For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, August 9, 2012 USDL-12-1589
Technical information: (202) 691-6392 * mlsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/mls
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS -- SECOND QUARTER 2012
Employers in the private nonfarm sector initiated 1,476 mass layoff events in the
second quarter of 2012 that resulted in the separation of 262,848 workers from
their jobs for at least 31 days, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported
today. Over the year, total extended mass layoff events and associated worker
separations were down from 1,810 and 317,546, respectively. (See table A.) In 2012,
total events reached their lowest second quarter level since 2007, while
manufacturing sector events declined to their lowest level for any quarter in
program history (with data available back to 1995). The completion of seasonal
work accounted for 44 percent of the total extended mass layoff events during the
quarter. Second quarter 2012 layoff data are preliminary and are subject to revision.
(See the Technical Note.)
Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs
Over the year ending in the second quarter of 2012, the number of private nonfarm
extended mass layoff events declined in 15 of the 18 major industry sectors, with
the largest decreases occurring in accommodation and food services and in
manufacturing. Total manufacturing events declined over-the-year from 263 to 180,
their lowest level for any quarter in program history. Sixteen of the 21 manufacturing
subsectors experienced over-the-year decreases in the number of layoff events. (See
table 1.)
The construction sector had 194 extended mass layoff events and 21,825 separations,
primarily due to contract completion. This sector accounted for 13 percent of the
layoff events and 8 percent of the related separations during the second quarter of
2012.
Reasons for Extended Layoffs
Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 44 percent of extended
mass layoff events and 51 percent of related separations in the private nonfarm sector
during the second quarter of 2012. Business demand factors, primarily contract
completion, accounted for 32 percent of the events and 27 percent of related
separations during the quarter. (See table 2.)
Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity
Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants
2008
January-March............ 1,340 230,098 259,292
April-June............... 1,756 354,713 339,630
July-September........... 1,581 290,453 304,340
October-December......... 3,582 641,714 766,780
2009
January-March............ 3,979 705,141 835,551
April-June............... 3,395 651,318 731,049
July-September........... 2,034 345,531 406,823
October-December......... 2,416 406,212 468,577
2010
January-March............ 1,870 314,512 368,664
April-June............... 2,008 381,622 396,441
July-September........... 1,370 222,357 260,077
October-December......... 1,999 338,643 390,584
2011
January-March............ 1,490 225,456 258,220
April-June............... 1,810 317,546 342,530
July-September (r) ...... 1,393 235,325 291,066
October-December (r) .... 1,903 334,383 403,439
2012
January-March (r) ....... 1,290 245,901 286,384
April-June (p) .......... 1,476 262,848 221,997
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Movement of Work
In the second quarter of 2012, 36 extended mass layoffs involved movement of work and
were associated with 7,506 worker separations. Forty-seven percent of the events
related to movement of work were from manufacturing industries. Employers cited
organizational changes as the economic reason for layoff in 58 percent of the events
involving movement of work. Among workers separated by the movement of work, the
largest proportions were in the Midwest. (See tables 6-8.)
The 36 events with movement of work for the second quarter involved 42 identifiable
relocations of work actions. (See table 9.) Employers were able to provide information
on the specific number of worker separations for 25 of these actions. Among these
actions, most were domestic reassignments and involved work moving within the same
company. (See table 10.)
Recall Expectations
Sixty-four percent of the private nonfarm employers reporting an extended mass layoff
in the second quarter of 2012 anticipated recalling at least some of the displaced
workers--the highest second quarter percentage since 1998. Of those employers expecting
to recall workers, 44 percent indicated the offer would be extended to all displaced
employees and 77 percent anticipated extending the offer to at least half of the workers.
Among employers expecting to recall laid-off workers, 75 percent intend to do so within
six months. Excluding extended mass layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period,
employers anticipated recalling laid-off workers in 38 percent of the events. (See table
11.)
Table B. Metropolitan areas with the largest number of initial claimants associated with
extended mass layoff events in the second quarter 2012, by residency of claimants
2011 II (r) 2012 II (p)
Metropolitan area Initial Initial
claimants Rank claimants Rank
Total, 372 metropolitan areas ........... 278,922 181,686
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. ........ 34,819 1 22,248 1
New York-Northern New Jersey-Long
Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ....................... 20,469 2 16,019 2
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. ....... 14,664 3 12,497 3
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. ........ 9,355 4 6,134 4
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.
-N.J.-Del.-Md. ............................... 8,621 5 4,561 5
St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. ............................. 5,077 9 4,190 6
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. ........... 7,826 6 4,087 7
Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. ........................... 1,904 27 3,353 8
Pittsburgh, Pa. ................................. 5,600 8 3,042 9
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas ............... 3,118 13 2,881 10
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 10-02, December 1, 2009.
Size of Extended Layoffs
The average size of a layoff (as measured by the number of separations per layoff event)
was 178 workers during the second quarter of 2012. (See table 12.) Events were largely
concentrated at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 67 percent
involving fewer than 150 workers. Conversely, only 6 percent of layoff events involved
500 or more workers. (See table 13.)
Initial Claimant Characteristics
A total of 221,997 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with
extended mass layoffs in the second quarter of 2012. Of these claimants, 18 percent were
black, 18 percent were Hispanic, 53 percent were women, and 25 percent were 55 years of
age or older. (See table 3.) In the entire civilian labor force for the same period, 12
percent of all persons were black, 16 percent were Hispanic, 47 percent were women, and
21 percent were 55 years of age or older.
Geographic Distribution
Among the four census regions, the West recorded the highest number of extended mass layoff
events in the second quarter of 2012. Among the nine census divisions, the highest number
of mass layoff events was in the Pacific. All regions and 8 of the 9 divisions registered
fewer extended mass layoff events compared with the second quarter of 2011. (See table 4.)
California recorded the largest number of extended mass layoff events in the second quarter
of 2012, followed by Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York. Over the year, 38 states reported
decreased numbers of extended mass layoff events for the second quarter. The largest declines
were in California, Florida, and Pennsylvania. (See table 5.)
Eighty-two percent of the initial claimants for unemployment insurance associated with
extended mass layoff events in the second quarter of 2012 resided within metropolitan areas.
Among the 372 metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported the
highest number of resident initial claimants. (See table B.)
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 current quarter
are preliminary and subject to revision. This release also includes revised data for previous
quarters. Data are not seasonally 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 Mass Layoffs news release for July is scheduled to be released on
Thursday, August 23, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).
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 consecutive 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 industry 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
Domestic relocation. A movement of work from an establishment within the
U.S. to a location also inside the U.S., either within the same company or to
a different company altogether (domestic outsourcing).
Employer. A firm covered by state unemployment insurance laws. Information
on employers is obtained from the Quarterly Census ofEmployment and Wages (QCEW)
program, which is administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Extended mass layoff event. A layoff defined by the filing of 50 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. Such
layoffs involve both persons subject to recall and those who are terminated.
Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of unemployment to initiate
a request either for a determination of entitlement to and eligibility for
compensation, or for a subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or
period of eligibility.
Movement of work. The reassignment of work activities previously performed
at the worksite by the company experiencing the layoff (1) to another worksite
within the company; (2) to another company under formal contractual arrangements
at the same worksite; or (3) to another company under formal contractual
arrangements at another worksite either within or outside of the U.S.
Outsourcing. A movement of work that was formerly conducted inhouse by employees
paid directly by a company to a different company under a contractual arrangement.
Overseas relocation. A movement of work from an establishment within the
U.S. to a location outside of the U.S. (offshoring), either within the same
company or to a different company altogether (offshore outsourcing).
Relocation of work action. A movement-of-work action where the employer
provides information on the new location of work and/or the number of workers
affected by the movement. Events may involve more than one action per employer
if work is moved to more than one location.
Separations. The number of individuals who have become displaced during an
extended mass layoff event as provided by the employer, regardless of whether
they file for unemployment insurance or not.
Worksite closure. The complete closure of an employer or the partial closure
of an employer with multiple locations where entire worksites affected by layoffs
are closed.
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 collected
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
Beginning in 2004, the economic reasons "domestic relocation" and "overseas
relocation" were replaced by the movement of work concept. The movement of work
data are not collected in the same way as the relocation reasons in releases prior
to 2004; therefore, the movement of work data are not comparable to the data for
those discontinued reasons.
Questions on movement of work and location are asked for all layoff events when
the reason for separation is other than "seasonal work" or "vacation period," as
these are unlikely. Movement of work questions are asked after the analyst verifies
that a layoff in fact occurred and lasted more than 30 days. 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 location(s)
to a different geographic location(s) within your company?"
(2) "Did this layoff include your company moving work that was performed inhouse
by your employees to a different company, through contractual arrangements?"
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 "domestic relocation" if the employer responds
"yes" to questions 1 and/or 2 and indicates the location(s) was inside the U.S.;
"overseas relocation" indicates that the location(s) was outside the U.S.
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
employers and unemployment insurance claims, and, therefore, is not subject to
issues associated with sampling error. Nonsampling errors such as typographical
errors may affect the identification of layoff events and associated claimants, but
are not likely to be significant.
With one exception, all employers in the private nonfarm sector identified as
having a mass layoff based on administrative data are asked the interview questions.
These employer responses are also subject to nonsampling error. Nonsampling errors
can occur for many reasons, including the inability to obtain information for all
respondents, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information,
and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.
Beginning with first quarter 2012 data, employers in California identified as
having mass layoff events from the administrative and support services (NAICS 561)
industry subsector are randomly selected to participate in the employer interview.
Sampling weights are applied to data collected from these employer interviews,
which represent responses for those employers not selected for employer contact.
These data are subject to sampling errors which can result from the variation that
occurs by chance because a sample is surveyed rather than the entire universe of
NAICS 561 employers in California identified as having layoff events.
For the second quarter of 2012, outright refusal to participate in the employer
interview accounted for 4.1 percent of all private nonfarm events. Although included
in the total number of instances involving the movement of work, employers in 17
relocations were unable to provide the number of separations specifically associated
with the movement of work, 3 of which involved out-of-country moves.
Additional information
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals
upon request. Voice phone: (202)691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
Industry
II I II II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................. 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848 342,530 286,384 221,997
Mining ....................................... (2) 16 12 (2) 1,760 1,673 (2) 1,523 1,263
Utilities .................................... (2) 3 (2) (2) 421 (2) (2) 850 (2)
Construction ................................. 237 261 194 29,631 33,700 21,825 37,978 41,749 23,702
Manufacturing ................................ 263 233 180 40,023 33,044 29,003 47,082 36,104 26,127
Food .................................... 66 56 57 9,804 8,714 8,370 11,256 10,257 7,272
Beverage and tobacco products ........... (2) 3 (2) (2) 485 (2) (2) 320 (2)
Textile mills ........................... 3 4 (2) 446 382 (2) 2,488 374 (2)
Textile product mills ................... 3 3 6 201 435 764 402 964 686
Apparel ................................. 11 4 4 3,373 1,182 558 3,625 1,177 616
Leather and allied products ............. - - (2) - - (2) - - (2)
Wood products ........................... 6 13 (2) 619 1,686 (2) 747 1,314 (2)
Paper ................................... 7 6 4 1,420 645 1,490 1,077 663 596
Printing and related support activities . 9 7 11 637 1,200 923 913 997 1,125
Petroleum and coal products ............. (2) 4 - (2) 810 - (2) 327 -
Chemicals ............................... 9 9 6 915 1,222 1,165 892 1,087 805
Plastics and rubber products ............ 12 11 4 1,230 1,109 376 1,284 880 296
Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 5 21 4 412 2,143 356 584 2,295 360
Primary metals .......................... 6 (2) 6 991 (2) 822 812 (2) 807
Fabricated metal products ............... 15 12 6 2,025 1,093 635 2,258 1,113 718
Machinery ............................... 16 11 16 4,005 1,015 3,315 3,629 1,715 2,044
Computer and electronic products ........ 17 19 11 2,135 2,245 1,455 2,165 2,033 1,041
Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 5 (2) 3 424 (2) 1,133 539 (2) 1,007
Transportation equipment ................ 54 27 27 9,415 5,464 4,980 11,586 7,882 6,009
Furniture and related products .......... 7 10 5 879 1,454 369 1,248 1,291 349
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............. 9 8 4 842 1,160 659 1,333 954 578
Wholesale trade .............................. 35 27 30 4,243 3,032 4,649 4,637 2,644 3,589
Retail trade ................................. 90 139 80 15,747 35,373 16,407 18,767 37,412 16,870
Transportation and warehousing ............... 160 50 155 37,832 8,621 28,416 41,072 7,053 25,824
Information .................................. 56 74 56 15,755 31,454 13,253 17,470 45,657 13,937
Finance and insurance ........................ 60 35 24 9,145 6,819 5,233 11,786 5,880 3,065
Real estate and rental and leasing ........... 18 6 9 2,843 3,269 1,324 3,054 1,549 1,520
Professional and technical services .......... 96 62 80 21,367 12,799 21,330 23,429 17,203 15,976
Management of companies and enterprises ...... 9 12 8 1,031 1,871 834 879 1,824 805
Administrative and waste services ............ 169 189 167 32,294 46,414 29,276 37,321 60,520 22,921
Educational services ......................... 37 6 27 4,977 495 3,306 6,020 618 2,836
Health care and social assistance ............ 225 29 189 27,577 4,374 25,819 28,311 4,105 21,098
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .......... 71 45 61 15,913 5,899 14,892 9,629 6,412 7,013
Accommodation and food services .............. 202 89 146 48,826 15,035 37,490 43,842 13,671 28,595
Other services, except public administration . 75 10 53 8,470 1,156 7,443 10,228 1,276 6,314
Unclassified ................................. - 4 (2) - 365 (2) - 334 (2)
1 For the second quarter of 2012, 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, 2011 and 2012
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
Reason for layoff
II I II II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ..... 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848 342,530 286,384 221,997
Business demand ................... 517 518 477 74,273 107,583 71,532 97,935 150,923 71,095
Contract cancellation ........... 30 20 31 3,617 4,694 6,466 3,769 3,775 4,451
Contract completion ............. 317 358 311 49,032 83,425 44,536 67,686 124,206 48,429
Domestic competition ............ - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Excess inventory/saturated
market ........................ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Import competition .............. (2) - - (2) - - (2) - -
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown. 166 135 131 21,063 17,725 19,896 25,974 19,207 17,783
Organizational changes ............ 70 74 77 16,533 15,077 15,628 12,582 13,495 10,245
Business-ownership change ....... 17 15 16 8,787 3,844 5,533 2,339 1,623 1,346
Reorganization or restructuring
of company .................... 53 59 61 7,746 11,233 10,095 10,243 11,872 8,899
Financial issues .................. 117 114 75 15,854 21,773 13,154 19,948 17,059 9,900
Bankruptcy ...................... 26 16 14 3,668 2,557 2,329 3,374 1,514 1,628
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ........ 61 52 36 7,084 9,947 6,069 11,427 9,232 5,591
Financial difficulty ............ 30 46 25 5,102 9,269 4,756 5,147 6,313 2,681
Production specific ............... 33 16 (2) 4,369 2,469 (2) 7,382 2,766 (2)
Automation/technological
advances ...................... 3 3 (2) 513 626 (2) 675 911 (2)
Energy related .................. - - - - - - - - -
Governmental regulations/
intervention .................. 5 3 3 690 528 593 1,890 479 284
Labor dispute/contract
negotiations/strike ........... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Material or supply shortage ..... 17 (2) (2) 2,034 (2) (2) 3,134 (2) (2)
Model changeover ................ (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 1,436 (2) (2) 2,054
Plant or machine repair/
maintenance ................... 3 3 (2) 439 265 (2) 358 428 (2)
Product line discontinued ....... (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 614 (2) (2) 330
Disaster/safety ................... 11 4 (2) 2,039 676 (2) 2,152 590 (2)
Hazardous work environment ...... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Natural disaster (not weather
related) ...................... - - - - - - - - -
Non-natural disaster ............ (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Extreme weather-related event ... 7 (2) - 1,244 (2) - 1,529 (2) -
Seasonal .......................... 773 324 656 151,717 54,244 132,820 149,023 57,830 102,180
Seasonal ........................ 468 (2) 371 95,526 (2) 83,593 87,499 (2) 59,339
Vacation period-school related
or otherwise .................. 305 (2) 285 56,191 (2) 49,227 61,524 (2) 42,841
Other/miscellaneous ............... 289 240 175 52,761 44,079 25,323 53,508 43,721 25,022
Other ........................... 29 24 17 3,848 4,905 2,611 4,596 5,069 2,437
Data not provided: refusal ...... 67 70 63 18,512 13,110 9,463 18,538 13,110 9,328
Data not provided: does not
know .......................... 193 146 95 30,401 26,064 13,249 30,374 25,542 13,257
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, first and second quarters, 2012
Total Percent of total
initial Hispanic Persons age 55
Layoff events claimants Black origin Women and over
State
I II I II I II I II I II I II
2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p
Total, private nonfarm (1) . 1,290 1,476 286,384 221,997 11.8 18.3 23.6 17.9 38.3 53.1 18.7 24.6
Alabama ........................ 6 22 1,719 3,156 20.5 62.6 4.1 2.2 38.0 71.2 24.3 22.1
Alaska ......................... 4 11 433 1,828 6.9 6.3 4.4 8.4 30.0 39.4 12.9 29.4
Arizona ........................ 15 21 1,969 3,624 8.4 5.5 34.3 58.7 44.7 67.7 16.8 23.9
Arkansas ....................... 6 13 1,517 2,374 19.1 30.7 2.8 5.5 41.8 55.7 25.4 25.7
California ..................... 446 308 152,169 50,835 8.3 8.1 33.6 37.6 40.3 41.6 16.2 17.3
Colorado ....................... 8 22 1,251 3,181 5.9 5.0 45.1 19.8 24.0 48.0 25.4 18.9
Connecticut .................... 7 16 762 2,160 11.2 15.4 7.7 13.7 29.0 70.0 35.7 34.9
Delaware ....................... 4 7 505 669 30.7 48.4 3.4 10.0 50.3 76.7 21.0 27.2
District of Columbia ........... 3 5 239 505 72.4 85.5 7.5 3.8 61.1 64.2 25.9 24.8
Florida ........................ 20 48 2,728 5,778 27.0 32.8 26.8 34.9 50.2 70.1 25.0 27.7
Georgia ........................ 19 33 2,729 5,300 52.1 55.2 .6 2.7 32.4 62.4 17.7 23.7
Hawaii ......................... (2) (2) (2) (2) .8 .9 19.2 8.9 3.0 16.4 7.5 15.0
Idaho .......................... 5 6 654 462 .2 - 11.9 3.2 37.2 51.9 24.9 25.8
Illinois ....................... 75 110 12,761 20,524 19.5 23.5 13.4 11.4 33.8 58.1 17.9 23.7
Indiana ........................ 22 29 3,832 3,963 9.0 17.5 1.6 1.9 33.5 43.8 21.2 21.9
Iowa ........................... - 8 - 1,118 - 9.6 - 6.1 - 63.1 - 30.1
Kansas ......................... 6 16 643 1,999 14.6 15.9 1.1 4.5 51.6 57.5 11.8 31.5
Kentucky ....................... 29 25 3,257 3,114 17.3 12.1 .1 .1 33.7 41.7 15.4 23.9
Louisiana ...................... 10 35 1,534 4,616 42.9 70.7 6.1 2.8 42.0 72.5 28.1 27.9
Maine .......................... 6 9 852 976 5.3 .4 .6 .7 44.1 46.3 26.9 21.1
Maryland (3) ................... 18 3 1,732 365 36.5 12.9 4.1 1.6 38.4 52.1 26.6 10.4
Massachusetts .................. 20 21 2,924 3,368 13.3 17.0 .7 1.7 40.9 65.1 17.3 28.4
Michigan ....................... 29 37 9,265 4,687 16.8 19.6 2.1 3.1 38.1 69.6 23.6 27.0
Minnesota ...................... 18 15 2,508 1,681 4.6 8.7 3.4 3.5 27.3 46.8 20.0 28.4
Mississippi .................... 9 7 954 1,000 56.7 67.5 2.6 7.5 45.9 49.0 32.4 19.7
Missouri ....................... 21 47 1,762 7,791 13.8 21.7 2.9 1.8 38.4 56.4 20.7 28.6
Montana ........................ (2) 4 (2) 439 - 1.4 4.1 2.7 6.5 40.3 37.4 9.3
Nebraska ....................... (2) 5 (2) 835 9.2 17.1 18.4 3.4 42.1 62.8 19.7 44.0
Nevada ......................... 18 12 3,243 1,196 10.7 8.7 28.6 29.9 42.8 47.8 20.6 29.8
New Hampshire .................. 7 6 558 1,170 1.1 .4 13.3 1.1 20.3 69.0 27.4 32.9
New Jersey ..................... 44 66 6,390 10,698 19.8 21.7 5.4 5.8 44.9 64.1 22.7 35.3
New Mexico ..................... 6 16 683 1,654 .9 1.2 54.8 54.0 22.7 51.1 19.6 21.9
New York ....................... 86 90 11,941 13,816 15.0 16.2 19.1 16.2 37.4 49.8 25.0 25.1
North Carolina ................. 16 10 1,794 1,308 26.0 58.0 7.7 6.2 33.2 56.3 22.8 17.0
North Dakota ................... (2) - (2) - - - 1.0 - 12.9 - 33.7 -
Ohio ........................... 62 66 8,069 8,051 13.9 16.1 3.0 3.5 30.3 51.1 21.3 25.2
Oklahoma ....................... 5 (2) 479 (2) 5.0 3.3 7.3 19.7 44.3 46.1 23.2 23.0
Oregon ......................... 24 28 5,321 4,012 2.8 2.6 14.8 19.5 45.2 48.1 19.1 18.9
Pennsylvania ................... 68 94 10,399 12,999 8.1 10.9 5.7 3.3 36.3 57.4 28.8 37.0
Rhode Island ................... - 7 - 1,452 - 4.4 - 16.5 - 68.0 - 32.4
South Carolina ................. 10 7 1,351 1,047 51.0 57.4 1.9 1.9 51.5 61.2 13.4 27.9
South Dakota ................... - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tennessee ...................... 11 18 1,851 2,205 17.5 22.3 .1 - 50.6 58.7 21.2 36.5
Texas .......................... 31 50 9,174 9,670 12.9 17.6 53.4 45.8 17.4 47.6 14.5 17.2
Utah ........................... 5 9 492 1,000 2.2 1.1 14.8 10.1 15.0 45.4 10.0 15.6
Vermont ........................ 6 3 1,176 446 .9 1.1 .5 .4 34.9 36.5 20.6 18.6
Virginia ....................... 17 20 3,149 2,770 40.4 37.9 3.9 6.2 46.1 51.3 25.2 23.9
Washington ..................... 29 32 5,059 3,392 5.3 8.8 7.7 18.9 35.2 35.0 18.9 21.2
West Virginia .................. 5 5 844 694 .1 .1 - .1 28.0 20.3 28.2 20.2
Wisconsin ...................... 28 48 4,970 7,423 4.7 15.7 9.2 3.8 34.3 62.1 21.5 37.6
Wyoming ........................ (2) (2) (2) (2) 2.8 - 21.6 7.9 24.4 18.9 17.0 11.1
Puerto Rico .................... 17 7 4,994 1,195 .1 - 99.5 99.6 59.7 51.7 10.3 7.4
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
3 Data starting in June 2012 may not be comparable to prior data due to a change in MLS unemployment insurance procedures.
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, 2011 and 2012
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
Census region and division
II I II II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
United States (1) ..... 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848 342,530 286,384 221,997
Northeast ..................... 367 244 312 61,739 35,480 53,411 73,021 35,002 47,085
New England ............... 83 46 62 17,350 8,243 12,189 13,720 6,272 9,572
Middle Atlantic ........... 284 198 250 44,389 27,237 41,222 59,301 28,730 37,513
South ......................... 417 219 310 66,705 36,881 49,261 75,199 35,556 44,723
South Atlantic ............ 220 112 138 34,512 15,734 21,985 40,279 15,071 18,436
East South Central ........ 72 55 72 10,299 11,095 10,714 11,761 7,781 9,475
West South Central ........ 125 52 100 21,894 10,052 16,562 23,159 12,704 16,812
Midwest ....................... 432 263 381 75,635 39,067 66,493 79,225 43,987 58,072
East North Central ........ 328 216 290 58,403 33,751 49,987 62,024 38,897 44,648
West North Central ........ 104 47 91 17,232 5,316 16,506 17,201 5,090 13,424
West .......................... 594 564 473 113,467 134,473 93,683 115,085 171,839 72,117
Mountain .................. 118 60 92 31,060 9,223 28,246 16,816 8,591 11,836
Pacific ................... 476 504 381 82,407 125,250 65,437 98,269 163,248 60,281
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, 2011 and 2012
Initial claimants for
Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance
State
II I II II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
Total, private nonfarm (1) . 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848 342,530 286,384 221,997
Alabama ........................ 21 6 22 3,683 892 3,134 3,868 1,719 3,156
Alaska ......................... 11 4 11 3,110 534 3,020 2,347 433 1,828
Arizona ........................ 31 15 21 5,519 2,597 7,643 5,164 1,969 3,624
Arkansas ....................... 25 6 13 2,982 990 2,873 5,214 1,517 2,374
California ..................... 388 446 308 66,846 114,906 52,943 82,319 152,169 50,835
Colorado ....................... 18 8 22 8,337 1,419 6,637 2,967 1,251 3,181
Connecticut .................... 27 7 16 5,202 762 2,160 4,298 762 2,160
Delaware ....................... 10 4 7 1,289 260 608 1,177 505 669
District of Columbia ........... 5 3 5 672 239 505 672 239 505
Florida ........................ 75 20 48 14,755 3,273 7,179 14,141 2,728 5,778
Georgia ........................ 48 19 33 4,693 2,729 5,300 9,705 2,729 5,300
Hawaii ......................... 4 (2) (2) 413 (2) (2) 503 (2) (2)
Idaho .......................... 12 5 6 1,967 529 1,306 1,516 654 462
Illinois ....................... 109 75 110 25,506 12,596 23,396 24,595 12,761 20,524
Indiana ........................ 35 22 29 3,805 2,668 2,907 6,869 3,832 3,963
Iowa ........................... 10 - 8 1,422 - 1,104 1,885 - 1,118
Kansas ......................... 17 6 16 1,930 752 2,969 2,093 643 1,999
Kentucky ....................... 30 29 25 3,133 6,879 3,482 3,598 3,257 3,114
Louisiana ...................... 40 10 35 8,710 2,320 5,457 5,540 1,534 4,616
Maine .......................... 12 6 9 2,423 1,770 1,556 1,730 852 976
Maryland (3) ................... 13 18 3 2,607 2,705 364 1,648 1,732 365
Massachusetts .................. 17 20 21 2,975 3,052 4,764 2,378 2,924 3,368
Michigan ....................... 50 29 37 6,605 5,098 5,602 7,793 9,265 4,687
Minnesota ...................... 24 18 15 4,240 2,495 2,705 3,920 2,508 1,681
Mississippi .................... 6 9 7 1,312 1,319 1,575 1,146 954 1,000
Missouri ....................... 43 21 47 8,372 1,923 8,874 7,920 1,762 7,791
Montana ........................ 10 (2) 4 1,205 (2) 1,558 990 (2) 439
Nebraska ....................... 8 (2) 5 1,088 (2) 854 1,104 (2) 835
Nevada ......................... 13 18 12 3,527 3,104 1,281 2,125 3,243 1,196
New Hampshire .................. 4 7 6 2,174 807 1,796 1,111 558 1,170
New Jersey ..................... 66 44 66 13,001 7,426 14,366 14,308 6,390 10,698
New Mexico ..................... 17 6 16 2,960 758 3,411 2,089 683 1,654
New York ....................... 97 86 90 12,986 12,008 16,002 22,128 11,941 13,816
North Carolina ................. 17 16 10 1,341 1,345 2,160 5,104 1,794 1,308
North Dakota ................... (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Ohio ........................... 80 62 66 13,134 8,656 9,282 13,296 8,069 8,051
Oklahoma ....................... 12 5 (2) 1,717 761 (2) 1,614 479 (2)
Oregon ......................... 37 24 28 7,789 5,978 5,631 7,789 5,321 4,012
Pennsylvania ................... 121 68 94 18,402 7,803 10,854 22,865 10,399 12,999
Rhode Island ................... 7 - 7 1,995 - 1,601 2,011 - 1,452
South Carolina ................. 12 10 7 3,167 1,398 1,211 1,854 1,351 1,047
South Dakota ................... (2) - - (2) - - (2) - -
Tennessee ...................... 15 11 18 2,171 2,005 2,523 3,149 1,851 2,205
Texas .......................... 48 31 50 8,485 5,981 8,094 10,791 9,174 9,670
Utah ........................... 14 5 9 5,955 487 4,810 1,580 492 1,000
Vermont ........................ 16 6 3 2,581 1,852 312 2,192 1,176 446
Virginia ....................... 30 17 20 4,417 2,509 2,708 4,714 3,149 2,770
Washington ..................... 36 29 32 4,249 3,777 3,618 5,311 5,059 3,392
West Virginia .................. 10 5 5 1,571 1,276 1,950 1,264 844 694
Wisconsin ...................... 54 28 48 9,353 4,733 8,800 9,471 4,970 7,423
Wyoming ........................ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Puerto Rico .................... 13 17 7 1,876 2,524 960 2,774 4,994 1,195
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
3 Data starting in June 2012 may not be comparable to prior data due to a change in MLS unemployment insurance procedures.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 6. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,
selected quarters, 2011 and 2012
Layoff events Separations
Industry
II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ................ 42 34 36 6,922 5,294 7,506
Mining ...................................... - - - - - -
Utilities ................................... - - - - - -
Construction ................................ 3 - - 448 - -
Manufacturing ............................... 19 20 17 3,717 3,092 4,594
Food ................................... 5 4 (2) 1,400 712 (2)
Beverage and tobacco products .......... - - - - - -
Textile mills .......................... - - - - - -
Textile product mills .................. - - - - - -
Apparel ................................ (2) - - (2) - -
Leather and allied products ............ - - - - - -
Wood products .......................... - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Paper .................................. - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Printing and related support activities - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Petroleum and coal products ............ - - - - - -
Chemicals .............................. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Plastics and rubber products ........... (2) 4 - (2) 529 -
Nonmetallic mineral products ........... - - - - - -
Primary metals ......................... - (2) - - (2) -
Fabricated metal products .............. - - - - - -
Machinery .............................. - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Computer and electronic products ....... 3 (2) (2) 577 (2) (2)
Electrical equipment and appliances .... - - (2) - - (2)
Transportation equipment ............... 5 (2) (2) 838 (2) (2)
Furniture and related products ......... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Miscellaneous manufacturing ............ - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Wholesale trade ............................. 3 (2) 3 288 (2) 558
Retail trade ................................ 4 (2) 4 708 (2) 509
Transportation and warehousing .............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Information ................................. - (2) (2) - (2) (2)
Finance and insurance ....................... 7 5 (2) 845 593 (2)
Real estate and rental and leasing .......... - - - - - -
Professional and technical services ......... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Management of companies and enterprises ..... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Administrative and waste services ........... (2) - 3 (2) - 360
Educational services ........................ - - - - - -
Health care and social assistance ........... - - (2) - - (2)
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... - - (2) - - (2)
Accommodation and food services ............. - (2) - - (2) -
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 7. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,
selected quarters, 2011 and 2012
Layoff events Separations
Reason for layoff II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
Total, private nonfarm (1) .... 42 34 36 6,922 5,294 7,506
Business demand .................. (2) (2) 5 (2) (2) 1,518
Contract cancellation .......... (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Contract completion ............ 5 (2) - 894 (2) -
Domestic competition ........... - - (2) - - (2)
Excess inventory/saturated
market ....................... - - - - - -
Import competition ............. (2) - - (2) - -
Slack work/insufficient demand/
non-seasonal business slowdown (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
Organizational changes ........... 17 17 21 1,985 2,825 4,562
Business-ownership change ...... (2) 3 (2) (2) 388 (2)
Reorganization or restructuring
of company ................... (2) 14 (2) (2) 2,437 (2)
Financial issues ................. 13 10 6 2,247 1,379 687
Bankruptcy ..................... - - - - - -
Cost control/cost cutting/
increase profitability ....... (2) (2) 6 (2) (2) 687
Financial difficulty ........... (2) (2) - (2) (2) -
Production specific .............. - (2) (2) - (2) (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 ...... - - (2) - - (2)
Disaster/safety .................. (2) - - (2) - -
Hazardous work environment ..... (2) - - (2) - -
Natural disaster (not weather
related) ..................... - - - - - -
Non-natural disaster ........... - - - - - -
Extreme weather-related event .. (2) - - (2) - -
Other/miscellaneous .............. - - (2) - - (2)
Other .......................... - - (2) - - (2)
Data not provided: refusal ..... - - (2) - - (2)
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 8. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,
selected quarters, 2011 and 2012
Layoff events Separations
Census region and division
II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
United States (1) . 42 34 36 6,922 5,294 7,506
Northeast ................. 5 9 5 893 1,232 588
New England ........... (2) - (2) (2) - (2)
Middle Atlantic ....... (2) 9 (2) (2) 1,232 (2)
South ..................... 9 8 10 1,422 1,150 2,091
South Atlantic ........ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)
East South Central .... (2) 4 5 (2) 433 557
West South Central .... 5 (2) (2) 734 (2) (2)
Midwest ................... 10 6 10 1,163 829 2,750
East North Central .... (2) (2) 7 (2) (2) 1,900
West North Central .... (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 850
West ...................... 18 11 11 3,444 2,083 2,077
Mountain .............. 5 3 3 1,169 479 287
Pacific ............... 13 8 8 2,275 1,604 1,790
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 9. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012
Layoff events Separations
Action
II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
Total, private nonfarm (1) ......... 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848
Total, excluding seasonal
and vacation events (2) .... 1,037 966 820 165,829 191,657 130,028
Total, movement of work (3) 42 34 36 6,922 5,294 7,506
Movement of work
actions ............. 50 48 42 (4) (4) (4)
With separations
reported ....... 25 37 25 3,293 2,787 2,873
With separations
unknown ........ 25 11 17 (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 10. Movement of work actions by type of separation where number of separations is known by employers,
selected quarters, 2011 and 2012
Actions (1) Separations
Activities
II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
With separations reported (2) . 25 37 25 3,293 2,787 2,873
By location
Out-of-country relocations .. 6 4 3 916 247 1,315
Within company .......... 4 4 3 733 247 1,315
Different company ....... 2 - - 183 - -
Domestic relocations ........ 19 33 21 2,377 2,540 1,483
Within company .......... 17 31 21 2,119 2,340 1,483
Different company ....... 2 2 - 258 200 -
Unable to assign place of
relocation ............... - - 1 - - 75
By company
Within company .............. 21 35 24 2,852 2,587 2,798
Domestic ................ 17 31 21 2,119 2,340 1,483
Out of country .......... 4 4 3 733 247 1,315
Unable to assign ........ - - - - - -
Different company ........... 4 2 1 441 200 75
Domestic ................ 2 2 - 258 200 -
Out of country .......... 2 - - 183 - -
Unable to assign ........ - - 1 - - 75
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.
Table 11. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended mass layoffs, private nonfarm sector,
selected quarters, 2011 and 2012
Percent of total layoff events(1) Percent of layoff events Percent of layoff events,
due to seasonal work excluding those due to
Nature of recall and vacation period seasonal and vacation period
II I II II I II II I II
2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p
Anticipate a recall ..... 60.1 48.4 64.0 96.2 85.8 96.5 33.2 35.9 38.0
Timeframe
Within 6 months ......... 78.5 51.2 75.0 91.1 73.7 91.6 51.2 33.1 41.3
Within 3 months ... 52.6 36.2 50.8 58.3 46.4 59.4 40.1 28.0 33.3
Size of recall
At least half ........... 81.9 57.3 77.4 95.0 87.4 94.9 53.5 33.1 41.7
All workers ....... 45.2 19.8 43.6 57.0 34.9 59.7 19.8 7.8 10.9
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
Table 12. Average number of separations in extended mass layoff events by selected measures,
private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012
Average number of separations
Measure
II I II
2011 2012r 2012p
Total, private nonfarm (1) .... 175 191 178
Industry
Mining ............................... 285 110 139
Utilities ............................ 223 140 215
Construction ......................... 125 129 113
Manufacturing ........................ 152 142 161
Wholesale trade ...................... 121 112 155
Retail trade ......................... 175 254 205
Transportation and warehousing ....... 236 172 183
Information .......................... 281 425 237
Finance and insurance ................ 152 195 218
Real estate and rental and leasing ... 158 545 147
Professional and
technical services ................. 223 206 267
Management of companies
and enterprises .................... 115 156 104
Administrative and waste services .... 191 246 175
Educational services ................. 135 83 122
Health care and social assistance .... 123 151 137
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .. 224 131 244
Accommodation and food services ...... 242 169 257
Other services, except
public administration .............. 113 116 140
Unclassified establishments .......... - 91 82
Reason for layoff groupings
Business demand ...................... 144 208 150
Organizational changes ............... 236 204 203
Financial issues ..................... 136 191 175
Production specific .................. 132 154 275
Disaster/Safety ...................... 185 169 270
Seasonal ............................. 196 167 202
Other/miscellaneous .................. 183 184 145
1 See footnote 1, table 1.
r = revised.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 13. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff, private nonfarm
sector, second quarter 2012(p)
Layoff events Separations
Size
Number Percent Number Percent
Total ..................... 1,476 100.0 262,848 100.0
50-99 ................... 661 44.8 47,285 18.0
100-149 ................. 327 22.2 38,225 14.5
150-199 ................. 142 9.6 23,958 9.1
200-299 ................. 139 9.4 32,357 12.3
300-499 ................. 118 8.0 42,403 16.1
500-999 ................. 68 4.6 48,272 18.4
1,000 or more ........... 21 1.4 30,348 11.5
p = preliminary.
United States Department of Labor
