8 4 921 551 .4 .2 - - 11.7 44.6 14.9 18.3
Wisconsin ...................... 76 26 13,802 5,321 4.1 4.1 8.2 11.6 16.8 35.6 15.4 20.6
Wyoming ........................ (2) (2) (2) (2) 2.3 - - 1.5 25.8 35.4 30.3 26.2
Puerto Rico .................... 9 8 2,088 1,741 - .1 98.0 97.8 54.1 58.5 11.1 6.3
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, 2007 and 2008
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
Census region and division
I IV I I IV I I IV I
2007r 2007r 2008p 2007r 2007r 2008p 2007r 2007r 2008p
United States (1) ..... 1,110 1,814 1,111 225,600 301,377 188,326 199,250 346,030 165,933
Northeast ..................... 198 293 165 28,100 49,004 21,741 32,564 56,563 21,695
New England ............... 39 55 29 7,381 11,348 4,264 4,964 7,691 3,089
Middle Atlantic ........... 159 238 136 20,719 37,656 17,477 27,600 48,872 18,606
South ......................... 196 263 162 37,709 45,153 29,554 37,962 45,396 22,063
South Atlantic ............ 109 153 78 18,113 24,182 13,454 20,970 23,699 11,224
East South Central ........ 51 60 50 10,752 12,757 8,202 10,221 11,563 5,410
West South Central ........ 36 50 34 8,844 8,214 7,898 6,771 10,134 5,429
Midwest ....................... 314 684 319 55,894 114,726 71,890 65,252 139,357 60,175
East North Central ........ 256 519 267 46,550 88,794 63,758 56,418 113,614 54,054
West North Central ........ 58 165 52 9,344 25,932 8,132 8,834 25,743 6,121
West .......................... 402 574 465 103,897 92,494 65,141 63,472 104,714 62,000
Mountain .................. 39 78 41 4,705 16,135 6,129 3,970 12,593 4,964
Pacific ................... 363 496 424 99,192 76,359 59,012 59,502 92,121 57,036
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, 2007 and 2008
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
State
I IV I I IV I I IV I
2007r 2007r 2008p 2007r 2007r 2008p 2007r 2007r 2008p
Total, private nonfarm (1) . 1,110 1,814 1,111 225,600 301,377 188,326 199,250 346,030 165,933
Alabama ........................ 8 9 11 1,448 1,693 1,267 1,335 1,867 1,730
Alaska ......................... - 8 (2) - 1,916 (2) - 1,373 (2)
Arizona ........................ 4 7 3 538 1,364 253 382 1,079 287
Arkansas ....................... 3 8 3 821 1,193 500 562 3,229 331
California ..................... 321 435 402 92,008 64,718 55,469 53,242 79,551 52,822
Colorado ....................... 7 18 9 567 3,588 2,098 573 2,308 1,324
Connecticut .................... 6 8 3 1,895 1,624 247 1,509 1,231 246
Delaware ....................... - 3 - - 231 - - 209 -
District of Columbia ........... - (2) - - (2) - - (2) -
Florida ........................ 38 61 15 6,989 9,110 1,506 6,384 7,122 1,329
Georgia ........................ 14 15 19 2,115 2,813 2,112 2,743 6,450 3,149
Hawaii ......................... 4 4 6 602 563 555 525 495 603
Idaho .......................... 9 14 6 1,073 2,218 610 799 2,041 683
Illinois ....................... 94 178 98 15,633 30,467 17,771 15,171 27,605 13,287
Indiana ........................ 27 54 23 3,429 8,797 7,485 4,859 17,360 7,658
Iowa ........................... 9 27 9 1,352 4,559 1,404 1,326 6,287 2,321
Kansas ......................... 3 8 6 925 1,066 810 1,163 1,335 663
Kentucky ....................... 12 18 16 1,224 2,716 1,812 1,187 2,179 1,660
Louisiana ...................... 6 12 7 875 2,080 2,975 629 1,296 2,252
Maine .......................... 9 8 (2) 2,769 1,827 (2) 908 1,388 (2)
Maryland ....................... 12 25 6 1,071 3,115 986 1,105 3,285 853
Massachusetts .................. 19 26 18 2,025 6,181 2,486 2,024 3,554 2,008
Michigan ....................... 58 95 56 14,826 16,433 14,149 21,743 32,411 14,190
Minnesota ...................... 22 75 15 3,004 12,047 1,957 3,284 11,285 1,252
Mississippi .................... 9 5 7 2,234 782 1,834 1,695 747 558
Missouri ....................... 19 40 19 3,569 6,019 3,371 2,602 5,015 1,634
Montana ........................ (2) 10 3 (2) 1,385 280 (2) 1,379 280
Nebraska ....................... - 6 (2) - 859 (2) - 580 (2)
Nevada ......................... 9 13 9 1,412 2,780 1,020 1,390 3,121 1,200
New Hampshire .................. (2) 3 (2) (2) 415 (2) (2) 369 (2)
New Jersey ..................... 37 54 28 6,205 9,257 5,344 5,630 7,609 3,152
New Mexico ..................... 3 3 5 219 434 518 224 428 660
New York ....................... 53 106 47 6,615 17,570 6,377 6,592 19,864 6,329
North Carolina ................. 20 6 13 2,629 553 2,101 5,140 992 1,795
North Dakota ................... 3 8 - 319 1,166 - 319 1,166 -
Ohio ........................... 55 116 64 7,940 20,000 19,420 9,673 22,436 13,598
Oklahoma ....................... 7 (2) (2) 3,129 (2) (2) 1,899 (2) (2)
Oregon ......................... 16 24 10 3,035 6,535 1,752 2,901 6,795 3,009
Pennsylvania ................... 69 78 61 7,899 10,829 5,756 15,378 21,399 9,125
Rhode Island ................... (2) 6 3 (2) 779 243 (2) 726 218
South Carolina ................. 5 13 7 565 2,001 910 528 1,942 728
South Dakota ................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Tennessee ...................... 22 28 16 5,846 7,566 3,289 6,004 6,770 1,462
Texas .......................... 20 29 22 4,019 4,840 3,949 3,681 5,552 2,456
Utah ........................... 5 11 5 724 2,004 1,150 486 2,105 465
Vermont ........................ (2) 4 (2) (2) 522 (2) (2) 423 (2)
Virginia ....................... 17 21 14 4,494 5,250 5,136 4,846 2,656 2,819
Washington ..................... 22 25 5 3,547 2,627 536 2,834 3,907 550
West Virginia .................. 3 8 4 250 987 703 224 921 551
Wisconsin ...................... 22 76 26 4,722 13,097 4,933 4,972 13,802 5,321
Wyoming ........................ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Puerto Rico .................... 12 9 8 902 755 493 3,022 2,088 1,741
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, 2001-2008
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
2001
First quarter .... 1,546 304,171 91 20,991 32 5,558 22 4,441 13 3,317
Second quarter ... 1,828 430,499 161 38,986 69 9,563 36 12,109 15 3,519
Third quarter .... 1,629 330,391 142 24,813 45 5,724 39 8,200 21 5,350
Fourth quarter ... 2,372 459,771 109 17,797 50 7,667 43 10,124 38 9,889
Total ........ 7,375 1,524,832 503 102,587 196 28,512 140 34,874 87 22,075
2002
First quarter .... 1,611 299,266 84 18,574 34 3,770 32 8,192 28 4,346
Second quarter ... 1,624 344,606 69 11,764 39 4,326 27 4,870 34 5,643
Third quarter .... 1,186 255,152 76 15,017 36 4,359 34 6,529 33 5,496
Fourth quarter ... 1,916 373,307 74 14,298 26 5,709 19 3,645 31 7,643
Total ........ 6,337 1,272,331 303 59,653 135 18,164 112 23,236 126 23,128
2003
First quarter .... 1,502 286,947 71 11,900 27 5,097 23 4,402 26 4,513
Second quarter ... 1,799 368,273 54 9,221 19 2,741 21 3,098 22 4,169
Third quarter .... 1,190 236,333 46 6,488 24 4,189 9 1,289 8 842
Fourth quarter ... 1,690 325,333 25 5,080 8 1,167 9 1,619 23 5,774
Total ........ 6,181 1,216,886 196 32,689 78 13,194 62 10,408 79 15,298
2004
First quarter .... 1,339 276,503 27 3,222 13 2,786 8 894 14 2,832
Second quarter ... 1,358 278,831 18 2,959 15 2,775 - - 15 3,250
Third quarter .... 886 164,608 13 2,288 14 1,467 4 430 11 3,792
Fourth quarter ... 1,427 273,967 18 3,055 10 1,547 4 563 20 3,143
Total ........ 5,010 993,909 76 11,524 52 8,575 16 1,887 60 13,017
2005
First quarter .... 1,142 186,506 13 1,526 9 2,355 4 439 12 2,400
Second quarter ... 1,203 246,099 20 2,973 13 1,558 4 842 7 1,331
Third quarter .... 1,136 201,878 23 3,307 7 1,034 (6) (6) 3 304
Fourth quarter ... 1,400 250,178 19 4,122 3 720 (6) (6) 5 845
Total ........ 4,881 884,661 75 11,928 32 5,667 13 3,000 27 4,880
2006
First quarter .... 963 183,089 12 1,159 6 744 (6) (6) (6) (6)
Second quarter ... 1,353 295,964 10 3,294 7 1,564 8 988 (6) (6)
Third quarter .... 929 160,254 14 3,544 6 487 (6) (6) 8 1,222
Fourth quarter ... 1,640 296,662 12 4,039 4 708 5 1,482 8 947
Total ........ 4,885 935,969 48 12,036 23 3,503 19 3,753 23 3,406
2007
First quarter(r) . 1,110 225,600 19 3,007 5 875 3 415 5 885
Second quarter ... 1,421 278,719 22 3,634 4 413 5 433 3 315
Third quarter(r) . 1,019 160,830 22 5,279 6 1,030 4 403 3 276
Fourth quarter(r) 1,814 301,377 9 1,459 4 473 3 381 7 870
Total(r) ..... 5,364 966,526 72 13,379 19 2,791 15 1,632 18 2,346
2008
First quarter(p) . 1,111 188,326 18 2,921 5 543 (6) (6) (6) (6)
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. Beginning with first quarter 2008 data, the MLS program
switched to the 2007 NAICS. The industry groups defined by the Digital Economy 2003 are based on 2002 NAICS. Due to these
differences, historical data were subject to revision.
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, 2007 and 2008
Layoff events Separations
Industry
I IV I I IV I
2007 2007r 2008p 2007 2007r 2008p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................ 70 69 47 11,438 11,302 8,856
Mining ...................................... (2) - - (2) - -
Utilities ................................... - - - - - -
Construction ................................ - - - - - -
Manufacturing ............................... 50 48 28 8,147 7,980 4,735
Food ................................... 4 5 - 374 1,232 -
Beverage and tobacco products .......... (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Textile mills .......................... - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Textile product mills (3) .............. (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Apparel (3) ............................ 8 - (2) 1,023 - (2)
Leather and allied products ............ (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Wood products .......................... (2) - 3 (2) - 390
Paper .................................. 3 (2) (2) 405 (2) (2)
Printing and related support activities 5 3 (2) 913 411 (2)
Petroleum and coal products ............ - - - - - -
Chemicals .............................. 3 (2) (2) 998 (2) (2)
Plastics and rubber products (3) ....... (2) 3 (2) (2) 382 (2)
Nonmetallic mineral products ........... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Primary metals ......................... (2) 3 (2) (2) 390 (2)
Fabricated metal products .............. (2) 5 (2) (2) 879 (2)
Machinery (3) .......................... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Computer and electronic products ....... 3 3 5 916 620 1,195
Electrical equipment and appliances .... (2) 6 (2) (2) 1,360 (2)
Transportation equipment (3) ........... 5 10 6 775 1,438 958
Furniture and related products (3) ..... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Miscellaneous manufacturing (3) ........ 3 - - 524 - -
Wholesale trade ............................. (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 244
Retail trade ................................ (2) 3 (2) (2) 334 (2)
Transportation and warehousing .............. 3 (2) 3 538 (2) 284
Information ................................. (2) 3 (2) (2) 252 (2)
Finance and insurance (3) ................... 6 5 6 1,230 861 1,312
Real estate and rental and leasing (3) ...... - - - - - -
Professional and technical services (3) ..... - 4 (2) - 647 (2)
Management of companies and enterprises ..... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Administrative and waste services (3) ....... 3 (2) (2) 495 (2) (2)
Educational services ........................ - - - - - -
Health care and social assistance ........... - - - - - -
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... - - - - - -
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.
3 Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years due to a change in NAICS versions.
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, 2007 and 2008
Layoff events Separations
Reason for layoff I IV I I IV I
2007r 2007r 2008p 2007r 2007r 2008p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ..... 70 69 47 11,438 11,302 8,856
Business demand ................... 13 17 (2) 1,684 2,492 (2)
Contract cancellation ........... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Contract completion ............. - (2) - - (2) -
Domestic competition ............ (2) - - (2) - -
Excess inventory/saturated
market ......................... (2) - - (2) - -
Import competition .............. (2) 7 (2) (2) 1,167 (2)
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown . (2) 7 (2) (2) 950 (2)
Organizational changes ............ 39 30 15 6,766 5,110 2,958
Business-ownership change ....... 7 5 5 2,091 1,326 1,495
Reorganization or restructuring
of company ..................... 32 25 10 4,675 3,784 1,463
Financial issues .................. 14 21 16 2,425 3,600 3,054
Bankruptcy ...................... (2) - - (2) - -
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ......... (2) (2) 9 (2) (2) 1,056
Financial difficulty ............ (2) (2) 7 (2) (2) 1,998
Production specific ............... (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Automation/technological
advances ....................... - - - - - -
Energy related .................. - - - - - -
Governmental regulations/
intervention ................... - - - - - -
Labor dispute/contract
negotiations/strike ............ - - - - - -
Material or supply shortage ..... - - (2) - - (2)
Model changeover ................ - - - - - -
Plant or machine repair/
maintenance .................... - - - - - -
Product line discontinued ....... (2) - - (2) - -
Disaster/safety ................... - - (2) - - (2)
Hazardous work environment ...... - - - - - -
Natural disaster (not weather
related) ....................... - - (2) - - (2)
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 ........................... - - - - - -
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, 2007 and 2008
Layoff events Separations
Census region and division
I IV I I IV I
2007 2007r 2008p 2007 2007r 2008p
United States (1) . 70 69 47 11,438 11,302 8,856
Northeast ................. 17 11 4 2,834 1,726 1,176
New England ........... (2) 3 (2) (2) 562 (2)
Middle Atlantic ....... (2) 8 (2) (2) 1,164 (2)
South ..................... 26 16 18 3,466 2,105 2,753
South Atlantic ........ 15 8 8 1,827 903 947
East South Central .... (2) 5 7 (2) 512 1,140
West South Central .... (2) 3 3 (2) 690 666
Midwest ................... 16 30 12 2,781 5,847 2,700
East North Central .... 13 23 (2) 2,416 4,190 (2)
West North Central .... 3 7 (2) 365 1,657 (2)
West ...................... 11 12 13 2,357 1,624 2,227
Mountain .............. 5 (2) (2) 844 (2) (2)
Pacific ............... 6 (2) (2) 1,513 (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, 2007 and 2008
Layoff events Separations
Action
I IV I I IV I
2007 2007r 2008p 2007 2007r 2008p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ............. 1,110 1,814 1,111 225,600 301,377 188,326
Total, excluding seasonal
and vacation events (2)............ 849 1,062 885 186,345 171,644 149,786
Total, movement of work (3) .... 70 69 47 11,438 11,302 8,856
Movement of work actions ..... 86 90 59 (4) (4) (4)
With separations reported .. 61 66 36 8,467 7,152 5,297
With separations unknown .. 25 24 23 (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, 2007 and 2008
Actions (1) Separations
Activities
I IV I I IV I
2007 2007r 2008p 2007 2007r 2008p
With separations reported (2) . 61 66 36 8,467 7,152 5,297
By location
Out-of-country relocations .. 14 27 13 2,135 2,997 1,181
Within company .......... 13 26 10 2,086 2,910 882
Different company ....... 1 1 3 49 87 299
Domestic relocations ........ 46 39 23 6,261 4,155 4,116
Within company .......... 41 38 21 5,221 3,975 3,201
Different company ....... 5 1 2 1,040 180 915
Unable to assign place of
relocation ................. 1 - - 71 - -
By company
Within company .............. 55 64 31 7,378 6,885 4,083
Domestic ................ 41 38 21 5,221 3,975 3,201
Out of country .......... 13 26 10 2,086 2,910 882
Unable to assign ........ 1 - - 71 - -
Different company ........... 6 2 5 1,089 267 1,214
Domestic ................ 5 1 2 1,040 180 915
Out of country .......... 1 1 3 49 87 299
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
