Technical information: (202) 691-6392     USDL 08-0091
              http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                          For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:         (202) 691-5902     Thursday, January 24, 2008


         MASS LAYOFFS IN DECEMBER 2007 AND ANNUAL TOTALS FOR 2007
   
   
   In December, employers took 1,433 mass layoff actions, seasonally
adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits
during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today.  Each action involved at least 50 persons from a
single employer; the number of workers involved totaled 141,750 on a
seasonally adjusted basis.  December layoff events were the highest since
September 2005 (which reflected the impact of Hurricane Katrina) and were
the highest for the month of December since 2002.  The number of mass layoff 
events in December 2007 increased by 104 from the prior month, while the num-
ber of associated initial claims increased by 2,079.  In December, 462 mass 
layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, 
resulting in 58,108 initial claims.  Over the month, mass layoff activity in 
manufacturing increased by 48 events, and initial claims increased by 1,143.  
(See table 1.)
      
   For all of 2007, the total numbers of mass layoff events, at 15,493, and
initial claims, at 1,598,875, were higher than in 2006, when the totals were 
13,998 and 1,484,391, respectively.  The finance and insurance industry 
registered series highs for mass layoff events and initial claims in 2007.  
This reflected increased layoffs in the  credit intermediation and related 
activities industry, which includes real estate credit, commercial banking, 
and mortgage and nonmortgage lending brokers.  For all of 2006, layoff events 
had hit a series low, and the number of initial claimants was the lowest 
reported since 1996.
   
   The national unemployment rate was 5.0 percent in December, seasonally
adjusted, up from 4.7 percent in the prior month and from 4.4 percent a year 
earlier.  Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 18,000 in December 
and by 1.3 million from a year earlier.
   
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   The 10 industries reporting the highest numbers of mass layoff initial
claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 35 percent of all such claims 
in December.  The industry with the highest number of initial claims was 
highway, street, and bridge construction with 14,684, followed by food ser-
vice contractors (12,518), school and employee bus transportation (11,362), 
and temporary help services (9,745).  Together, these four industries ac-
counted for 22 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs during the 
month.  (See table A.)


   
     ------------------------------------------------------------------
    |        Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Mass Layoff Data          |
    |                                                                  |
    |    Seasonally adjusted mass layoffs data have been revised using |
    | updated seasonal adjustment factors that incorporate 2007 data.  |
    | Seasonally adjusted estimates back to January 2003 were subject  |
    | to revision.  Revised seasonally adjusted data from January 2004 |
    | forward are shown in table 1.  The originally published and re-  |
    | vised figures for January 2003-December 2007 are available at    |
    | http://www.bls.gov/mls/home.htm, along with additional informa-  |
    | tion about the revisions.                                        |
     ------------------------------------------------------------------
   
                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims
in December 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          |        |    December peak     
                 Industry                 |Initial |----------------------
                                          | claims |      |               
                                          |        | Year |Initial claims 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          |        |      |               
Highway, street, and bridge construction..| 14,684 | 2005 |     20,088    
Food service contractors .................| 12,518 | 2006 |     13,903    
School and employee bus transportation ...| 11,362 | 2006 |     14,747    
Temporary help services ..................|  9,745 | 2005 |     16,656    
Motion picture and video production ......|  7,061 | 1998 |     16,192    
Heavy duty truck manufacturing ...........|  6,875 | 2006 |      7,443    
Automobile manufacturing .................|  4,371 | 2005 |      9,021    
All other motor vehicle parts             |        |      |               
  manufacturing ..........................|  3,847 | 2007 |      3,847    
AC, refrigeration, and forced air         |        |      |               
  heating ................................|  3,625 | 2007 |      3,625    
Professional employer organizations ......|  3,565 | 2000 |      4,032    
                                          |        |      |               
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  
  
   The manufacturing sector accounted for 32 percent of all mass layoff
events and 41 percent of all related initial claims filed in December; a
year earlier, manufacturing made up 33 percent of events and 41 percent of
initial claims.  In December 2007, the number of manufacturing claimants
was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (31,910--largely in
heavy duty truck manufacturing), followed by food manufacturing (10,267)
and machinery manufacturing (6,864).  (See table 3.)
   
   Construction accounted for 21 percent of mass layoff events and 16
percent of initial claims in December, primarily from heavy and civil
engineering construction.  Administrative and waste services comprised 10
percent of events and 9 percent of initial claims, primarily from temporary
help services and professional employer organizations.  Accommodation and
food services made up 7 percent of all mass layoff events and 8 percent of
related initial claims, mainly from food service contractors.  Seven
percent of all mass layoff events and related initial claims filed were
from transportation and warehousing, largely from the school and employee
bus transportation industry.
   
   Due, in part, to a calendar effect, the number of mass layoff events in
December, at 2,167, was down by 82 from a year earlier, and the number of
associated initial claims decreased by 30,289 to 224,214.  (See table 2.)
(December 2007 contained 4 weeks compared with 5 weeks in December 2006.)
The average weekly number of events in December 2007 compared with December
2006 increased from 450 to 542, and the average weekly initial claimants
increased from 50,901 to 56,054.  Both weekly averages are at the highest
levels for the month of December since 2002.
   
   The largest over-the-year increases in December 2007 average weekly
initial claims associated with mass layoffs occurred in food manufacturing
(+855), specialty trade contractors (+804), machinery manufacturing (+581),
motion picture and sound recording (+534), construction of buildings 
(+526), and food and drinking places (+513).  The largest decrease occurred
in electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing (-766).

                                  - 3 -

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   Among the 4 census regions, the highest number of initial claims in
December due to mass layoffs was in the Midwest, 97,346.  Two industries--
transportation equipment manufacturing and heavy and civil engineering 
construction--accounted for 32 percent of all mass layoff initial claims 
in that region during the month.  The South had the second largest number 
of initial claims among the regions, 47,505, followed by the West with 
42,504 and the Northeast with 36,859.  (See table 5.)
   
   The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs decreased over the year
in all 4 regions and in 8 of the 9 divisions, due, in part, to a calendar 
effect.  However, all 4 regions experienced over-the-year increases in 
average weekly initial claims--the Midwest (+2,438), the South (+1,072), 
the Northeast (+1,067), and the West (+577).  Seven of the 9 divisions
had over-the-year increases in average weekly initial claims, led by the 
East North Central (+2,900).
   
   California recorded the highest number of initial claims in December due 
to mass layoff events (30,590), reflecting layoffs in motion picture and 
sound recording industries and in administrative and support services.  
Other states with large numbers of mass layoff-related claims were Michigan 
(25,005), Pennsylvania (15,993), Illinois (15,012), and Ohio (14,909).  
These five states accounted for 48 percent of all mass layoff events and 
45 percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance in December.  
(See table 6.)
   
   The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs decreased over the year
in 33 states and the District of Columbia, due, in part, to a calendar
effect.  Twenty-five states reported over-the-year increases in average
weekly initial claims associated with mass layoffs, led by Michigan (+1,683) 
and Pennsylvania (+1,109).  For Michigan, the highest average initial claims 
occurred in transportation equipment manufacturing, and for Pennsylvania, 
food manufacturing had the highest activity.  States with the largest over-
the-year decreases were New York (-671) and Virginia (-596).    

Review of 2007
   
   For all of 2007, the total numbers of mass layoff events, at 15,493, 
and initial claims, at 1,598,875, were higher than in 2006, when the totals
were 13,998 and 1,484,391, respectively.  For all of 2006, layoff events had 
hit a series low, and the number of initial claimants was the lowest reported 
since 1996.  (See table B.)
   
                                  - 4 -

Table B. Number of mass layoff events and initial claimants for
unemployment insurance, 1996-2007
----------------------------------------------------------------------
                             |               |  Initial claimants for 
         Year                | Layoff events |  unemployment insurance
                             |               |                        
----------------------------------------------------------------------
                             |               |                        
1996 ........................|      14,111   |         1,437,628      
1997 ........................|      14,960   |         1,542,543      
1998 ........................|      15,904   |         1,771,069      
1999 ........................|      14,909   |         1,572,399      
2000 ........................|      15,738   |         1,835,592      
2001 ........................|      21,467   |         2,514,862      
2002 ........................|      20,277   |         2,245,051      
2003 ........................|      18,963   |         1,888,926      
2004 ........................|      15,980   |         1,607,158      
2005 ........................|      16,466   |         1,795,341      
2006 ........................|      13,998   |         1,484,391      
2007 ........................|      15,493   |         1,598,875      
                             |               |                        
----------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   
   The 10 detailed industries with the highest number of mass layoff
initial claims in 2007 accounted for 30 percent of the total for the year.
(See table C.)  Temporary help services and school and employee bus
transportation ranked first and second among the 10 industries in both 
2007 and 2006.  In 2007, elementary and secondary schools entered the 
top 10 industries in terms of initial claims, displacing light truck and 
utility vehicle manufacturing.
        
   Manufacturing accounted for 30 percent of all mass layoff events and 
38 percent of initial claims filed during 2007, about the same as 2006 (31 
and 39 percent, respectively).  The number of manufacturing claimants was 
highest in transportation equipment manufacturing, 228,213, followed by food 
manufacturing, 62,141, and machinery manufacturing, 45,831.
   
   Among the major industry sectors, manufacturing had the largest over-the-
year increase in mass layoff-related initial claims (+26,941) from 2006 to
2007.  Within manufacturing, transportation equipment (+6,956), wood products 
(+6,876), machinery (+5,762), and primary metals (+5,150) experienced the 
largest increases from the previous year.  Construction had the second largest 
increase (+26,335) among the major industry sectors, due to more layoff acti-
vity in specialty trade contractors (+11,445), heavy civil engineering (+10,076), 
and construction of buildings (+4,814).
   
   Finance and insurance registered series highs for mass layoff events and
initial claims in 2007.  This reflected increased layoffs in the credit inter-
mediation and related activities industry, which includes real estate credit, 
commercial banking, and mortgage and nonmortgage lending brokers.  For the 
second straight year, mining had a series low in mass layoff initial claimants 
during 2007.
   
   The Midwest reported the highest number of initial claims filed due to
mass layoffs during 2007 than any other region with 509,431.  Layoffs in
transportation equipment manufacturing accounted for 31 percent of the
claims in the Midwest.  Administrative and support services, heavy and
civil engineering construction, and machinery manufacturing accounted for
an additional 17 percent of layoffs in that region in 2007.  The fewest
number of mass layoff initial claims was reported in the Northeast
(273,079).
   
   From 2006 to 2007, all 4 regions had over-the-year increases in the
number of initial claims from mass layoffs, led by the West (+51,536) and
South (+43,920).  Seven of the 9 divisions also experienced higher  claimant 
activity in mass layoffs when compared with 2006, with the largest increases 
occurring in the Pacific (+43,924), the Middle Atlantic (+20,894), and the 
East South Central (+19,253) divisions.
   
                                  - 5 -   
   
Table C. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims
in 2007
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          |       2007      |       2006     
                                          |----------------------------------
                  Industry                |  Initial |      |  Initial |     
                                          |   claims | Rank |   claims | Rank
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          |          |      |                
Temporary help services ..................|   96,991 |   1  |   93,740 |   1 
School and employee bus transportation ...|   76,230 |   2  |   74,116 |   2 
Food service contractors .................|   57,131 |   3  |   52,428 |   4 
Automobile manufacturing .................|   51,746 |   4  |   59,711 |   3 
Motion picture and video production ......|   51,133 |   5  |   50,553 |   5 
Highway, street, and bridge construction .|   40,804 |   6  |   36,264 |   6 
Heavy duty truck manufacturing ...........|   31,076 |   7  |   25,280 |   8 
Professional employer organizations ......|   31,062 |   8  |   25,291 |   7 
Discount department stores ...............|   20,887 |   9  |   22,372 |  10 
Elementary and secondary schools .........|   20,385 |  10  |   20,132 |  11 
                                          |          |      |          |     
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


   Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California recorded
the largest number of initial claims filed in mass layoff events during
2007 (357,994), 22 percent of the national total.  The states with the next
highest numbers of initial claims were Michigan (125,942), Pennsylvania
(108,128), Ohio (83,429), and Illinois (80,477).  Forty-nine percent of
events and 47 percent of all initial claims during 2007 were from these
five states.  New Mexico was the only state to report a series high in mass
layoff claimant activity, while 5 states--Alaska, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
North Carolina, and Virginia--recorded series lows.
   
   California reported the largest over-the-year increase in initial claims
(+40,087), followed by Pennsylvania (+18,569) and Alabama (+16,013).  The
largest over-the-year decreases were reported in Indiana (-8,472), Virginia
(-8,146), and Minnesota (-6,498).
   
Note

   The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more
workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs.  
For private nonfarm establishments, information on the length of the layoff is 
obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs 
lasting more than 30 days (referred to as "extended mass layoffs").  The quar-
terly release provides more information on the industry classification and 
location of the establishment and on the demographics of the laid-off workers.  
Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum 
of the figures for the 3 months in a quarter will be higher than the quarterly 
figure for mass layoffs of more than 30 days.  (See table 4.)  See the Technical 
Note for more detailed definitions.
   
                      ______________________________
 
 
   The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the Fourth Quarter 2007 is scheduled 
to be released on Thursday, February 14, 2008.  The report on Mass Layoffs in 
January 2008 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, February 27.



    --------------------------------------------------------------------
   |                 Upcoming Changes to Mass Layoff Data               |
   |                                                                    |
   |    With the release of January 2008 data on February 27, 2008,     |
   | the Mass Layoff Statistics program will revise the basis for       |
   | industry classification from the 2002 North American Industry      |
   | Classification System (NAICS) to the 2007 NAICS.  The new class-   |
   | ification reflects minor definitional changes within manufactur-   |
   | ing, telecommunications, financial activities, and professional,   |
   | scientific, and technical services.  Several industry titles and   |
   | descriptions will also be updated.                                 |
   |                                                                    |
   |    For additional information on the 2007 NAICS, see http://www.   |
   | census.gov/epcd/www/naics.html.                                    |
    --------------------------------------------------------------------





                              - 6 -

Technical Note
   
   
   The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program
that uses a standardized automated approach to identifying, describing,
and tracking the effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each
state's unemployment insurance database.  Each month, states report on
employers which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them
during a consecutive 5-week period.  These employers then are con-
tacted by the state agency to determine whether these separations lasted
31 days or longer, and, if so, other information concerning the layoff is
collected.  States report on layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quart-
erly basis.
   
   A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly unemployment
insurance claims filings for the Sunday through Saturday weeks in that
month.  All weeks are included for the particular month, except if the
first day of the month falls on Saturday.  In this case, the week is
included in the prior month's tabulations.  This means that some months
will contain 4 weeks and others, 5 weeks, the number of weeks in a
given month may be different from year to year, and the number of weeks in
a year may vary.  Therefore, analysis of over-the-month and over-the-year
change in not seasonally adjusted series should take this calendar effect
into consideration.
   
   The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after it had been
terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding.  Prior to April 1995,
monthly layoff statistics were not available.
   
   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone number:  1-800-877-8339.
   
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
administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
   
   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.
   
   Mass layoff event.  Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment
insurance benefits filed against an employer during a 5-week period,
regardless of duration.
   
Seasonal adjustment

   Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS began publish-
ing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS series.  The six series are the
numbers of mass layoff events and mass layoff initial claims for the total,
private nonfarm, and manufacturing sectors.
   
   Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and removing the effect
on time series data of regularly recurring seasonal events such as changes
in the weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year.
The use of seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes
in time series, particularly those associated with general economic expan-
sions and contractions.
   
   The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjust-
ment method on a concurrent basis.  Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all
available monthly estimates, including those for the current month, in devel-
oping seasonal adjustment factors.  Revisions to the most recent 5 years
of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a year with the issuance of
December data.  Before the data are seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments
are made to the original data to adjust them for differences in the number
of weeks used to calculate the monthly data.  Because weekly unemployment
insurance claims are aggregated to form monthly data, a particular month's
value could be calculated with 5 weeks of data in one year and 4 weeks
in another.  The effects of these differences could seriously distort the
seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal adjustment process.
These effects are modeled in the X-12-ARIMA program and are permanently
removed from the final seasonally adjusted series.





Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2004 to
December 2007, seasonally adjusted

                                      Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                          Initial               Initial                Initial
                                Events   claimants    Events   claimants     Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2004                                                                             

January ....................     1,413     145,872     1,225     128,287       393      48,671
February ...................     1,300     133,526     1,151     120,918       366      39,682
March ......................     1,364     139,304     1,228     130,123       398      58,980
April ......................     1,360     139,185     1,193     124,432       351      37,760
May ........................     1,224     114,810     1,059     100,854       339      39,045
June .......................     1,400     141,168     1,231     128,245       371      47,243
July .......................     1,329     137,805     1,178     126,301       376      50,799
August .....................     1,426     128,759     1,233     113,809       343      36,539
September ..................     1,285     127,833     1,154     116,843       336      45,690
October ....................     1,283     132,766     1,169     123,471       363      47,046
November ...................     1,320     130,873     1,174     119,029       380      45,416
December ...................     1,148     111,060       991      99,784       287      31,935

             2005                                                                             

January ....................     1,475     160,725     1,346     151,028       382      61,324
February ...................     1,146     121,455     1,020     110,480       353      43,568
March ......................     1,207     131,271     1,066     120,945       372      53,673
April ......................     1,252     136,752     1,125     126,550       401      60,681
May ........................     1,248     136,420     1,104     123,495       398      54,999
June .......................     1,196     127,084     1,078     118,012       368      58,300
July .......................     1,250     132,445     1,103     119,566       357      46,602
August .....................     1,144     125,686     1,000     113,762       341      47,598
September ..................     2,248     297,544     2,028     251,185       417      55,304
October ....................     1,101     110,035       982     100,934       321      43,230
November ...................     1,176     114,965     1,042     103,535       332      42,071
December ...................     1,261     134,461     1,132     123,418       360      46,863

             2006                                                                             

January ....................     1,107     110,800       988     101,494       283      34,037
February ...................     1,031     109,798       940     101,828       322      43,147
March ......................     1,084     119,049       983     110,668       323      48,119
April ......................     1,171     121,580     1,043     112,175       368      49,568
May ........................     1,124     117,115     1,005     107,181       314      43,087
June .......................     1,146     123,827     1,030     114,080       352      44,869
July .......................     1,179     121,017     1,051     111,336       372      48,534
August .....................     1,270     135,400     1,107     124,427       377      60,906
September ..................     1,173     123,767     1,056     114,677       385      45,767
October ....................     1,191     121,827     1,076     113,123       399      53,601
November ...................     1,232     133,803     1,121     124,559       414      58,385
December ...................     1,194     131,062     1,092     121,796       374      51,408

             2007                                                                             

January ....................     1,254     128,223     1,118     117,824       391      52,858
February ...................     1,352     143,837     1,238     135,066       416      61,749
March ......................     1,277     130,981     1,169     122,488       412      52,606
April ......................     1,243     126,977     1,116     116,926       382      43,930
May ........................     1,199     120,587     1,096     113,069       370      48,910
June .......................     1,238     129,858     1,116     120,165       351      40,670
July .......................     1,247     127,687     1,140     119,614       392      51,333
August .....................     1,228     121,886     1,128     114,628       335      36,518
September ..................     1,307     128,487     1,204     121,294       430      53,432
October ....................     1,347     136,124     1,224     127,163       430      57,695
November ...................     1,329     139,671     1,215     131,390       414      56,965
December ...................     1,433     141,750     1,315     133,024       462      58,108





Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2004 to
December 2007, not seasonally adjusted

                                      Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  
             Date                                                                             
                                          Initial               Initial               Initial 
                                Events   claimants    Events   claimants    Events   claimants
                                                                                              
             2004                                                                             

January ....................     2,428     239,454     2,226     220,687       848      89,551
February ...................       941      84,201       832      76,577       240      23,043
March ......................       920      92,554       847      87,782       258      34,686
April ......................     1,458     157,314     1,316     142,657       343      36,172
May ........................       988      87,501       878      78,786       219      22,141
June .......................     1,379     134,588     1,077     110,804       222      27,307
July .......................     2,094     253,929     1,860     234,877       885     145,895
August .....................       809      69,033       745      63,876       194      17,698
September ..................       708      68,972       637      63,102       189      25,808
October ....................     1,242     127,918     1,101     117,375       372      48,265
November ...................     1,399     130,423     1,201     115,549       412      44,243
December ...................     1,614     161,271     1,487     152,092       436      50,726

             2005                                                                             

January ....................     2,564     263,952     2,421     253,409       823     108,985
February ...................       810      74,644       722      68,372       230      24,931
March ......................       806      88,937       733      83,793       246      33,030
April ......................     1,373     158,582     1,263     148,133       395      59,129
May ........................       986     101,358       891      93,332       249      30,424
June .......................     1,157     120,463       941     103,307       216      32,783
July .......................     1,981     244,216     1,745     222,377       856     136,210
August .....................       645      67,582       598      63,484       188      22,531
September ..................     1,662     213,281     1,505     179,042       318      47,497
October ....................       905      91,941       757      80,694       249      37,276
November ...................     1,254     116,127     1,079     102,182       363      41,442
December ...................     2,323     254,258     2,168     242,753       706      96,382

             2006                                                                             

January ....................     1,245     117,946     1,123     108,701       331      35,097
February ...................       719      66,555       658      62,208       210      24,892
March ......................       921     111,838       856     106,177       285      44,688
April ......................     1,140     121,589     1,038     112,964       296      39,538
May ........................       872      84,809       794      78,663       192      23,570
June .......................     1,489     164,761     1,224     140,687       319      41,095
July .......................     1,511     166,857     1,335     154,342       648      96,152
August .....................       708      72,844       656      69,054       203      28,494
September ..................       865      87,699       785      81,274       296      39,076
October ....................       964      98,804       820      88,133       311      46,737
November ...................     1,315     136,186     1,172     125,009       455      58,473
December ...................     2,249     254,503     2,126     244,783       735     105,462

             2007                                                                             

January ....................     1,407     134,984     1,263     124,475       456      53,615
February ...................       935      86,696       861      82,097       273      36,170
March ......................     1,082     123,974     1,015     118,431       367      49,886
April ......................     1,219     127,444     1,115     118,040       309      35,229
May ........................       923      85,816       856      81,153       224      26,527
June .......................     1,599     172,810     1,318     148,669       313      36,571
July .......................     1,599     175,419     1,450     164,939       684     101,390
August .....................       963      93,458       908      88,345       220      23,361
September ..................       717      67,385       667      64,026       246      29,381
October ....................     1,083     108,455       929      97,716       338      50,918
November ...................     1,799     198,220     1,593     181,184       514      75,413
December ...................     2,167     224,214     2,071     216,898       699      91,754





Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

                                                                                                    Initial claimants for           
                                                            Mass layoff events                      unemployment insurance          
                     Industry                                                                                                       
                                                    December  October  November  December   December    October  November   December
                                                      2006     2007      2007      2007       2006       2007      2007       2007  
                                                                                                                                   
                Seasonally adjusted                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                   
      Total .....................................    1,194     1,347    1,329     1,433     131,062    136,124   139,671    141,750

                                                                                                                                   
  Total, private nonfarm ........................    1,092     1,224    1,215     1,315     121,796    127,163   131,390    133,024
    Manufacturing ...............................      374       430      414       462      51,408     57,695    56,965     58,108
                                                                                                                                   
              Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                   
      Total (1) .................................    2,249     1,083    1,799     2,167     254,503    108,455   198,220    224,214
Total, private ..................................    2,176     1,033    1,729     2,102     248,383    103,897   191,917    219,227
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..       50       104      136        31       3,600      6,181    10,733      2,329

  Total, private nonfarm ........................    2,126       929    1,593     2,071     244,783     97,716   181,184    216,898
    Mining ......................................       28      (2)        11        2        3,048       (2)        928      2,136
    Utilities ...................................        3       -       (2)          4         154        -        (2)         225
    Construction ................................      423       114      324       461      36,426      7,126    28,277     35,564
    Manufacturing ...............................      735       338      514       699     105,462     50,918    75,413     91,754
        Food ....................................       80        50       62        68       8,557      5,264     6,642     10,267
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........        6         8        9         7         468        603       746        640
        Textile mills ...........................       18         8       27        12       2,480        732     5,381      2,281
        Textile product mills ...................        9         4        5         8         758        232       608        848
        Apparel .................................       21         6       10        16       2,323        408       625      1,311
        Leather and allied products .............        5      (2)         4         4         493       (2)        376        435
        Wood products ...........................       59        31       69        59       6,359      3,582     8,094      5,698
        Paper ...................................       13        10        9         5       1,415        708       696        571
        Printing and related support activities .       12         7       11        11       1,178        434       763        830
        Petroleum and coal products .............       14      (2)         8        12       1,396       (2)        624      1,163

        Chemicals ...............................        7         6        6        12         608        907       668        995
        Plastics and rubber products ............       48        11       27        57       5,674      1,133     2,568      5,069
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............       56         8       24        61       5,824        440     2,493      5,979
        Primary metals ..........................       38        16       27        37       4,714      1,579     2,955      4,022
        Fabricated metal products ...............       57        18       24        55       5,346      1,367     2,341      5,252
        Machinery ...............................       38        18       40        37       5,676      5,459     6,289      6,864
        Computer and electronic products ........       24        10       13        21       2,085        674       987      1,559
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....       25        12       15        16       5,701      1,516     5,418      1,495
        Transportation equipment ................      159        88       93       171      38,811     23,399    23,323     31,910
        Furniture and related products ..........       34        18       23        19       4,510      1,504     3,164      2,868
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............       12         5        8        11       1,086        538       652      1,697

    Wholesale trade .............................       26        13       40        24       2,119      1,571     3,095      1,762
    Retail trade ................................      109        66       93       103      13,055      5,881     8,199      8,839
    Transportation and warehousing ..............      165        31       82       150      19,172      3,153     7,499     15,573
    Information .................................       33        33       28        51       7,949      3,645     5,386      8,770
    Finance and insurance .......................       34        60       43        36       2,687      4,640     3,898      2,311
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........        8         8        7         6         442        616       539        322
    Professional and technical services .........       50        26       51        50       5,572      1,968     7,435      5,303
    Management of companies and enterprises .....        3         5     (2)          5         130        382      (2)         448
    Administrative and waste services ...........      258       140      217       218      22,076     10,778    22,050     19,367
    Educational services ........................        4      (2)       -           8         288       (2)        -          487
    Health care and social assistance ...........       31        20       24        31       2,450      1,708     2,522      2,484
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........       26        21       36        20       1,760      1,521     3,543      1,238
    Accommodation and food services .............      175        47      107       158      20,735      3,346    10,865     18,717
    Other services, except public administration        14         3       10        19       1,198        175     1,062      1,598
    Unclassified ................................        1         1        1       -            60         74        57        -  

Government ......................................       73        50       70        65       6,120      4,558     6,303      4,987
    Federal .....................................       12        16       19        10       1,215      1,412     1,928        841
    State .......................................       16        16       20        12       1,517      1,431     1,786      1,016
    Local .......................................       45        18       31        43       3,388      1,715     2,589      3,130

   1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
   2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.    
   NOTE: Dash represents zero.





   Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2005 to December 2007,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                   Private nonfarm                                
                                Total mass layoffs                              Extended mass layoffs                             
             Date                                        Mass layoffs         lasting more than 30 days      Realization rates (1)

                                           Initial               Initial                     Initial                     Initial 
                               Events     claimants   Events    claimants       Events      claimants        Events     claimants
             2005                                                                                                                

October ....................      905       91,941       757      80,694                                                          
November ...................    1,254      116,127     1,079     102,182                                                          
December ...................    2,323      254,258     2,168     242,753                                                          

Fourth Quarter .............    4,482      462,326     4,004     425,629         1,400       246,188          35.0         57.8

             2006                                                                                                              

January ....................    1,245      117,946     1,123     108,701                                                       
February ...................      719       66,555       658      62,208                                                       
March ......................      921      111,838       856     106,177                                                       

First Quarter ..............    2,885      296,339     2,637     277,086           963       193,510          36.5         69.8

April ......................    1,140      121,589     1,038     112,964                                                       
May ........................      872       84,809       794      78,663                                                       
June .......................    1,489      164,761     1,224     140,687                                                       

Second Quarter .............    3,501      371,159     3,056     332,314         1,353       264,927          44.3         79.7

July .......................    1,511      166,857     1,335     154,342                                                       
August .....................      708       72,844       656      69,054                                                       
September ..................      865       87,699       785      81,274                                                       

Third Quarter ..............    3,084      327,400     2,776     304,670           929       161,764          33.5         53.1

October ....................      964       98,804       820      88,133                                                       
November ...................    1,315      136,186     1,172     125,009                                                       
December ...................    2,249      254,503     2,126     244,783                                                       

Fourth Quarter .............    4,528      489,493     4,118     457,925         1,640       330,887          39.8         72.3

             2007                                                                                                              

January ....................    1,407      134,984     1,263     124,475                                                       
February ...................      935       86,696       861      82,097                                                       
March ......................    1,082      123,974     1,015     118,431                                                       

First Quarter ..............    3,424      345,654     3,139     325,003         1,111       198,991          35.4         61.2

April ......................    1,219      127,444     1,115     118,040                                                       
May ........................      923       85,816       856      81,153                                                       
June .......................    1,599      172,810     1,318     148,669                                                       

Second Quarter .............    3,741      386,070     3,289     347,862         1,421       258,256          43.2         74.2

July .......................    1,599      175,419     1,450     164,939                                                       
August .....................      963       93,458       908      88,345                                                       
September ..................      717       67,385       667      64,026                                                       

Third Quarter ..............    3,279      336,262     3,025     317,310     (2)(p)931 (2)(p)115,742       (p)30.8      (p)36.5

October ....................    1,083      108,455       929      97,716                                                       
November ...................    1,799      198,220     1,593     181,184                                                       
December ...................    2,167      224,214     2,071     216,898

Fourth Quarter .............    5,049      530,889     4,593     495,798

   1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The
initial claimant realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants associated with
layoffs lasting more than 30 days.
   2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more data on these layoffs become available.
Experience suggests that the number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards by less than 10 percent and
the number of initial claimants associated with such events increases by 25-40 percent.
   p = preliminary. 





Table 5.  Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,
 not seasonally adjusted


                                                                                       Initial claimants for
                                           Mass layoff events                          unemployment insurance
  Census region and division

                                  December   October  November     December   December    October    November    December
                                    2006      2007      2007         2007       2006       2007        2007        2007 
                                                                                                                        
        United States (1) ...      2,249     1,083     1,799        2,167     254,503    108,455     198,220     224,214

Northeast ...................        412       141       355          392      40,738     12,152      34,766      36,859
    New England .............         60         9        38           56       6,612        614       3,754       5,777
    Middle Atlantic .........        352       132       317          336      34,126     11,538      31,012      31,082

South .......................        416       230       350          388      54,023     23,180      42,139      47,505
    South Atlantic ..........        202       131       180          192      22,765     11,952      19,924      18,797
    East South Central ......        126        51        91          120      22,085      6,791       9,831      18,538
    West South Central ......         88        48        79           76       9,173      4,437      12,384      10,170

Midwest .....................        898       261       483          884     109,495     38,853      62,163      97,346
    East North Central ......        674       215       389          667      78,466     32,840      51,952      74,374
    West North Central ......        224        46        94          217      31,029      6,013      10,211      22,972

West ........................        523       451       611          503      50,247     34,270      59,152      42,504
    Mountain ................         82        38        76           67       7,835      2,905       6,893       4,968
    Pacific .................        441       413       535          436      42,412     31,365      52,259      37,536

   1 See footnote 1, table 3.
   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 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, not  seasonally
adjusted
 
                                                                                      Initial claimants for           
                                         Mass layoff events                           unemployment insurance          
           State                                                                                                      
                            December     October    November   December     December     October    November   December
                              2006         2007       2007       2007         2006        2007        2007       2007 
                                                                                                                      
   Total (1) ............    2,249        1,083      1,799      2,167      254,503      108,455     198,220    224,214
                                                                                                                      
Alabama .................       30           10         29         33        3,438        1,037       2,917      3,677
Alaska ..................        3          -            8       (2)           206          -           780       (2) 
Arizona .................        5            7          3          4          406          610         197        263
Arkansas ................        7           10         12          8          836        1,486       2,678        680
California ..............      374          380        455        370       34,848       28,004      44,127     30,590
Colorado ................       15            4         14         12        1,483          322       1,244        767
Connecticut .............        4         (2)           3         10          452         (2)          232        854
Delaware ................        -         (2)           3          4          -           (2)          356        241
District of Columbia ....        3          -          -         (2)          188           -           -         (2) 
Florida .................       57           79         73         62        4,697        5,082       4,499      5,088
Georgia .................       42           21         39         36        4,421        2,835       7,500      3,111
Hawaii ..................     (2)          (2)          5          12         (2)          (2)          390      1,161
Idaho ...................       11            3         21         12        1,191          192       2,101        844

Illinois ................      149           39         67        140       17,195        7,710       7,704     15,012
Indiana .................       82           29         52         64       10,123        5,129       7,638      7,654
Iowa ....................       62           15         23         52       10,039        1,662       2,503      6,337
Kansas ..................       23            3       (2)          27        2,626          347        (2)       3,441
Kentucky ................       64           28         34         62       15,975        3,449       4,747     12,727
Louisiana ...............        9            7          6         15          901          453       1,672      1,274
Maine ...................        6          -            6          4          452          -           467        278
Maryland ................       28            7         11         29        2,825          702       1,446      2,628
Massachusetts ...........       22            4         18         22        2,256          234       1,495      2,131
Michigan ................      184           51         92        213       22,842        5,187      15,578     25,005
Minnesota ...............       52            9         41         46        7,545          745       4,315      4,386
Mississippi .............        6         (2)          12          9          569         (2)          839        640
Missouri ................       75           18         19         77        9,687        3,165       2,312      7,517

Montana .................        6            5          8          4          513          430         760        264
Nebraska ................        8         (2)           4          9          815         (2)          402        864
Nevada ..................       26           14         18         19        2,076        1,027       1,713      1,370
New Hampshire ...........        8          -         (2)           6          793          -          (2)         560
New Jersey ..............       91           16         50         93        7,948        1,327       6,234      8,389
New Mexico ..............       10         (2)        (2)           7        1,180         (2)         (2)         702
New York ................      106           28         82         72       11,731        3,202       7,658      6,700
North Carolina ..........       16            3          4          7        1,511          212         457        789
North Dakota ............     (2)           -            4          5         (2)           -           444        356
Ohio ....................      137           53         68        149       15,848       10,896       7,369     14,909
Oklahoma ................       11         (2)           6         13        1,152         (2)        1,198      1,732
Oregon ..................       41           17         37         32        4,862        2,106       3,866      3,763
Pennsylvania ............      155           88        185        171       14,447        7,009      17,120     15,993

Rhode Island ............       11            3        -           10        1,885          249         -        1,465
South Carolina ..........       17           13         28         29        2,836        2,504       3,038      4,236
South Dakota ............     (2)           -         (2)        (2)          (2)           -          (2)        (2) 
Tennessee ...............       26           11         16         16        2,103        2,122       1,328      1,494
Texas ...................       61           30         55         40        6,284        2,414       6,836      6,484
Utah ....................        9         (2)           9          8          986         (2)          658        706
Vermont .................        9         (2)          10          4          774         (2)        1,500        489
Virginia ................       35            6         18         21        5,969          465       2,384      2,390
Washington ..............       21           14         30         21        2,350        1,058       3,096      1,940
West Virginia ...........        4         (2)           4          3          318         (2)          244        250
Wisconsin ...............      122           43        110        101       12,458        3,918      13,663     11,794
Wyoming .................      -           (2)        (2)        (2)           -           (2)         (2)        (2) 

 Puerto Rico ............       17           11         15          3        1,977          894       1,385        279

   1  See footnote 1, table 3.
   2  Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
   NOTE: Dash represents zero.