Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 07-0244

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 2006

AND ANNUAL TOTALS FOR 2006

In the fourth quarter of 2006, there were 1,444 mass layoff events that resulted in the separation of

255,886 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S.

Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both the total number of layoff events and the number of

separations were higher than during the October-December 2005 time period. (See table A.) The over-theyear increases in layoffs were most notable in transportation equipment manufacturing, insurance carriers and

related activities, and food and beverage stores. Fifty-seven percent of all employers reporting an extended

layoff in the fourth quarter of 2006 indicated they would recall some number of workers. This was the

lowest proportion of employers expecting to recall workers for any fourth quarter since 2002. Extended

mass layoffs that involve the movement of work within the same company or to a different company, either

domestically or outside the U.S., occurred in 7 percent of the nonseasonal layoff events, accounting for 10

percent of worker separations related to nonseasonal events. (See table B.)

The completion of seasonal work accounted for 42 percent of all events and resulted in 114,978

separations during the period—the lowest level of private nonfarm seasonal separations for any fourth quarter

since 1999. Layoffs due to internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial

Beginning with data published for the first quarter of 2007, the collection and presentation of data on economic reasons for extended mass layoffs will be improved. Clearer

definitions and titles for many of the current reasons will be introduced, and four new

reasons will be added. Moreover, seven higher-level categories—business demand, disaster/safety, financial, organizational, production, seasonal, and other/miscellaneous—will be

used to aggregate and report the detailed economic reasons for layoff.

For additional information on the changes to the MLS reasons, including detailed

definitions of each reason and a crosswalk of the old to the new reasons, please see

http://www.bls.gov/mls/home.htm or call (202) 691-6392.

Upcoming Changes to Mass Layoff Data

(Separations figure in table G for 1999 was corrected on Friday, February 16, 2007.)
2

Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity

Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

r = revised.

p = preliminary.

 2002

January-March ........... 1,611 299,266 292,998

April-June .................. 1,624 344,606 299,598

July-September .......... 1,186 255,152 254,955

October-December .... 1,916 373,307 370,592

 2003

January-March ........... 1,502 286,947 297,608

April-June .................. 1,799 368,273 348,966

July-September .......... 1,190 236,333 227,909

October-December .... 1,690 325,333 326,328

 2004

January-March ........... 1,339 276,503 238,392

April-June .................. 1,358 278,831 254,063

July-September .......... 886 164,608 148,575

October-December .... 1,427 273,967 262,049

 2005

January-March ........... 1,142 186,506 185,486

April-June .................. 1,203 246,099 212,673

July-September .......... 1,136 201,878 190,186

October-December .... 1,400 250,178 246,188

 2006

January-March ........... 963 183,089 193,102

April-June .................. 1,353 295,623 264,494

July-September .......... 929 160,141 160,813

October-December .... 1,444 255,886 217,742

r

r

r

r

p

difficulty, and reorganization) represented 13 percent of events and resulted in 45,954 separations; a year

earlier, separations totaled 33,251. Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 10 percent of all events and

affected 40,391 workers, the highest number of separations due to permanent closures for any fourth quarter

since 2002.

In the fourth quarter of 2006, the national unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted;

a year earlier it was 4.7 percent. Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by

1.8 percent, or about 2 million jobs, from the October-December 2005 period to the October-December

2006 period.

For all of 2006, the total number of extended mass layoff events was 4,689, and the total number of

worker separations was 894,739. While the annual total of layoff events was lower in 2006 than in 2005,

the number of separations was slightly higher. Additional information on the annual data is available starting

on page 9 of this release.
3

Table B. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures,

fourth quarter 2006

Action Layoff events Separations

Total, private nonfarm .............................. 1,444 255,886

Total, excluding seasonal and

 vacation events ................................. 827 140,096

 Total events with movement

 of work ...................................... 59 14,197

 Movement of work actions ......... 79 ( 3 )

 With separations reported ...... 61 9,692

 With separations unknown...... 18 ( 3 )

p

1

1 The questions on movement of work were not asked of employers when the

 reason for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period.

 2 A layoff event can involve more than one movement of work action.

 3 Data are not available.

 p = preliminary.

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

In the fourth quarter of 2006, extended mass layoff separations occurred in 351 of the 1,105 detailed

industries for which data are available. Manufacturing industries accounted for 29 percent of private nonfarm

layoff events and 32 percent of separations during October-December 2006. (See table 1.) The proportion

of manufacturing events and separations were slightly higher when compared with fourth quarter 2005. In the

fourth quarter of 2006, the highest number of separations in the manufacturing sector was in transporta- tion

equipment manufacturing (22,040, mostly associated with motor vehicles). The next highest number of

separations was in food manufacturing (16,827).

The construction sector had 36 percent of the extended layoff events and 25 percent of the separations,

mostly in heavy and civil engineering construction and in specialty trade contractors. Layoffs in the administrative and waste services sector comprised 10 percent of events and 9 percent of separations, mostly in

landscaping services and in temporary help services. Retail trade accounted for 5 percent of private nonfarm

layoff events and 9 percent of separations, primarily in nonstore retailers. Cutbacks in the accommodation

and food services industry accounted for 4 percent of events and 7 percent of separations and were

concentrated in hotels and motels, except casino hotels.

Information technology-producing industries (communications equipment, communications services, computer hardware, and software and computer services) accounted for 2 percent of layoff events and 6,437

worker separations in the fourth quarter of 2006. (See table 6.) A year earlier, these industries accounted

for 3 percent of layoff events and 7,222 separations. Layoffs in the information technology-producing industries in the fourth quarter of 2006 were most numerous in computer hardware, with 3,703 separations,

followed by communications equipment, with 1,467 separations.

2
4

Activities

With separations reported ......... 61 9,692

 By location

Out-of-country relocations .... 25 5,281

Within company ............... 22 5,126

Different company ............ 3 155

Domestic relocations ............. 36 4,411

Within company ............... 32 4,024

Different company ............ 4 387

 By company

Within company .................... 54 9,150

Domestic .......................... 32 4,024

Out of country.................. 22 5,126

Different company................. 7 542

Domestic .......................... 4 387

Out of country.................. 3 155

Table C. Movement of work actions by type of separation where the number

of separations is known by employers, fourth quarter 2006

Actions Separations

 1 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement of work were

reported are shown.

 p = preliminary.

p

Reasons for Extended Layoff

Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 42 percent of the extended layoff events

and resulted in 114,978 separations in the fourth quarter of 2006. (See table 2.) Seasonal layoffs were

most numerous among workers in heavy and civil engineering construction (highway, street, and bridge

construction) and in food manufacturing (fruit and vegetable canning).

Contract completion accounted for 20 percent of events and resulted in 34,880 separations during the

fourth quarter. These layoffs were primarily in administrative and support services, followed by specialty

trade contractors.

Internal company restructuring (due to bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and

reorganization) accounted for 13 percent of layoff events and resulted in 45,954 separations. These layoffs

were mostly among workers in food and beverage stores, transportation equipment manufacturing, and

insurance carriers and related activities. Over half of both the internal company restructuring layoff events

and separations were due to reorganization within the company.

1
5

Table D. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended

 layoff, fourth quarter 2005-fourth quarter 2006

Nature of the recall IV

2006

II

2006

III

2006

I

2006

IV

2005 r p

Percentage of events

r = revised.

p

 = prelimary.

Anticipate a recall .................... 68.9 43.1 59.6 42.4 56.7

 Timeframe

Within 6 months....................... 90.0 83.9 90.1 88.3 89.3

 Within 3 months.................... 37.1 55.2 62.0 68.8 36.8

 Size

At least half ............................. 92.6 88.0 93.7 90.6 93.4

 All workers .......................... 50.5 38.1 52.2 45.7 53.1

Movement of Work

Between October and December of 2006, 59 extended mass layoff events involved the movement of

work; this was about 7 percent of total extended mass layoff events, excluding those for seasonal and

vacation reasons. (See table B.) These movements of work were to other U.S. locations or to locations

outside of the U.S., and they occurred either within the same company or to other companies. The extended

mass layoff events involving movement of work were associated with the separation of 14,197 workers,

about 10 percent of all separations resulting from nonseasonal/nonvacation mass layoff events. A year earlier,

there were 65 layoff events and 12,051 separations associated with the movement of work. (See table 10.)

Among the 59 extended mass layoff events with reported relocation of work, just over two-thirds (68

percent) were permanent closures of worksites, which affected 10,029 workers. In comparison, 10 percent

of the total extended mass layoff events reported for the fourth quarter of 2006 involved the permanent

closure of worksites.

Of the layoffs involving the movement of work, 71 percent of the events and 81 percent of the laid-off

workers were from manufacturing industries during the fourth quarter. (See table 7.) Among all private

nonfarm extended layoffs, manufacturing accounted for 29 percent of the events and 32 percent of

separations.

Internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and reorganization) accounted for 73 percent of layoff events associated with work relocation and resulted in 8,759

separations during the fourth quarter. (See table 8.) Most of these were due to reorganization within the

company. Thirteen percent of the extended mass layoff events in the total private nonfarm economy were

due to internal company restructuring.
6

 Number Percent Number

Size

p = preliminary.

 Percent

Table E. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff,

October-December 2006

 Layoff events Separations

p

Total ................ 1,444 100.0 255,886 100.0

50-99 ............... 614 42.5 43,022 16.8

100-149 ........... 340 23.5 39,961 15.6

150-199 ........... 158 10.9 26,022 10.2

200-299 ........... 193 13.4 44,162 17.3

300-499 ........... 80 5.5 28,872 11.3

500-999 ........... 33 2.3 22,826 8.9

1,000 or more .. 26 1.8 51,021 19.9

Among the regions, the Midwest accounted for the largest proportion of workers affected by extended

mass layoffs associated with the movement of work (37 percent), followed by the South (35 percent), the

West (18 percent), and the Northeast (10 percent). (See table 9.)

Some extended mass layoff events involve more than one relocation of work action. For example, an

extended mass layoff event at an establishment may involve job loss due to movement of work to both

another domestic location of the company and a location out of the country. This would be counted as two

movement of work actions. The 59 extended layoff events with movement of work for the fourth quarter of

2006 involved 79 identifiable relocations of work. (See table B.) An identifiable relocation of work occurs

when the employer provides sufficient information on the new location of work and/or the number of workers

affected by the movement. Of the 79 relocations, employers were able to provide information on the specific

number of separations associated with the movement of work component of the layoff in 61 actions involving

9,692 workers. Thus, a range of 9,692 (separations in movement of work actions where the employer was

able to provide specific detail) to 14,197 (total separations in all layoff events that included movement of

work) is established for separations due to the movement of work in the fourth quarter. (See table 10.)

In the 61 actions where employers were able to provide more complete separations information, 89

percent of relocations (54 out of 61) occurred among establishments within the same company. (See table

C.) In 59 percent of these relocations (32 out of 54), the work activities were reassigned to places

elsewhere in the U.S.

Forty-one percent of the movement-of-work relocations involved out-of-country moves (25 out of 61).

The separation of 5,281 workers was associated with out-of-country relocations, 4 percent of all

nonseasonal/nonvacation extended mass layoff separations. Domestic relocation of work—both within the

company and to other companies—affected 4,411 workers. (See table 11.)
7

Table F. Mass layoff events and separations, selected metropolitan areas

Metropolitan area IV

2006

IV

2005

IV

2006

IV

2005 p

Events Separations

r p r

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

 

r

 = revised.

 

p

 = preliminary.

 NOTE: The geographic boundaries of the metropolitan areas shown in this table are

defined in Office of Management and Budget Bulletin 06-01, December 5, 2005.

Total, nonmetropolitan areas............................. 223 215 35,066 30,654

Total, 367 metropolitan areas........................... 803 796 135,460 144,849

Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. ........ 86 91 16,034 14,916

Detriot-Warren-Livonia, Mich. ...................... 44 45 5,850 12,224

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. .. 6 71 883 10,498

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington,

 Minn.-Wis.................................................. 42 41 6,099 6,565

St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. ......................................... 14 13 5,514 4,964

Sandusky, Ohio ............................................. 3 ( 1 ) 1,385 ( 1 )

New York-Northern New Jersey-Long

 Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ................................ 78 34 10,571 3,946

Medford, Ore. .............................................. ( 1 ) 3 ( 1 ) 3,680

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. ......... ( 1 ) 14 ( 1 ) 3,282

Sacramento—Arden-Arcade—Roseville,

 Calif. ......................................................... 4 15 467 3,068

Recall Expectations

Fifty-seven percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the fourth quarter of 2006 indicated they

anticipated some type of recall. This compares with 69 percent of the employers anticipating a recall a year

earlier and is the lowest such proportion for the fourth quarter since 2002. (See table D.) The fourth

quarter typically has the highest recall expectations for any quarter of the year.

Among establishments expecting a recall, most employers expected to recall over one-half of the

separated employees and to do so within 6 months. Fifty-three percent of the employers expected to extend

the offer to all laid-off workers.

Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 96 percent of the employers

expected a recall), employers expected to recall laid-off workers in 27 percent of the events. A year earlier,

34 percent of employers expected a recall in nonseasonal and nonvacation events. In layoff events due to

internal company restructuring, employers anticipated a recall in only 4 percent of the events.

Size of Extended Layoff

Layoff events during the fourth quarter continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended

layoff-size spectrum, with 66 percent involving fewer than 150 workers. These events, however, accounted
8

Period Layoff events

r = revised.

p

 = preliminary.

Initial claimants

Table G. Selected measures of mass layoff activity, 1996-2006

Separations

1996 .......................... 4,760 948,122 805,810

1997 .......................... 4,671 947,843 879,831

1998 .......................... 4,859 991,245 1,056,462

1999 .......................... 4,556 901,451 796,917

2000 .......................... 4,591 915,962 846,267

2001 .......................... 7,375 1,524,832 1,457,512

2002 .......................... 6,337 1,272,331 1,218,143

2003 .......................... 6,181 1,216,886 1,200,811

2004 .......................... 5,010 993,909 903,079

2005 r........................ 4,881 884,661 834,533

2006 .......................... 4,689 894,739 836,151 p

for only 32 percent of all separations. (See table E.) Separations involving 500 or more workers, while

comprising 4 percent of the events, accounted for 29 percent of all separations, up from 22 percent in

October-December 2005. The average size of layoffs (as measured by separations per layoff event) differed

widely by industry, ranging from a low of 63 separations in motion picture and sound recordings industries to

a high of 687 in nonstore retailers.

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 217,742 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass

layoffs in the fourth quarter of 2006. Of these claimants, 13 percent were black, 16 percent were Hispanic,

29 percent were women, 37 percent were 30 to 44 years of age, and 16 percent were 55 years of age or

older. (See table 3.) Among persons in the civilian labor force for the same period, 11 percent were black,

14 percent were Hispanic, 46 percent were women, 34 percent were age 30 to 44, and 17 percent were 55

years of age or older.

Geographic Distribution

In the fourth quarter, the number of separations due to extended mass layoff events was highest in the

Midwest (123,454), followed by the West (64,929), the South (34,288), and the Northeast (33,215). (See

table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the Midwest were mainly in heavy and civil engineering construction and

in transportation equipment manufacturing.

Two of the four regions reported over-the-year increases in separations, with the largest increase occurring in the West (+24,371), followed by the Midwest (+2,782). The South had the largest over-the-year

decline (-13,610) in worker separations. Three of the nine geographic divisions reported over-the-year

increases in laid-off workers, with the largest increases occurring in the Pacific (+24,244) and East North

Central (+12,434) divisions. The West North Central division reported the largest decrease in separations

(-9,652).

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the largest number of worker separations occurred in

California (38,938), followed by Illinois (33,328), Michigan (24,403), and Ohio (22,529). These four states
9

accounted for 46 percent of total layoff events and 47 percent of separations during the fourth quarter of

2006. Other states with high numbers of separations were Wisconsin (13,715), Minnesota (12,921), Florida

(9,791), and New York (9,298). (See table 5.) After excluding the substantial impact of seasonal work,

California reported the most laid-off workers (32,774), largely due to layoffs in insurance carriers and related

activities and in specialty trade contractors.

Over the year, California reported the greatest increase in workers laid off for all reasons during the

fourth quarter (+24,658), followed by Michigan (+9,042) and Maryland (+2,180). The largest decreases

occurred in New York (-8,245), Florida (-7,468), and Louisiana (-6,755).

Fifty-five percent of events and 57 percent of separations (144,849) occurred in metropolitan areas in

the fourth quarter of 2006, compared with 57 percent of events and 54 percent of separations (135,460)

during the fourth quarter of 2005. Among the 367 metropolitan areas, Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-

Wis., reported the highest number of separations, 14,916, in the fourth quarter of 2006. Next was DetroitWarren-Livonia, Mich., with 12,224 separations, and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., with

10,498 separations. (See table F.) Employers located in nonmetropolitan areas separated 30,654 workers

in mass layoffs, down from 35,066 workers in the fourth quarter of 2005.

Review of 2006

For all of 2006, employers reported 4,689 extended mass layoff actions, affecting 894,739 workers.

Compared to 2005, the number of events was down from 4,881, but the number of separations was up

from 884,661. (See table G.) The annual average national unemployment rate decreased from 5.1 percent

in 2005 to 4.6 percent in 2006, while private nonfarm payroll employment increased by 2 percent, or

2,282,000 jobs.

Thirteen percent of extended events in 2006 were permanent closures, accounting for 150,951 worker

separations. When compared with 2005, the share of separations due to permanent closures that were

associated with extended mass layoffs rose by 5 percentage points. During 2006, permanent closures were

most numerous in the manufacturing sector, primarily in transportation equipment manufacturing and in food

production. Reorganization within the company was most often cited as the reason for closures in manufacturing during 2006, accounting for 37 percent of the total closures in manufacturing.

In 2006, employers expected a recall in 52 percent of the mass layoff events, down from 56 percent of

events in 2005. Employers in arts, entertainment, and recreation; health care and social assistance; and other

services, except public administration were more likely to expect some type of recall than were those in other

industries. The finance and insurance sector had the lowest percentage of employers with an expectation of

recall (5 percent).

Of the layoff events where employers did not expect to recall laid-off workers, 33 percent were in the

manufacturing sector. These occurred primarily in transportation equipment manufacturing and in computer

and electronic products manufacturing.

Industry. Manufacturing had the largest share of extended events and separations in 2006. Manufacturing accounted for 28 percent of all mass layoff events and 29 percent of all separations. Separations were

most numerous in transportation equipment manufacturing (77,256, mainly in motor vehicle manufacturing)

and in food manufacturing (48,654, largely fresh and frozen seafood processing and fruit and vegetable

canning). Compared to 2005, 11 of the 21 manufacturing subgroups had increases in the number of separations, with the largest increases occurring in transportation equipment manufacturing (+34,285) and textile
10

mills (+3,827). Fabricated metal product manufacturing had the largest decrease (-3,309), followed by

chemical manufacturing (-2,361).

Reason. In 2006, seasonal work continued to be the most-cited reason for layoff, accounting for

33 percent of all layoff events and 36 percent of all separations. A year earlier, seasonal layoffs accounted

for 37 percent of events and 40 percent of separations. The seasonal layoffs in 2006 occurred primarily in

transit and ground passenger transportation, heavy and civil engineering construction, and food services and

drinking places.

Layoff activity due to internal company restructuring occurred largely among transportation equipment

manufacturing, general merchandise stores, food and beverage stores, and credit intermediation and related

services. Internal company restructuring was reported in 795 events (17 percent of the total), resulting in the

separation of 195,745 workers (22 percent of the total).

Movement of work. In 2006, there were 242 extended mass layoff events that involved work moving

within the same company or to a different company, domestically or out of the U.S. The events involving

movement of work were associated with the separation of 54,166 workers, about 10 percent of all

separations resulting from nonseasonal/nonvacation mass layoff events. Sixty-six percent of events with

movement of work involved the permanent closure of a worksite, affecting 38,827 workers. More than

two-thirds of the events and separations with movement of work were in manufacturing industries, mostly in

transportation equipment manufacturing and in electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing. Employers

citing internal company restructuring reasons (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and

reorganization) accounted for over seventy percent of the movement-of-work events and separations.

Among the regions, the South accounted for the largest proportion of laid-off workers associated with the

movement of work (34 percent), followed by the Midwest (31 percent), the West (19 percent), and the

Northeast (15 percent).

As part of the 242 layoff events, 334 identifiable movement-of-work actions were taken by employers.

Employers were able to provide information on specific separations associated with the movement of work

component of the layoff in 227 actions (out of the 334), which totaled 33,266 laid-off workers. Thus for

2006, the number of separations due to the movement of work ranged between 33,266 (separations in

movement-of-work actions where the employer was able to provide specific detail) to 54,166 (total separations in all layoff events that included movement of work).

Of the 227 movement-of-work actions for which complete information is available, more than 6 in 10

relocations were to other locations within the U.S., and 84 percent involved moving work within the company. The separation of 13,067 workers was associated with out-of-country relocations, which accounts for

39 percent of the separations related to the movement of work and 2 percent of all separations in nonseasonal/nonvacation extended mass layoff events. In out-of-country relocations, Mexico and China were cited

62 percent of the time as the destination to which work moved. Domestic relocation of work—both within

the company and to other companies—affected 20,199 workers.

Geographic distribution. The Midwest reported more workers affected by extended mass layoffs in

2006 than any other region, 303,937. In the Midwest, transportation equipment manufacturing had the

largest number of separations, with 51,157, followed by heavy and civil engineering construction, and

administrative and support services. The Northeast region continued to report the lowest annual number

of separations (164,804). Compared to 2005, three of the four geographic regions reported a decrease

in laid-off workers, with the largest decline in the South (-46,629). The West had the only over-the-year

increase (+65,393).
11

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California reported the largest number of separated

workers in 2006 (159,306). After California were Illinois (86,832), Florida (71,096), Michigan (66,062),

Ohio (59,252), and New York (51,181). These six states accounted for 55 percent of events and separations in 2006. California recorded the largest over-the-year increase in separations (+78,624); Louisiana

had the largest over-the-year decline in the number of separations (-48,863). In 2005, layoffs related to

Hurricane Katrina contributed to the large number of separations in Louisiana.

Fifty-six percent of layoff events and 49 percent of separations occurred in metropolitan areas in 2006,

compared to 60 percent of events and 53 percent of separations in 2005. Among the 367 metropolitan

areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported the highest number of separations, 39,547. The

next highest numbers of separations were in Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., with 35,757, and New

York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., with 32,125. Employers located in nonmetropolitan areas separated 96,277 workers in mass layoffs during 2006, down from 109,757 workers in 2005.

Note

The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs cover layoffs of at least 31-days duration that involve

50 or more individuals from a single establishment filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a

consecutive 5-week period. Approximately 30 days after a mass layoff is triggered at an establishment, the

employer is contacted for additional information. Data for the fourth quarter are preliminary and subject to

revision. This release also includes revised data for previous quarters. Data are not seasonally adjusted,

but survey data suggest that there is a seasonal pattern to layoffs. Thus, comparisons between consecutive

quarters should not be used as an indicator of trend.

For additional information about the Mass Layoff Statistics program, see the Technical Note.

______________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in January 2007 is scheduled to be released on Friday, February 23.
Technical Note

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state

program which identifies, describes, and tracks the effects of

major job cutbacks, using data from each state’s unemployment

insurance database. Establishments which have at least 50

initial claims filed against them during a consecutive 5-week

period are contacted by the state agency to determine whether

these separations are of at least 31 days duration, and, if so,

information is obtained on the total number of persons

separated and the reasons for these separations.

Establishments are identified according to industry

classification and location, and unemployment insurance

claimants are identified by such demographic factors as age,

race, gender, ethnic group, and place of residence. The program

yields information on an individual’s entire spell of

unemployment, to the point when regular unemployment

insurance benefits are exhausted.

Definitions

Establishment. A unit at a single physical location at which

predominantly one type of economic activity is conducted.

Extended layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for

unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment during

a 5-week period, with at least 50 workers separated for more than

30 days.

Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or

period of eligibility.

Layoff. The separation of persons from an employer as part

of a mass layoff event. (See below.) Such layoffs involve both

persons subject to recall and those who are terminated by the

establishment.

Mass layoff. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment

insurance benefits from an establishment beginning in a given

month, regardless of duration.

Worksite closure. The complete closure of either multi-unit

or single-unit establishments or the partial closure of a multiunit establishment where entire worksites affected by layoffs

are closed or planned to be closed.

Movement of work concepts and questions

Because of the employer interview component, the BLS

decided to use the MLS program as a vehicle for collecting

additional information on offshoring and outsourcing

associated with job loss, by adding questions that address

movement of work. The term “moving work” means that the

company experiencing the layoff has reassigned work activities

that were performed at a worksite by the company’s employees

(1) to another worksite within the company; (2) to another

company under formal arrangements at the same worksite; or (3)

to another company under formal arrangements at another

worksite. The type of work activities subject to movement can

include accounting, customer service, cleaning, warehousing, etc.

 “Overseas relocation” is the movement of work from within

the U.S. to locations outside of the U.S. “Overseas relocation”

can occur within the same company and involve movement of

work to a different location of that company outside of the U.S.,

or to a different company altogether.

“Domestic relocation” is the movement of work to other

locations inside the U.S., either within the same company or to

a different company.

 “Overseas relocation” and “domestic relocation” are no

longer used in the same way as they were in earlier extended

mass layoff news releases. Therefore, the data presented in this

news release are not comparable to those that were presented

in earlier news releases.

 Questions on movement of work and location are asked for

all identified layoff events when the reason for separation is

other than “seasonal work” or “vacation period.” Seasonal and

vacation layoff events were excluded because movement of

work appears unlikely.

Questions on movement of work are asked after the analyst

verifies that a layoff in fact occurred and lasted more than 30

days, and obtained the total number of workers separated from

jobs, the date the layoff began, and the economic reason for the

layoff. If the reason for layoff is other than seasonal or vacation,

the employer was asked the following:

(1) “Did this layoff include your company moving work from

this location(s) to a different geographic location(s) within your

company?”

(2) “Did this layoff include your company moving work that

was performed in-house by your employees to a different

company, through contractual arrangements?”

A “yes” response to either question is followed by:

“Is the location inside or outside of the U.S.?” and “How

many of the layoffs were a result of this relocation?”

Layoff actions are classified as “overseas relocation” if the

employer responds “yes” to questions 1 and/or 2, and indicates

that the location(s) was outside of the U.S. Domestic relocation

is determined if the employer responds “yes” to questions 1

and/or 2 and indicates that the location(s) was within the U.S.

After asking the movement of work questions, the employer

interview continues and responses are obtained for questions

on recall expectations and open/closed status of the worksite.

Reliability of the data

The identification of establishments and layoff events in the

MLS program and associated characteristics of claimants is
based on administrative data on covered establishments and

unemployment insurance claims, and, therefore, is not subject

to issues associated with sampling error. Nonsampling errors

such as typographical errors may occur but are not likely to be

significant. While the MLS establishments and layoff events

are not subject to sampling error, and all such employers are

asked the employer interview questions, the employer

responses are subject to nonsampling error. Nonsampling error

can occur for many reasons, including the inability to obtain

information for all respondents, inability or unwillingness of

respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in

the collection or processing of the data. For the fourth quarter

of 2006, outright refusal to participate in the employer interview

accounted for 3.0 percent of all private nonfarm events.

Although included in the total number of instances involving

the movement of work, for the fourth quarter, employers in 18

relocations were unable to provide the number of separations

specifically associated with the movement of work, 6 of which

involved out-of-country moves.

Other information

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200;

TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

Industry

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 

 Total, private nonfarm 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 246,188 160,813 217,742 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 4 24 3,456 1,296 3,541 3,361 607 3,056 

 Utilities ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 454 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 375 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 485 155 513 66,909 16,118 64,611 70,040 23,047 61,873 

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 397 302 414 71,710 56,823 81,826 82,527 59,539 83,243 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 91 42 69 18,041 7,261 16,827 19,010 7,182 14,511 

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 3 9 824 720 798 685 453 797 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 16 13 1,658 2,571 2,504 3,299 3,514 2,730 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 6 5 ( 2 ) 613 523 ( 2 ) 801 653 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 17 7 2,296 2,791 680 1,283 2,065 524 

 Leather and allied products ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 21 41 1,992 2,896 4,876 2,337 3,048 6,521 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 9 5 1,143 1,070 519 892 992 473 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 6 5 1,112 1,057 661 1,427 760 340 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 ( 2

 ) 14 2,285 ( 2 ) 2,244 2,647 ( 2 ) 2,071 

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 7 ( 2

 ) 1,723 1,160 ( 2 ) 1,626 781 ( 2 ) 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 16 22 3,045 2,178 3,933 3,582 2,796 3,440 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37 6 35 6,472 919 5,546 7,173 979 4,868 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 9 11 2,292 1,454 1,178 1,289 1,408 1,352 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 12 26 1,928 1,309 3,262 2,021 1,809 3,520 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 17 15 1,746 3,002 1,990 1,598 3,033 2,813 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 21 17 4,401 4,504 5,417 3,489 3,299 2,031 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 9 13 2,020 1,762 4,373 1,739 1,482 4,302 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 64 62 79 14,312 17,850 22,040 23,205 21,226 28,991 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 14 18 2,303 2,435 2,757 2,613 2,506 2,236 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 6 6 1,298 1,076 1,189 1,313 951 769 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 23 26 2,699 4,157 3,005 3,654 2,935 2,733 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 68 52 66 20,926 12,992 23,829 17,869 12,530 13,018 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 72 29 6,384 11,098 3,884 5,597 9,639 3,073 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 29 15 4,023 6,224 1,781 3,932 3,916 2,669 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 33 47 2,340 6,924 10,087 2,505 7,205 5,130 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 422 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 349 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 33 37 29 5,285 5,712 3,951 6,515 6,489 4,114 

 Management of companies and enterprises ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) 4 714 ( 2 ) 913 770 ( 2 ) 792 

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 154 107 142 27,495 20,057 23,105 27,178 19,716 20,479 

 Educational services ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 5 3 ( 2 ) 453 266 ( 2 ) 522 308 

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 40 19 5,031 5,164 3,146 3,276 3,858 2,013 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45 21 35 13,800 4,505 12,489 6,330 2,464 3,487 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 59 33 60 14,294 6,735 17,339 9,730 6,369 10,105 

 Other services, except public administration ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 8 10 1,728 974 1,237 1,448 985 925 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – – – – –

 

1

 For the fourth quarter of 2006, data on layoffs were reported by employers 

r

 = revised.

in all states and the District of Columbia. 

p

 = preliminary.

 

2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. NOTE: Dash represents zero.

Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance Layoff events
Table 2. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, 

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

Reason for layoff

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 

 Total, private nonfarm 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 246,188 160,813 217,742 

Automation ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) 3 – ( 2

 ) 271 – ( 2

 ) 333 

Bankruptcy ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 15 13 5,150 5,304 2,083 4,333 1,723 1,700 

Business ownership change ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 29 22 2,475 9,329 10,792 2,410 5,810 3,992 

Contract cancellation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 19 17 2,639 3,614 1,794 1,996 2,914 1,642 

Contract completed ..................................................................................................................................................................... 158 255 290 28,048 34,151 34,880 31,702 42,115 38,136 

Energy-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

Environment-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Financial difficulty ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 42 40 7,508 6,121 9,420 6,867 4,885 5,864 

Import competition ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 17 17 3,587 3,546 2,490 3,918 3,920 2,356 

Labor dispute ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 ( 2

 ) 309 1,230 ( 2 ) 401 827 ( 2 ) 

Material shortage ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 204 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 714 ( 2 ) 

Model changeover ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 ( 2

 ) 767 2,568 ( 2 ) 491 2,040 ( 2 ) 

Natural disaster ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

Plant or machine repair ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) 6 269 ( 2 ) 1,489 691 ( 2 ) 719 

Product line discontinued ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 7 10 2,366 1,494 4,209 2,033 1,074 1,562 

Reorganization within company ..................................................................................................................................................................... 101 106 109 18,118 26,678 23,659 21,478 27,680 17,069 

Seasonal work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 778 166 612 137,885 26,693 114,978 122,922 25,260 81,326 

Slack work ..................................................................................................................................................................... 136 155 178 18,913 18,312 29,267 28,321 25,004 43,451 

Vacation period ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 11 5 475 998 812 337 957 479 

Weather-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 – 6 7,705 – 486 4,033 – 604 

Other ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 32 14 2,749 8,283 2,935 3,301 4,581 3,540 

Not reported ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 57 94 10,245 10,530 13,300 10,245 10,630 13,111 

 

1

 See footnote 1, table 1. p = preliminary.

 

2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 

r

 = revised.

Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance Layoff events Separations
Table 3. State and selected claimant characteristics: Extended mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, 

private nonfarm sector, third and fourth quarters, 2006

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55and over

III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV

 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p 

 Total, private nonfarm 1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 929 1,444 160,813 217,742 17.0 12.6 16.7 15.9 40.3 29.5 17.5 16.3 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 12 2,188 2,007 39.9 46.4 2.7 2.9 42.0 43.9 19.1 16.0 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 10 731 1,593 3.1 4.0 22.4 18.6 31.9 23.5 25.7 17.8 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) 445 ( 2 ) 6.1 7.3 40.7 37.7 56.9 48.0 7.9 9.9 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 5 1,164 1,218 34.5 26.3 4.3 1.6 37.5 42.6 13.8 22.4 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 214 286 35,346 34,891 9.0 6.6 35.5 40.0 36.8 33.7 14.2 13.7 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 17 413 1,894 4.1 3.3 18.9 39.9 53.5 22.9 16.2 23.0 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 7 1,288 876 14.8 7.1 17.1 2.4 41.7 30.3 17.8 24.0 

Delaware ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) – 14.4 – .9 – 15.9 – 15.4 –

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

 ) – ( 2 ) – 39.6 – 14.9 – 70.9 – 15.7 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 106 64 17,524 8,434 18.8 14.0 31.4 30.2 44.0 39.5 16.8 13.9 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 22 3,905 3,029 59.0 60.6 1.0 1.1 39.1 40.6 15.2 15.3 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 5 541 603 6.7 5.1 25.0 25.4 13.3 20.1 5.5 8.5 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 13 375 1,622 .3 .2 37.9 9.4 54.4 18.9 24.8 17.4 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 60 181 11,303 23,139 25.2 13.2 12.5 22.2 38.8 23.7 16.2 13.6 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 45 2,158 6,924 11.6 7.8 5.7 4.2 30.3 25.7 12.2 14.1 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2.0 – .9 – 59.4 14.0 12.0 31.6 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 5 523 467 15.9 6.4 5.0 5.1 50.3 9.4 17.2 15.2 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 ( 2

 ) 1,581 ( 2 ) 7.7 – .3 – 41.2 6.2 14.6 3.1 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 8 2,594 797 41.8 63.7 3.0 1.9 30.2 31.7 21.7 12.8 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 8 ( 2 ) 936 – .4 .7 .3 8.1 22.3 16.1 17.2 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 20 1,613 2,637 58.0 35.5 .2 1.2 59.3 39.8 18.2 19.7 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 19 1,870 2,385 10.4 8.9 9.7 2.8 45.5 31.7 22.3 19.7 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 41 105 7,691 29,985 16.1 23.7 3.4 5.5 38.1 26.7 13.3 16.5 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 83 1,559 11,364 3.6 2.9 1.0 8.9 28.4 15.2 19.9 16.3 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 3 ( 2 ) 400 26.0 82.5 2.2 – 59.5 22.3 15.4 19.5 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 25 3,462 4,018 20.5 10.4 1.2 .3 30.7 38.6 13.0 21.9 

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

 ) 9 ( 2 ) 1,480 – .2 2.5 2.0 2.5 10.7 15.2 18.0 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 22.1 .6 6.9 9.1 32.0 6.3 8.7 22.2 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 3 ( 2 ) 1,080 7.0 15.8 26.3 24.4 30.3 51.4 25.8 33.6 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 ( 2 ) 402 13.9 1.5 14.6 .7 56.2 12.4 33.6 27.4 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26 31 3,517 4,507 24.6 14.9 10.5 15.1 60.4 44.8 25.0 21.4 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 8 323 1,260 .9 4.6 44.9 53.1 29.4 44.4 12.4 14.1 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 93 80 14,556 11,339 13.8 8.1 11.2 7.4 45.7 26.8 20.5 21.1 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 10 2,826 1,014 32.4 36.4 6.9 4.4 48.6 49.4 24.9 23.5 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 4 – 736 – – – 2.7 – 6.1 – 20.1 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37 96 9,736 13,318 14.8 9.6 2.7 3.5 27.6 23.9 23.5 14.1 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 725 684 13.1 21.8 6.2 5.1 40.3 28.5 18.2 9.6 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 19 1,921 4,838 2.8 .4 18.3 27.8 42.5 36.8 14.0 18.0 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 66 65 11,851 14,762 9.6 6.7 2.7 1.7 42.7 35.2 21.7 19.6 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) – 1.9 – 5.7 – 98.1 – 34.0 –

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 7 2,344 737 59.4 62.3 .5 .4 55.8 58.9 2.1 2.7 

South Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – – – – – – – –

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 12 1,606 897 15.6 13.5 – – 41.2 50.7 33.1 27.8 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 34 2,649 5,733 14.9 20.6 44.1 40.0 49.5 32.3 16.0 12.4 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 8 – 882 – .8 – 11.8 – 18.6 – 13.2 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 ( 2 ) 435 – .2 – – 54.2 16.8 20.5 24.4 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 9 1,654 856 26.4 41.9 2.3 3.4 61.6 59.7 23.3 18.6 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 5 2,180 566 4.4 4.1 19.2 21.9 45.9 20.1 17.1 14.3 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 5 409 620 .2 1.0 – – 43.3 11.0 13.2 17.3 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 74 2,513 11,461 2.2 2.7 17.4 9.2 39.2 23.8 22.8 15.8 

Wyoming ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) – .5 – .5 – 45.5 – 48.8 

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 7 5,375 968 ( 3

 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) 63.0 45.7 8.0 7.7 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r

 = revised.

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. p

 = preliminary.

 3 Data are not available. NOTE: Dash represents zero.
Table 4. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, 

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 

 United States 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 246,188 160,813 217,742 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 278 211 218 41,050 29,710 33,215 49,125 33,504 35,642 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 47 26 42 9,229 5,838 8,414 8,218 3,580 5,034 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 231 185 176 31,821 23,872 24,801 40,907 29,924 30,608 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 248 259 218 47,898 51,299 34,288 42,413 44,511 29,262 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 158 184 139 28,412 36,137 20,514 27,653 31,777 17,461 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 40 28 6,904 7,141 4,851 5,974 5,602 3,369 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 46 35 51 12,582 8,021 8,923 8,786 7,132 8,432 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 671 196 621 120,672 37,938 123,454 118,459 39,969 101,645 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 495 165 501 89,433 33,135 101,867 89,593 33,401 84,827 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 176 31 120 31,239 4,803 21,587 28,866 6,568 16,818 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 203 263 387 40,558 41,194 64,929 36,191 42,829 51,193 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 69 18 62 13,086 2,578 13,213 9,225 2,110 8,702 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 134 245 325 27,472 38,616 51,716 26,966 40,719 42,491 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and 

 r = revised. Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and

 p = preliminary. Texas: East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin;

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North

census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana,

New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California,

New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and
Table 5. State distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

State

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 

 Total, private nonfarm 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 246,188 160,813 217,742 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 14 12 903 2,652 2,601 1,227 2,188 2,007 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 4 10 2,217 2,114 4,146 1,413 731 1,593 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 ( 2

 ) 407 855 ( 2 ) 411 445 ( 2 ) 

Arkansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 5 5 ( 2 ) 662 2,294 ( 2 ) 1,164 1,218 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 77 214 286 14,280 31,944 38,938 15,156 35,346 34,891 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 3 17 3,431 451 2,986 2,595 413 1,894 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 9 7 1,780 3,187 1,904 1,579 1,288 876 

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

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

District of Columbia ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 83 106 64 17,259 25,305 9,791 14,402 17,524 8,434 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 16 22 1,893 2,423 2,659 2,164 3,905 3,029 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 3 5 308 541 647 350 541 603 

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 4 13 2,645 395 1,800 2,616 375 1,622 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 164 60 181 32,967 12,752 33,328 27,662 11,303 23,139 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44 13 45 6,525 2,158 7,892 7,709 2,158 6,924 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 6,335 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6,588 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 4 5 875 571 470 686 523 467 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 13 ( 2

 ) 4,063 1,107 ( 2 ) 2,700 1,581 ( 2 ) 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 11 8 8,385 3,488 1,630 3,327 2,594 797 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 8 2,762 ( 2 ) 1,510 1,092 ( 2 ) 936 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 14 20 ( 2 ) 1,683 2,280 ( 2 ) 1,613 2,637 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 12 19 2,077 2,228 4,153 3,035 1,870 2,385 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 108 41 105 15,361 6,613 24,403 23,952 7,691 29,985 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 84 13 83 12,646 1,571 12,921 12,290 1,559 11,364 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 494 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 400 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 10 25 9,246 1,143 6,868 7,191 3,462 4,018 

Montana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 ( 2

 ) 9 1,256 ( 2 ) 1,427 1,106 ( 2 ) 1,480 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 1,086 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,064 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 3 624 ( 2 ) 972 578 ( 2 ) 1,080 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 4 981 ( 2 ) 412 1,008 ( 2 ) 402 

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 40 26 31 5,330 5,132 7,355 5,133 3,517 4,507 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 8 ( 2 ) 323 1,268 ( 2 ) 323 1,260 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 118 93 80 17,543 10,936 9,298 20,080 14,556 11,339 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 14 10 2,932 1,812 926 4,293 2,826 1,014 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 – 4 926 – 973 926 – 736 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 105 37 96 21,402 10,174 22,529 16,936 9,736 13,318 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 4 361 723 793 678 725 684 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 11 19 5,785 2,035 7,467 3,951 1,921 4,838 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 73 66 65 8,948 7,804 8,148 15,694 11,851 14,762 

Rhode Island ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 ( 2

 ) – 1,143 ( 2 ) – 1,018 ( 2 ) –

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 16 7 2,405 2,231 902 2,543 2,344 737 

South Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 12 12 1,763 3,004 1,656 1,879 1,606 897 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 22 15 34 3,310 3,148 4,206 4,337 2,649 5,733 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9 – 8 1,638 – 1,412 1,301 – 882 

Vermont ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) 4 486 ( 2 ) 435 486 ( 2 ) 435 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 12 9 3,493 1,848 3,090 3,854 1,654 856 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 13 5 4,882 1,982 518 6,096 2,180 566 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 5 5 ( 2 ) 763 732 ( 2 ) 409 620 

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 74 14 74 13,178 1,438 13,715 13,334 2,513 11,461 

Wyoming ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 16 7 1,411 2,368 782 1,964 5,375 968 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. p

 = preliminary.

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 r = revised.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance
Table 6. Information technology-producing industries: Extended mass layoff events and separations, private nonfarm sector, 1999-2006

1999

First quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,262 230,711 35 4,363 10 1,796 10 1,600 6 1,002 

Second quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,194 246,251 28 3,891 7 1,731 8 1,097 ( 6

 ) ( 6 ) 

Third quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 898 184,429 22 11,546 7 1,141 5 840 ( 6

 ) ( 6 ) 

Fourth quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,202 240,060 18 2,757 5 526 4 807 6 1,430 

 Total ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,556 901,451 103 22,557 29 5,194 27 4,344 18 3,930 

2000

First quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,081 202,500 22 5,195 14 2,717 9 1,402 4 771 

Second quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,055 205,861 18 8,862 22 9,114 7 805 7 977 

Third quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 817 174,628 10 1,678 12 1,422 4 1,465 6 1,280 

Fourth quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,638 332,973 16 3,070 22 3,521 5 946 7 1,020 

 Total ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,591 915,962 66 18,805 70 16,774 25 4,618 24 4,048 

2001

First quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,546 304,171 91 20,991 44 7,963 22 4,441 24 5,312 

Second quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,828 430,499 161 38,986 87 12,943 36 12,109 28 6,386 

Third quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,629 330,391 142 24,813 55 6,820 39 8,200 36 7,134 

Fourth quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,372 459,771 109 17,797 56 8,290 43 10,124 48 11,252 

 Total ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7,375 1,524,832 503 102,587 242 36,016 140 34,874 136 30,084 

2002

First quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,611 299,266 84 18,574 39 4,442 32 8,192 42 6,664 

Second quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,624 344,606 69 11,764 49 5,454 27 4,870 53 8,538 

Third quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,186 255,152 76 15,017 42 5,415 34 6,529 42 7,945 

Fourth quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,916 373,307 74 14,298 32 7,071 19 3,645 39 8,987 

 Total ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6,337 1,272,331 303 59,653 162 22,382 112 23,236 176 32,134 

2003

First quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,502 286,947 71 11,900 33 5,689 23 4,402 41 6,591 

Second quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,799 368,273 54 9,221 27 4,124 21 3,098 29 5,891 

Third quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,190 236,333 46 6,488 26 4,433 9 1,289 15 2,604 

Fourth quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,690 325,333 25 5,080 14 1,984 9 1,619 28 6,635 

 Total ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6,181 1,216,886 196 32,689 100 16,230 62 10,408 113 21,721 

2004

First quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,339 276,503 27 3,222 16 2,992 8 894 23 4,197 

Second quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,358 278,831 18 2,959 21 3,576 – – 22 5,295 

Third quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 886 164,608 13 2,288 15 1,617 4 430 13 4,317 

Fourth quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,427 273,967 18 3,055 10 1,547 4 563 23 3,457 

 Total ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5,010 993,909 76 11,524 62 9,732 16 1,887 81 17,266 

2005

First quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,142 186,506 13 1,526 13 2,679 4 439 17 3,569 

Second quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,203 246,099 20 2,973 17 2,106 4 842 11 1,904 

Third quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,136 201,878 23 3,307 12 1,742 ( 6

 ) ( 6 ) 11 1,127 

Fourth quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,400 250,178 19 4,122 7 1,331 ( 6

 ) ( 6 ) 8 1,125 

 Total ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,881 884,661 75 11,928 49 7,858 13 3,000 47 7,725 

2006

First quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 963 r 183,089 12 1,159 6 744 ( 6

 ) ( 6 ) 7 833 

Second quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,353 r 295,623 10 3,294 9 1,723 8 988 7 1,252 

Third quarterr ..................................................................................................................................................................... 929 160,141 14 3,544 9 699 ( 6 ) ( 6 ) 11 1,831 

Fourth quarterp ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,444 255,886 10 3,703 5 706 5 1,467 4 561 

 Totalp ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,689 894,739 46 11,700 29 3,872 19 3,738 29 4,477 

 

1

 Information technology-producing industries are defined in Digital Economy 2003 , services; computer systems design services; computer facilities management

Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. services; other computer related services; office equipment rental and leasing;

 

2

 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry and computer and office machine repair.

Classification System (NAICS), are: semiconductor machinery manufacturing; office 

4

 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American 

machinery manufacturing; electronic computer manufacturing; computer storage Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: telephone apparatus manufacturing;

device manufacturing; computer terminal manufacturing; other computer peripheral audio and video equipment manufacturing; broadcast and wireless communications

equipment mfg.; electron tube manufacturing; bare printed circuit board manufacturing; equip.; fiber optic cable manufacturing; software reproducing; and magnetic and

semiconductors and related device mfg.; electronic capacitor manufacturing; electronic optical recording media mfg.

resistor manufacturing; electronic coils, transformers, and inductors; electronic 

5

 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American 

connector manufacturing; printed circuit assembly manufacturing; other electronic Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: wired telecommunications carriers;

component manufacturing; industrial process variable instruments; electricity and signal cellular and other wireless carriers; telecommunications resellers; cable and other

testing instruments; analytical laboratory instrument mfg.; computer and software program distribution; satellite telecommunications; other telecommunications;

merchant wholesalers; and computer and software stores. and communication equipment repair.

 

3

 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry 

6

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 

Classification System (NAICS), are: software publishers; internet service providers; 

r

 = revised. 

web search portals; data processing and related services; computer and software 

p

 = preliminary. 

merchant wholesalers; computer and software stores; custom computer programming NOTE: Dash represents zero.

Year

Separations Separations Separations

hardware 2computer services 3

Layoff

events

Total extended

mass layoffs

Information technology-producing industries 1

Computer Software and Communications Communications

Separations Layoff

events Separations Layoff

events

equipment 4services 5

Layoff

events

Layoff

events
Table 7. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,

selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

IV III IV IV III IV

 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 

 Total, private nonfarm 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 58 59 12,051 12,840 14,197 

 Mining ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

 Utilities ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 47 36 42 9,549 7,311 11,431 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 3 3 918 421 559 

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) 4 442 ( 2 ) 1,120 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 5 ( 2

 ) 647 1,250 ( 2 ) 

 Leather and allied products ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) –( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 525 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3 4 1,112 662 515 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 1,478 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 6 ( 2 ) 805 3,148 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 6 8 2,028 1,365 1,414 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 3 ( 2

 ) 637 828 ( 2 ) 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,069 ( 2 ) 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... – 3 3 – 1,616 754 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) 6 746 ( 2 ) 958 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Management of companies and enterprises ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) 3 440 ( 2 ) 427 

 Educational services ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Other services, except public administration ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. p = preliminary.

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 r = revised.

Layoff events Separations

Industry
Table 8. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work, 

selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

IV III IV IV III IV

 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 

 Total, private nonfarm 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 58 59 12,051 12,840 14,197 

Automation ..................................................................................................................................................................... –

( 2 ) – –( 2 ) –

Bankruptcy ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) –

Business ownership change ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 920 

Contract cancellation ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Contract completed ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) 

Energy-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

Environment-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

Financial difficulty ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 5 3 ( 2 ) 913 789 

Import competition ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 6 4 1,828 1,095 939 

Labor dispute ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

Material shortage ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

Model changeover ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

Natural disaster ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

Non-natural disaster ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

Plant or machine repair ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

Product line discontinued ..................................................................................................................................................................... – ( 2

 ) 8 – ( 2 ) 4,016 

Reorganization within company ..................................................................................................................................................................... 43 30 36 8,679 7,487 7,050 

Seasonal work ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 )

Slack work ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

Vacation period ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 )

Weather-related ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

Other ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 5 ( 2

 ) 848 426 ( 2 ) 

Not reported ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – –

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r = revised.

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. p = preliminary.

 

3

 The questions on movement of work were not asked of employers NOTE: Dash represents zero.

when the reason for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period.

Layoff events Separations

Reason for layoff
Table 9. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,

selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations

IV III IV IV III IV

2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 

 United States 1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 58 59 12,051 12,840 14,197 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 14 8 2,927 2,580 1,416 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 ( 2

 ) 610 1,156 ( 2 ) 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 10 ( 2

 ) 2,317 1,424 ( 2 ) 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 24 16 3,738 5,123 4,954 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 16 8 2,393 3,017 1,941 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) 5 282 ( 2 ) 1,013 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) 3 1,063 ( 2 ) 2,000 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 13 24 3,594 3,260 5,276 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 9 19 2,651 2,593 4,283 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 5 943 667 993 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 7 11 1,792 1,877 2,551 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South 

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, 

 r = revised. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas,

 p = preliminary. Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas: East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, 

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, 

 the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massa- Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: 

chusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and 

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
Table 10. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

IV III IV IV III IV

2005r 2006r 2006p2005r 2006r 2006p

Total, private nonfarm1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 

 Total, excluding seasonal

 and vacation events 2

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 619 752 827 111,818 132,450 140,096 

 Total, movement of work 3 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 65 58 59 12,051 12,840 14,197 

 Movement of work actions ..................................................................................................................................................................... 92 72 79 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

 With separations reported ..................................................................................................................................................................... 57 49 61 7,210 6,820 9,692 

 With separations unknown ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35 23 18 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 4 Data are not available.

 2 The question on movement of work were not asked of employers r = revised.

when the reason for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period. p = preliminary.

 3 Movement of work can involve more than one action.

Layoff events Separations

Action
Table 11. Movement of work actions by type of separation where number of separations is known by employers,

selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

IV III IV IV III IV

2005 2006r

 2006p 2005 2006r 2006p

With separations reported 2 

..............................................57 49 61 7,210 6,820 9,692 

By location

 Out-of-country relocations ..............................................22 12 25 2,702 2,071 5,281 

 Within company ...................................................................................... 17 9 22 2,010 1,030 5,126 

 Different company ........................................................................................... 5 3 3 692 1,041 155 

 Domestic relocations .......................................................................................... 35 37 36 4,508 4,749 4,411 

 Within company ......................................................................................... 28 31 32 4,104 4,020 4,024 

 Different company .......................................................................................... 7 6 4 404 729 387 

By company

 Within company .......................................................................................... 45 40 54 6,114 5,050 9,150 

 Domestic .......................................................................................... 28 31 32 4,104 4,020 4,024 

 Out of country .......................................................................................... 17 9 22 2,010 1,030 5,126 

 Different company ......................................................................................... 12 9 7 1,096 1,770 542 

 Domestic .......................................................................................... 7 6 4 404 729 387 

 Out of country .......................................................................................... 5 3 3 692 1,041 155 

 

1

 Only actions for which separations associated with the r = revised.

movement of work were reported are shown. p = preliminary.

 

2

 See footnote 1, table 1.

Activities

Actions 1 Separations