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Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: (202) 691-5902

USDL 08-0091

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

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 number of associated initial claims increased by 2,079. In December, 462 mass layoff

 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 revised figures for

January 2003-December 2007 are available at http://www.bls.gov/mls/home.htm, along

with additional information about the revisions.

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,

January 2003-December 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,

January 2003-December 2007

News

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212

United States

Department 

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

Industry Initial claims

December peak

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

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 service contractors

(12,518), school and employee bus transportation (11,362), and temporary help services (9,745). Together,

these four industries accounted for 22 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs during the month. (See

table A.)

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

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.)
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Year Layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

Table B. Number of mass layoff events and initial claimants for

unemployment insurance, 1996-2007

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

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).

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
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 Initial claims Rank Initial claims Rank

Industry

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

2007 2006

Temporary help services............................... 96,991 1 93,740

School and employee bus transportation....... 76,230 2 74,116

Food service contractors.............................. 57,131 3 52,428

Automobile manufacturing............................. 51,746 4 59,711

Motion picture and video production............ 51,133 5 50,553

Highway, street, and bridge construction ...... 40,804 6 36,264

Heavy duty truck manufacturing.................... 31,076 7 25,280

Professional employer organizations .............. 31,062 8 25,291

Discount department stores .......................... 20,887 9 22,372

Elementary and secondary schools ............... 20,385 10 20,132

1

2

4

3

5

6

8

7

10

11

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.)

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
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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 layoffrelated 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 activity 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 intermediation 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.

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 five 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 quarterly 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
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 Upcoming Changes to Mass Layoff Data

With the release of January 2008 data on February 27, 2008, the Mass Layoff Statistics

program will revise the basis for industry classification from the 2002 North American

Industry Classification System (NAICS) to the 2007 NAICS. The new classification reflects

minor definitional changes within manufacturing, telecommunications, financial activities, and

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.

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.
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, January 2004 to December 2007,

seasonally adjusted

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 

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, January 2004 to December 2007,

not seasonally adjusted

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 

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

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 28 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. 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, October 2005 to December 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

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 data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards

rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated

associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days. with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

 2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more p = preliminary.

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

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. 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

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. NOTE: Dash represents zero. 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State