1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

http://www.bls.gov/mls/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 07-1642

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

2003 2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

October 2002-September 2007

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2003 2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

October 2002-September 2007

MASS LAYOFFS IN SEPTEMBER 2007

In September, employers took 1,271 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 123,656, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff

events in September increased by 82 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims rose

by 5,536. Over the month, 428 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally

adjusted, resulting in 50,636 initial claims. Compared with August, mass layoff activity in manufacturing

increased by 103 events, and initial claims increased by 14,960. (See table 1.)

From January through September 2007, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 11,114,

and initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 1,140,148, were higher than in January-September 2006 when

the totals were 10,221 and 1,071,997, respectively.

The national unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in September, essentially unchanged from the prior

month (4.6 percent) and from September 2006 (4.6 percent). Total nonfarm payroll employment increased

by 110,000 in September 2007 and by 1.6 million from a year earlier.
2

Motion picture and video production ..................... 4,615 1997 11,176

Temporary help services ........................................ 3,647 2001 12,752

Household refrigerator and home freezer manu-

 facturing ............................................................. 2004 2,981

Discount department stores ................................... 1,593 2005 3,550

Professional employer organizations....................... 1,590 2006 2,623

Motor vehicle power train components manu-

 facturing ............................................................. 2007

Motor vehicle seating and interior trim manu-

 facturing ............................................................. 1,323 2006 1,920

Payroll services ..................................................... 1,195 1999 4,737

All other motor vehicle parts manufacturing ........... 1,070 2007 1,070

Real estate credit ................................................... 979 2007 979

Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in September 2007

Industry Initial claims

September peak

Year

Initial claims

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 1

( 1 )

( 1

 )

( 1

 )

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The 10 industries reporting the highest numbers of mass layoff initial claims, not seasonally adjusted,

accounted for 29 percent of all such initial claims in September. The industry with the highest number of

initial claims was motion picture and video production, followed by temporary help services and household

refrigerator and home freezer manufacturing. (See table A.)

The manufacturing sector accounted for 34 percent of all mass layoff events and 44 percent of all related

initial claims filed in September; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 34 percent of events and 45 percent

of initial claims. In September 2007, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation

equipment manufacturing (7,759, largely in motor vehicle power train components manufacturing, motor

vehicle seating and interior trim manufacturing, and all other motor vehicle parts manufacturing), followed by

machinery manufacturing (3,021) and electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing (2,881). (See table 3.)

Administrative and waste services accounted for 12 percent of mass layoff events and 9 percent of initial

claims in September, primarily from temporary help services and professional employer organizations. Retail

trade made up 9 percent of events and 8 percent of initial claims, mostly from general merchandise stores.

Four percent of all mass layoff events and 8 percent of related initial claims filed were from the information

industry, primarily from motion picture and sound recording industries. Construction comprised 10 percent

of all mass layoff events and 6 percent of related initial claims, mainly from the specialty trade contractors

industry.

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of mass layoff events in September, at 717, was down

by 148 from a year earlier, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 20,314 to 67,385.

(See table 2.) This is due in part to a calendar effect; September 2007 contained 4 weeks for possible

mass layoffs, compared with 5 weeks in each September of the prior 2 years. (See the Technical Note for

an explanation of how the number of weeks for data collection can vary from month to month. Also, note

that adjustments are made for the calendar effects in the previously mentioned seasonally adjusted series.)
3

The largest over-the-year decreases in initial claims were reported in transportation equipment manufacturing

(-5,571), administrative and support services (-3,625), and machinery manufacturing (-1,751). The largest

over-the-year increase in mass layoff initial claims was reported in motion picture and sound recording

industries (+2,315). The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs also increased in credit intermediation

and related activities (+664).

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in September due to mass layoffs was

in the West with 25,539. Motion picture and sound recording industries, administrative and support services, and specialty trade contractors together accounted for 37 percent of all mass layoff initial claims in that

region during the month. The Midwest had the second largest number of initial claims among the regions with

17,273, followed by the South with 15,913, and the Northeast with 8,660. (See table 5.)

The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs decreased over the year in all four regions—the South

(-8,077), the Midwest (-8,075), the Northeast (-3,791), and the West (-371). Eight of the 9 geographic

divisions had over-the-year decreases in the numbers of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the

largest decreases in the East North Central (-5,274) and South Atlantic (-4,504) divisions. The only division with an over-the-year increase in mass layoff initial claims was the Mountain (+74).

Reflecting motion picture and sound recording industry layoffs, California recorded the highest number

of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in September (21,144). Other states with large numbers of

mass layoff related claims were Pennsylvania (4,005), Illinois (3,486), Florida (2,985), and Michigan (2,844).

These five states accounted for 56 percent of all mass layoff events and 51 percent of all initial claims for

unemployment insurance in September. (See table 6.)

Ohio had the largest over-the-year decrease in the number of initial claims (-2,697), primarily concentrated in transportation equipment manufacturing. States having the next largest decreases in initial claims

were Kentucky (-2,522), Minnesota (-1,853), Virginia (-1,556), and Louisiana (-1,478). The largest overthe-year increases in claims occurred in Alabama (+821), Oklahoma (+589), and New Mexico (+469).

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 employers, 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 quarterly release provides more information on the

nature of the layoff and the location of the employer, 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 Mass Layoffs in October 2007 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 21.
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 contacted 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 quarterly 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-theyear 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

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 publishing 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 expansions and contractions.

The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-

ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis.

Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly

estimates, including those for the current month, in developing

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, October 2003 to September 2007,

seasonally adjusted

2003

October ........................................................ 1,536 158,137 1,328 140,298 420 52,105 

November .................................................... 1,366 138,079 1,223 126,597 377 49,716 

December .................................................... 1,412 139,423 1,243 127,356 445 50,923 

2004

January ........................................................ 1,428 146,692 1,232 128,191 394 45,544 

February ...................................................... 1,320 134,626 1,170 122,329 367 40,849 

March ........................................................... 1,372 139,716 1,237 130,737 401 59,987 

April .............................................................. 1,374 140,190 1,202 124,962 349 38,197 

May .............................................................. 1,209 113,091 1,047 99,615 330 38,965 

June ............................................................. 1,403 141,048 1,231 128,137 366 47,015 

July .............................................................. 1,330 137,484 1,180 126,106 372 51,424 

August .......................................................... 1,394 127,671 1,224 113,376 345 36,963 

September ................................................... 1,277 125,351 1,154 115,343 338 46,955 

October ........................................................ 1,288 132,250 1,172 122,831 362 47,571 

November .................................................... 1,314 130,558 1,171 118,904 378 46,276 

December .................................................... 1,170 114,641 1,013 103,434 301 33,022 

2005

January ........................................................ 1,489 160,986 1,353 150,640 383 56,133 

February ...................................................... 1,172 123,377 1,045 112,752 358 45,794 

March ........................................................... 1,219 132,035 1,079 122,013 377 55,061 

April .............................................................. 1,263 137,381 1,132 126,747 398 60,826 

May .............................................................. 1,226 133,221 1,085 120,899 382 54,886 

June ............................................................. 1,194 126,834 1,074 117,712 359 57,018 

July .............................................................. 1,248 131,500 1,101 118,800 353 47,136 

August .......................................................... 1,109 123,125 986 111,879 338 46,915 

September ................................................... 2,217 292,177 1,998 246,227 419 56,289 

October ........................................................ 1,098 108,665 977 99,402 321 44,666 

November .................................................... 1,167 115,803 1,036 104,576 330 43,307 

December .................................................... 1,253 135,721 1,125 124,632 372 48,592 

2006

January ........................................................ 1,112 109,429 984 99,277 282 29,911 

February ...................................................... 1,065 112,742 973 105,055 329 46,548 

March ........................................................... 1,105 120,954 1,003 112,730 335 50,149 

April .............................................................. 1,175 121,376 1,041 111,369 365 48,038 

May .............................................................. 1,098 113,195 982 103,839 297 42,993 

June ............................................................. 1,130 123,558 1,007 113,037 331 40,500 

July .............................................................. 1,160 118,843 1,038 109,509 372 49,069 

August .......................................................... 1,218 131,105 1,083 120,923 367 58,983 

September ................................................... 1,158 120,795 1,043 111,876 392 46,802 

October ........................................................ 1,186 119,914 1,069 111,036 401 55,795 

November .................................................... 1,220 136,340 1,111 127,286 411 60,599 

December .................................................... 1,201 133,818 1,099 124,526 390 53,828 

2007

January ........................................................ 1,237 126,368 1,095 115,615 389 51,141 

February ...................................................... 1,280 143,977 1,166 135,252 419 64,072 

March ........................................................... 1,276 130,687 1,165 122,150 420 54,441 

April .............................................................. 1,239 126,194 1,109 115,870 387 43,939 

May .............................................................. 1,182 118,414 1,079 110,880 365 48,872 

June ............................................................. 1,219 127,897 1,094 117,787 340 39,273 

July .............................................................. 1,221 124,835 1,115 116,744 383 50,036 

August .......................................................... 1,189 118,120 1,092 110,946 325 35,676 

September ................................................... 1,271 123,656 1,173 116,775 428 50,636 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2003 to September 2007,

not seasonally adjusted

2003

October ......................................................... 1,523 158,240 1,265 137,706 438 53,741 

November ..................................................... 1,438 138,543 1,234 123,524 408 48,419 

December ..................................................... 1,929 192,633 1,793 182,750 648 77,915 

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 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

September July August September September July August September

2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ............................................................... 1,158 1,221 1,189 1,271 120,795 124,835 118,120 123,656 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 1,043 1,115 1,092 1,173 111,876 116,744 110,946 116,775 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 392 383 325 428 46,802 50,036 35,676 50,636 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 865 1,599 963 717 87,699 175,419 93,458 67,385 

Total, private ........................................................ 819 1,503 927 688 83,317 168,280 89,793 65,205 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 34 53 19 21 2,043 3,341 1,448 1,179 

 Total, private nonfarm ........................................ 785 1,450 908 667 81,274 164,939 88,345 64,026 

 Mining .............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Utilities ............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Construction .................................................... 99 88 106 70 6,643 5,844 7,282 4,283 

 Manufacturing .................................................. 296 684 220 246 39,076 101,390 23,361 29,381 

 Food ............................................................ 32 46 27 31 2,763 4,927 2,912 2,873 

 Beverage and tobacco products .................. 6 5 3 ( 2 ) 581 316 243 ( 2 )

 Textile mills .................................................. 12 19 7 4 1,751 2,272 805 448 

 Textile product mills ..................................... 5 8 5 4 465 857 376 410 

 Apparel ........................................................ 9 19 10 12 1,073 1,678 1,362 1,180 

 Leather and allied products ......................... ( 2 ) 7 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 1,212 ( 2 ) –

 Wood products ............................................ 28 27 19 27 2,645 2,901 1,562 2,461 

 Paper ........................................................... 6 4 ( 2 ) 5 741 259 ( 2 ) 389 

 Printing and related support activities .......... ( 2 ) 5 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 499 389 ( 2 )

 Petroleum and coal products ....................... 4 – – – 235 – – –

 Chemicals .................................................... 4 8 4 3 284 826 228 186 

 Plastics and rubber products ....................... 16 65 11 13 1,786 7,487 898 1,066 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 6 10 5 9 835 1,373 309 941 

 Primary metals ............................................. 7 36 11 15 876 6,318 1,399 1,678 

 Fabricated metal products ........................... 22 63 10 16 2,149 6,364 689 1,473 

 Machinery .................................................... 24 49 16 19 4,772 6,994 1,846 3,021 

 Computer and electronic products ............... 8 20 16 15 451 2,549 1,252 1,381 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ........... 11 20 10 10 1,395 3,271 1,238 2,881 

 Transportation equipment ............................ 69 249 39 51 13,330 48,795 5,596 7,759 

 Furniture and related products .................... 15 14 12 7 1,919 1,394 855 791 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ...................... 7 10 6 ( 2 ) 571 1,098 745 ( 2 )

 Wholesale trade ............................................... 12 18 16 17 908 1,347 1,247 1,053 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 72 83 101 67 6,619 6,663 10,680 5,657 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................... 24 90 63 17 1,965 9,132 5,968 1,415 

 Information ....................................................... 31 37 19 32 3,337 4,253 3,432 5,420 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 26 39 93 40 1,937 2,499 9,631 2,649 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................. 4 7 6 3 311 605 625 285 

 Professional and technical services ................ 22 45 25 23 3,222 4,072 3,037 2,683 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... ( 2 ) 5 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 329 390 ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services .................. 110 216 153 85 9,950 18,257 15,114 6,325 

 Educational services ........................................ 6 7 7 ( 2 ) 436 486 579 ( 2 )

 Health care and social assistance ................... 21 49 15 13 2,383 3,911 914 998 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 15 17 16 11 944 1,007 1,218 716 

 Accommodation and food services .................. 36 50 46 37 2,728 3,967 3,346 2,681 

 Other services, except public administration ... 6 7 12 ( 2 ) 453 578 1,064 ( 2 )

 Unclassified .................................................... – 3 1 – – 218 78 –

Government ......................................................... 46 96 36 29 4,382 7,139 3,665 2,180 

 Federal ............................................................ 8 8 15 5 852 925 1,642 408 

 State ................................................................ 10 10 3 7 1,272 901 248 777 

 Local ................................................................ 28 78 18 17 2,258 5,313 1,775 995 

1

 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. NOTE: Dash represents zero. 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

 

Industry
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, July 2005 to September 2007,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2005

July ............................................. 1,981 244,216 1,745 222,377 

August ........................................ 645 67,582 598 63,484 

September .................................. 1,662 213,281 1,505 179,042 

Third Quarter .............................. 4,288 525,079 3,848 464,903 1,136 190,186 29.5 40.9 

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 2,776 304,670 929 161,743 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 1,640 330,848 39.8 72.2 

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 1,111 197,623 35.4 60.8 

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 2,p 1,249 2,p 173,487 p

 38.0 p 49.9 

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 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards

mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated

rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days. p = preliminary.

 2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more

data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

Mass layoffs

Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

Date
Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,

 not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

September July August September September July August September

2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007

 United States 1

 ......................................... 865 1,599 963 717 87,699 175,419 93,458 67,385 

Northeast ......................................................... 126 241 173 96 12,451 21,035 16,396 8,660 

 New England ............................................... 20 39 15 10 2,532 3,608 1,128 756 

 Middle Atlantic ............................................. 106 202 158 86 9,919 17,427 15,268 7,904 

South ............................................................... 209 360 227 160 23,990 35,763 21,452 15,913 

 South Atlantic .............................................. 98 180 128 78 10,807 15,861 10,632 6,303 

 East South Central ...................................... 50 122 54 38 7,830 14,074 6,426 5,018 

 West South Central ..................................... 61 58 45 44 5,353 5,828 4,394 4,592 

Midwest ........................................................... 208 573 181 156 25,348 85,557 18,319 17,273 

 East North Central ....................................... 167 485 149 119 19,269 72,514 15,584 13,995 

 West North Central ...................................... 41 88 32 37 6,079 13,043 2,735 3,278 

West ................................................................ 322 425 382 305 25,910 33,064 37,291 25,539 

 Mountain ...................................................... 18 44 29 23 2,092 4,698 3,162 2,166 

 Pacific .......................................................... 304 381 353 282 23,818 28,366 34,129 23,373 

1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: 

NOTE: The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: 

the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Mass- Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North 

achusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North 

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 

District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and

Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

Census region and division
Table 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

September July August September September July August September

2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007

 Total 1

 .................................................. 865 1,599 963 717 87,699 175,419 93,458 67,385 

Alabama ................................................. 13 59 16 18 1,015 6,510 2,433 1,836 

Alaska .................................................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Arizona ................................................... ( 2 ) 10 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 808 1,192 ( 2 )

Arkansas ................................................ ( 2 ) 10 ( 2 ) 6 ( 2 ) 1,133 ( 2 ) 565 

California ................................................ 281 351 320 256 21,642 25,054 31,066 21,144 

Colorado ................................................ 3 ( 2 ) 3 3 294 ( 2 ) 220 261 

Connecticut ............................................ 4 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 414 357 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Delaware ................................................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

District of Columbia ................................ – ( 2 ) – – – ( 2 ) – –

Florida .................................................... 46 79 70 47 3,627 5,214 5,175 2,985 

Georgia .................................................. 20 50 25 18 1,555 5,133 2,493 1,633 

Hawaii .................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 169 ( 2 )

Idaho ...................................................... ( 2 ) 6 5 3 ( 2 ) 1,395 393 222 

Illinois ..................................................... 38 53 35 31 3,578 8,175 3,702 3,486 

Indiana ................................................... 25 55 18 11 3,166 7,836 1,911 2,826 

Iowa ....................................................... 8 20 5 8 817 3,631 526 840 

Kansas ................................................... 8 14 3 4 986 2,294 538 295 

Kentucky ................................................ 23 43 23 14 5,133 5,958 3,048 2,611 

Louisiana ................................................ 26 9 5 8 2,041 604 902 563 

Maine ..................................................... ( 2 ) 4 – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 266 – ( 2 )

Maryland ................................................ 4 4 10 6 433 455 828 431 

Massachusetts ....................................... 10 20 8 3 937 2,173 569 196 

Michigan ................................................. 34 211 28 24 4,072 36,356 2,693 2,844 

Minnesota .............................................. 9 10 8 4 2,377 1,558 553 524 

Mississippi .............................................. 7 8 6 4 847 822 371 471 

Missouri .................................................. 12 38 13 16 1,254 3,619 941 1,141 

Montana ................................................. ( 2

 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 379 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Nebraska ................................................ 4 3 ( 2 ) 5 645 682 ( 2 ) 478 

Nevada ................................................... 7 15 7 7 1,018 1,438 819 529 

New Hampshire ..................................... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 391 ( 2 ) –

New Jersey ............................................ 12 42 32 19 1,898 3,176 2,398 1,985 

New Mexico ........................................... 3 6 ( 2 ) 3 175 392 ( 2 ) 644 

New York ............................................... 33 88 74 24 3,126 8,175 8,776 1,914 

North Carolina ........................................ 7 3 6 ( 2 ) 842 219 636 ( 2 )

North Dakota .......................................... – 3 ( 2 ) – – 1,259 ( 2 ) –

Ohio ....................................................... 39 86 29 29 5,276 10,435 3,064 2,579 

Oklahoma ............................................... 3 4 3 5 269 307 300 858 

Oregon ................................................... 9 20 13 15 958 2,463 1,502 1,324 

Pennsylvania .......................................... 61 72 52 43 4,895 6,076 4,094 4,005 

Rhode Island .......................................... ( 2

 ) 3 3 – ( 2 ) 222 337 –

South Carolina ....................................... 9 24 10 3 1,645 3,094 940 242 

South Dakota ......................................... – – ( 2 ) – – – ( 2 ) –

Tennessee ............................................. 7 12 9 ( 2 ) 835 784 574 ( 2 )

Texas ..................................................... 30 35 36 25 2,916 3,784 3,085 2,606 

Utah ....................................................... – ( 2 ) 3 3 – ( 2 ) 327 220 

Vermont ................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 331 

Virginia ................................................... 8 15 7 ( 2 ) 1,748 1,400 560 ( 2 )

Washington ............................................ 10 8 16 8 909 722 1,341 616 

West Virginia .......................................... 3 ( 2 ) – – 207 ( 2 ) – –

Wisconsin ............................................... 31 80 39 24 3,177 9,712 4,214 2,260 

Wyoming ................................................ – – – – – – – –

Puerto Rico ............................................ 12 13 15 8 1,714 1,221 1,751 750 

1

 See footnote 1, table 3. NOTE: Dash represents zero. 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State