For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, August 9, 2012 USDL-12-1589 

 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 • mlsinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/mls 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS — SECOND QUARTER 2012 

Employers in the private nonfarm sector initiated 1,476 mass layoff events in the second quarter of 2012 

that resulted in the separation of 262,848 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, the U.S. Bureau of 

Labor Statistics reported today. Over the year, total extended mass layoff events and associated worker 

separations were down from 1,810 and 317,546, respectively. (See table A.) In 2012, total events 

reached their lowest second quarter level since 2007, while manufacturing sector events declined to their 

lowest level for any quarter in program history (with data available back to 1995). The completion of 

seasonal work accounted for 44 percent of the total extended mass layoff events during the quarter. 

Second quarter 2012 layoff data are preliminary and are subject to revision. (See the Technical Note.) 

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs 

Over the year ending in the second quarter of 2012, the number of private nonfarm extended mass layoff 

events declined in 15 of the 18 major industry sectors, with the largest decreases occurring in 

accommodation and food services and in manufacturing. Total manufacturing events declined over-theyear from 263 to 180, their lowest level for any quarter in program history. Sixteen of the 21 

manufacturing subsectors experienced over-the-year decreases in the number of layoff events. 

(See table 1.) 

The construction sector had 194 extended mass layoff events and 21,825 separations, primarily due to 

contract completion. This sector accounted for 13 percent of the layoff events and 8 percent of the 

related separations during the second quarter of 2012. 

Reasons for Extended Layoffs 

 

Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 44 percent of extended mass layoff events 

and 51 percent of related separations in the private nonfarm sector during the second quarter of 2012. 

Business demand factors, primarily contract completion, accounted for 32 percent of the events and 27 

percent of related separations during the quarter. (See table 2 and the chart.) 

Movement of Work 

In the second quarter of 2012, 36 extended mass layoffs involved movement of work and were 

associated with 7,506 worker separations. Forty-seven percent of the events related to movement of 

work were from manufacturing industries. Employers cited organizational changes as the economic 
- 2 - 

Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity

Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

2008

January-March..................... 1,340 230,098 259,292 

April-June............................ 1,756 354,713 339,630 

July-September.................... 1,581 290,453 304,340 

October-December.............. 3,582 641,714 766,780 

2009

January-March..................... 3,979 705,141 835,551 

April-June............................ 3,395 651,318 731,049 

July-September.................... 2,034 345,531 406,823 

October-December.............. 2,416 406,212 468,577 

2010

January-March..................... 1,870 314,512 368,664 

April-June............................ 2,008 381,622 396,441 

July-September.................... 1,370 222,357 260,077 

October-December.............. 1,999 338,643 390,584 

2011

January-March..................... 1,490 225,456 258,220 

April-June............................ 1,810 317,546 342,530 

July-Septemberr 

................... 1,393 235,325 291,066 

October-Decemberr ............ 1,903 334,383 403,439 

2012

January-Marchr

 ................... 1,290 245,901 286,384 

April-Junep

 .......................... 1,476 262,848 221,997 

 r

 = revised.

 p

 = preliminary.

reason for layoff in 58 percent of the events involving movement of work. Among workers separated by 

the movement of work, the largest proportions were in the Midwest. (See tables 6-8.) 

The 36 events with movement of work for the second quarter involved 42 identifiable relocations of 

work actions. (See table 9.) Employers were able to provide information on the specific number of 

worker separations for 25 of these actions. Among these actions, most were domestic reassignments and 

involved work moving within the same company. (See table 10.) 

Recall Expectations 

Sixty-four percent of the private nonfarm employers reporting an extended mass layoff in the second 

quarter of 2012 anticipated recalling at least some of the displaced workers—the highest second quarter 

percentage since 1998. Of those employers expecting to recall workers, 44 percent indicated the offer 

would be extended to all displaced employees and 77 percent anticipated extending the offer to at least 

half of the workers. Among employers expecting to recall laid-off workers, 75 percent intend to do so 
- 3 - 

Table B. Metropolitan areas with the largest number of initial claimants associated with

extended mass layoff events in the second quarter 2012, by residency of claimants

 Total, 372 metropolitan areas ................. 278,922 ... 181,686 ...

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. .... 34,819 1 22,248 1 

New York-Northern New Jersey-Long

 Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ................................ 20,469 2 16,019 2 

Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. ......... 14,664 3 12,497 3 

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. ....... 9,355 4 6,134 4 

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.

 -N.J.-Del.-Md. .......................................... 8,621 5 4,561 5 

St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. .......................................... 5,077 9 4,190 6 

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. ......... 7,826 6 4,087 7 

Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. ................................. 1,904 27 3,353 8 

Pittsburgh, Pa. ............................................... 5,600 8 3,042 9 

Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas ............ 3,118 13 2,881 10 

 r

 = revised.

 p

 = preliminary.

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

 Office of Management and Budget Bulletin 10-02, December 1, 2009.

Metropolitan area

2011 IIr 2012 IIp

Initial 

claimants Rank Initial claimants Rank

 

within six months. Excluding extended mass layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period, 

employers anticipated recalling laid-off workers in 38 percent of the events. (See table 11.) 

Size of Extended Layoffs 

The average size of a layoff (as measured by the number of separations per layoff event) was 178 

workers during the second quarter of 2012. (See table 12.) Events were largely concentrated at the lower 

end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 67 percent involving fewer than 150 workers. 

Conversely, only 6 percent of layoff events involved 500 or more workers. (See table 13.) 

Initial Claimant Characteristics 

A total of 221,997 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass 

layoffs in the second quarter of 2012. Of these claimants, 18 percent were black, 18 percent were 

Hispanic, 53 percent were women, and 25 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) In the 

entire civilian labor force for the same period, 12 percent of all persons were black, 16 percent were 

Hispanic, 47 percent were women, and 21 percent were 55 years of age or older. 
- 4 - 

Geographic Distribution 

Among the four census regions, the West recorded the highest number of extended mass layoff events in 

the second quarter of 2012. Among the nine census divisions, the highest number of mass layoff events 

was in the Pacific. All regions and 8 of the 9 divisions registered fewer extended mass layoff events 

compared with the second quarter of 2011. (See table 4.) 

California recorded the largest number of extended mass layoff events in the second quarter of 2012, 

followed by Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New York. Over the year, 38 states reported decreased numbers 

of extended mass layoff events for the second quarter. The largest declines were in California, Florida, 

and Pennsylvania. (See table 5.) 

Eighty-two percent of the initial claimants for unemployment insurance associated with extended mass 

layoff events in the second quarter of 2012 resided within metropolitan areas. Among the 372 

metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported the highest number of resident 

initial claimants. (See table B.)

Note 

The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs cover layoffs of at least 31-days duration that involve 50 

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

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

contacted for additional information. Data for the current quarter are preliminary and subject to 

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

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

consecutive quarters should not be used as an indicator of trend. For additional information about the 

program, see the Technical Note. 

________________ 

The Mass Layoffs news release for July is scheduled to be released on Thursday, August 23, 2012, 

at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). 
Technical Note 

The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federalstate program which identifies, describes, and tracks the 

effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each state's 

unemployment insurance database. Employers which have at 

least 50 initial claims filed against them during a consecutive 

5-week period are contacted by the state agency to determine 

whether these separations are of at least 31 days duration, 

and, if so, information is obtained on the total number of 

persons separated and the reasons for these separations. 

Employers are identified according to industry classification 

and location, and unemployment insurance claimants are 

identified by such demographic factors as age, race, gender, 

ethnic group, and place of residence. The program yields 

information on an individual's entire spell of unemployment, 

to the point when regular unemployment insurance benefits 

are exhausted. 

Definitions 

Domestic relocation. A movement of work from an 

establishment within the U.S. to a location also inside the 

U.S., either within the same company or to a different 

company altogether (domestic outsourcing). 

Employer. A firm covered by state unemployment 

insurance laws. Information on employers is obtained from 

the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) 

program, which is administered by the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics (BLS). 

Extended mass layoff event. A layoff defined by the 

filing of 50 or more initial claims for unemployment 

insurance benefits from an employer during a 5-week period, 

with at least 50 workers separated for more than 30 days. 

Such layoffs involve both persons subject to recall and those 

who are terminated. 

Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of 

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination 

of entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a 

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or 

period of eligibility. 

Movement of work. The reassignment of work activities 

previously performed at the worksite by the company 

experiencing the layoff (1) to another worksite within the 

company; (2) to another company under formal contractual 

arrangements at the same worksite; or (3) to another company 

under formal contractual arrangements at another worksite 

either within or outside of the U.S. 

Outsourcing. A movement of work that was formerly 

conducted in-house by employees paid directly by a company 

to a different company under a contractual arrangement. 

Overseas relocation. A movement of work from an 

establishment within the U.S. to a location outside of the U.S. 

(offshoring), either within the same company or to a different 

company altogether (offshore outsourcing). 

Relocation of work action. A movement-of-work action 

where the employer provides information on the new location 

of work and/or the number of workers affected by the 

movement. Events may involve more than one action per 

employer if work is moved to more than one location. 

Separations. The number of individuals who have 

become displaced during an extended mass layoff event as 

provided by the employer, regardless of whether they file for 

unemployment insurance or not. 

Worksite closure. The complete closure of an employer 

or the partial closure of an employer with multiple locations 

where entire worksites affected by layoffs are closed. 

Revisions to preliminary data 

The latest quarterly data in this news release are 

considered preliminary. After the initial publication of 

quarterly information, more data are collected as remaining 

employer interviews for the quarter are completed and 

additional initial claimant information associated with 

extended layoff events is received. 

Movement of work concepts and questions 

Beginning in 2004, the economic reasons "domestic 

relocation" and "overseas relocation" were replaced by the 

movement of work concept. The movement of work data are 

not collected in the same way as the relocation reasons in 

releases prior to 2004; therefore, the movement of work data 

are not comparable to the data for those discontinued reasons. 

Questions on movement of work and location are asked 

for all layoff events when the reason for separation is other 

than “seasonal work” or “vacation period,” as these are 

unlikely. Movement of work questions are asked after the 

analyst verifies that a layoff in fact occurred and lasted more 

than 30 days. If the reason for layoff is other than seasonal or 

vacation, the employer was asked the following: 

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

from this location(s) to a different geographic location(s) 

within your company?” 

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

that was performed 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 “domestic relocation” if 

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

indicates the location(s) was inside the U.S.; “overseas 

relocation” indicates that the location(s) was outside the U.S. 

Reliability of the data 

The identification of employers and layoff events in the 

MLS program and associated characteristics of claimants is 

based on administrative data on covered employers and 

unemployment insurance claims, and, therefore, is not subject 

to issues associated with sampling error. Nonsampling errors 

such as typographical errors may affect the identification of 

layoff events and associated claimants, but are not likely to 

be significant. 

With one exception, all employers in the private 

nonfarm sector identified as having a mass layoff based on 

administrative data are asked the interview questions. These 

employer responses are also subject to nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling errors can occur for many reasons, including 

the inability to obtain information for all respondents, 

inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct 

information, and errors made in the collection or processing 

of the data. 

Beginning with first quarter 2012 data, employers in 

California identified as having mass layoff events from the 

administrative and support services (NAICS 561) industry 

subsector are randomly selected to participate in the employer 

interview. Sampling weights are applied to data collected 

from these employer interviews, which represent responses 

for those employers not selected for employer contact. These 

data are subject to sampling errors which can result from the 

variation that occurs by chance because a sample is surveyed 

rather than the entire universe of NAICS 561 employers in 

California identified as having layoff events. 

For the second quarter of 2012, outright refusal to 

participate in the employer interview accounted for 4.1 

percent of all private nonfarm events. Although included in 

the total number of instances involving the movement of 

work, employers in 17 relocations were unable to provide the 

number of separations specifically associated with the 

movement of work, 3 of which involved out-of-country 

moves.

Additional information 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339. 
Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

Industry

II I II II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 .................................. 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848 342,530 286,384 221,997 

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

 ) 16 12 ( 2 ) 1,760 1,673 ( 2 ) 1,523 1,263 

 Utilities ............................................................ ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 421 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 850 ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 237 261 194 29,631 33,700 21,825 37,978 41,749 23,702 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 263 233 180 40,023 33,044 29,003 47,082 36,104 26,127 

 Food ........................................................... 66 56 57 9,804 8,714 8,370 11,256 10,257 7,272 

 Beverage and tobacco products ................ ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 485 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 320 ( 2 )

 Textile mills ................................................ 3 4 ( 2 ) 446 382 ( 2 ) 2,488 374 ( 2 )

 Textile product mills ................................... 3 3 6 201 435 764 402 964 686 

 Apparel ....................................................... 11 4 4 3,373 1,182 558 3,625 1,177 616 

 Leather and allied products ........................ – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 )

 Wood products ........................................... 6 13 ( 2 ) 619 1,686 ( 2 ) 747 1,314 ( 2 )

 Paper ......................................................... 7 6 4 1,420 645 1,490 1,077 663 596 

 Printing and related support activities ........ 9 7 11 637 1,200 923 913 997 1,125 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................... ( 2 ) 4 – ( 2 ) 810 – ( 2 ) 327 –

 Chemicals .................................................. 9 9 6 915 1,222 1,165 892 1,087 805 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................... 12 11 4 1,230 1,109 376 1,284 880 296 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................... 5 21 4 412 2,143 356 584 2,295 360 

 Primary metals ........................................... 6 ( 2 ) 6 991 ( 2 ) 822 812 ( 2 ) 807 

 Fabricated metal products ......................... 15 12 6 2,025 1,093 635 2,258 1,113 718 

 Machinery .................................................. 16 11 16 4,005 1,015 3,315 3,629 1,715 2,044 

 Computer and electronic products ............. 17 19 11 2,135 2,245 1,455 2,165 2,033 1,041 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ......... 5 ( 2 ) 3 424 ( 2 ) 1,133 539 ( 2 ) 1,007 

 Transportation equipment .......................... 54 27 27 9,415 5,464 4,980 11,586 7,882 6,009 

 Furniture and related products ................... 7 10 5 879 1,454 369 1,248 1,291 349 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing .................... 9 8 4 842 1,160 659 1,333 954 578 

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 35 27 30 4,243 3,032 4,649 4,637 2,644 3,589 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 90 139 80 15,747 35,373 16,407 18,767 37,412 16,870 

 Transportation and warehousing .................... 160 50 155 37,832 8,621 28,416 41,072 7,053 25,824 

 Information ...................................................... 56 74 56 15,755 31,454 13,253 17,470 45,657 13,937 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 60 35 24 9,145 6,819 5,233 11,786 5,880 3,065 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................. 18 6 9 2,843 3,269 1,324 3,054 1,549 1,520 

 Professional and technical services ................ 96 62 80 21,367 12,799 21,330 23,429 17,203 15,976 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 9 12 8 1,031 1,871 834 879 1,824 805 

 Administrative and waste services .................. 169 189 167 32,294 46,414 29,276 37,321 60,520 22,921 

 Educational services ....................................... 37 6 27 4,977 495 3,306 6,020 618 2,836 

 Health care and social assistance .................. 225 29 189 27,577 4,374 25,819 28,311 4,105 21,098 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 71 45 61 15,913 5,899 14,892 9,629 6,412 7,013 

 Accommodation and food services ................. 202 89 146 48,826 15,035 37,490 43,842 13,671 28,595 

 Other services, except public administration .. 75 10 53 8,470 1,156 7,443 10,228 1,276 6,314 

 Unclassified ..................................................... – 4 ( 2

 ) – 365 ( 2 ) – 334 ( 2 )

 1

 For the second quarter of 2012, data on layoffs were reported by employers 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.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

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

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

Reason for layoff

II I II II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ................................................... 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848 342,530 286,384 221,997 

Business demand ............................................................. 517 518 477 74,273 107,583 71,532 97,935 150,923 71,095 

 Contract cancellation ..................................................... 30 20 31 3,617 4,694 6,466 3,769 3,775 4,451 

 Contract completion ....................................................... 317 358 311 49,032 83,425 44,536 67,686 124,206 48,429 

 Domestic competition ..................................................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Excess inventory/saturated market ................................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Import competition ......................................................... ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Slack work/insufficient demand/non-seasonal

 business slowdown ................................................. 166 135 131 21,063 17,725 19,896 25,974 19,207 17,783 

Organizational changes .................................................... 70 74 77 16,533 15,077 15,628 12,582 13,495 10,245 

 Business-ownership change .......................................... 17 15 16 8,787 3,844 5,533 2,339 1,623 1,346 

 Reorganization or restructuring of company .................. 53 59 61 7,746 11,233 10,095 10,243 11,872 8,899 

Financial issues ................................................................ 117 114 75 15,854 21,773 13,154 19,948 17,059 9,900 

 Bankruptcy ..................................................................... 26 16 14 3,668 2,557 2,329 3,374 1,514 1,628 

 Cost control/cost cutting/increase profitability ................ 61 52 36 7,084 9,947 6,069 11,427 9,232 5,591 

 Financial difficulty ........................................................... 30 46 25 5,102 9,269 4,756 5,147 6,313 2,681 

Production specific ............................................................ 33 16 ( 2

 ) 4,369 2,469 ( 2 ) 7,382 2,766 ( 2 )

 Automation/technological advances .............................. 3 3 ( 2

 ) 513 626 ( 2 ) 675 911 ( 2 )

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

 Governmental regulations/intervention .......................... 5 3 3 690 528 593 1,890 479 284 

 Labor dispute/contract negotiations/strike ..................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Material or supply shortage ............................................ 17 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,034 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3,134 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Model changeover ......................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,436 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,054 

 Plant or machine repair/maintenance ............................ 3 3 ( 2 ) 439 265 ( 2 ) 358 428 ( 2 ) Product line discontinued ............................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 614 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 330 

Disaster/safety .................................................................. 11 4 ( 2

 ) 2,039 676 ( 2 ) 2,152 590 ( 2 )

 Hazardous work environment ........................................ ( 2

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

 Natural disaster (not weather related) ............................ – – – – – – – – –

 Non-natural disaster ....................................................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Extreme weather-related event ...................................... 7 ( 2 ) – 1,244 ( 2 ) – 1,529 ( 2 ) –

Seasonal ........................................................................... 773 324 656 151,717 54,244 132,820 149,023 57,830 102,180 

 Seasonal ........................................................................ 468 ( 2

 ) 371 95,526 ( 2 ) 83,593 87,499 ( 2 ) 59,339 

 Vacation period–school related or otherwise ................. 305 ( 2 ) 285 56,191 ( 2 ) 49,227 61,524 ( 2 ) 42,841 

Other/miscellaneous ......................................................... 289 240 175 52,761 44,079 25,323 53,508 43,721 25,022 

 Other .............................................................................. 29 24 17 3,848 4,905 2,611 4,596 5,069 2,437 

 Data not provided: refusal .............................................. 67 70 63 18,512 13,110 9,463 18,538 13,110 9,328 

 Data not provided: does not know ................................. 193 146 95 30,401 26,064 13,249 30,374 25,542 13,257 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 1. 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 3. State and selected claimant characteristics: Extended mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, 

private nonfarm sector, first and second quarters, 2012

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55and over

I II I II I II I II I II I II

 2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p 2012r 2012p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ............ 1,290 1,476 286,384 221,997 11.8 18.3 23.6 17.9 38.3 53.1 18.7 24.6 

Alabama ...................................... 6 22 1,719 3,156 20.5 62.6 4.1 2.2 38.0 71.2 24.3 22.1 

Alaska .......................................... 4 11 433 1,828 6.9 6.3 4.4 8.4 30.0 39.4 12.9 29.4 

Arizona ........................................ 15 21 1,969 3,624 8.4 5.5 34.3 58.7 44.7 67.7 16.8 23.9 

Arkansas ..................................... 6 13 1,517 2,374 19.1 30.7 2.8 5.5 41.8 55.7 25.4 25.7 

California ..................................... 446 308 152,169 50,835 8.3 8.1 33.6 37.6 40.3 41.6 16.2 17.3 

Colorado ...................................... 8 22 1,251 3,181 5.9 5.0 45.1 19.8 24.0 48.0 25.4 18.9 

Connecticut ................................. 7 16 762 2,160 11.2 15.4 7.7 13.7 29.0 70.0 35.7 34.9 

Delaware ..................................... 4 7 505 669 30.7 48.4 3.4 10.0 50.3 76.7 21.0 27.2 

District of Columbia ..................... 3 5 239 505 72.4 85.5 7.5 3.8 61.1 64.2 25.9 24.8 

Florida ......................................... 20 48 2,728 5,778 27.0 32.8 26.8 34.9 50.2 70.1 25.0 27.7 

Georgia ........................................ 19 33 2,729 5,300 52.1 55.2 .6 2.7 32.4 62.4 17.7 23.7 

Hawaii .......................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) .8 .9 19.2 8.9 3.0 16.4 7.5 15.0 

Idaho ........................................... 5 6 654 462 .2 – 11.9 3.2 37.2 51.9 24.9 25.8 

Illinois .......................................... 75 110 12,761 20,524 19.5 23.5 13.4 11.4 33.8 58.1 17.9 23.7 

Indiana ......................................... 22 29 3,832 3,963 9.0 17.5 1.6 1.9 33.5 43.8 21.2 21.9 

Iowa ............................................. – 8 – 1,118 – 9.6 – 6.1 – 63.1 – 30.1 

Kansas ........................................ 6 16 643 1,999 14.6 15.9 1.1 4.5 51.6 57.5 11.8 31.5 

Kentucky ...................................... 29 25 3,257 3,114 17.3 12.1 .1 .1 33.7 41.7 15.4 23.9 

Louisiana ..................................... 10 35 1,534 4,616 42.9 70.7 6.1 2.8 42.0 72.5 28.1 27.9 

Maine ........................................... 6 9 852 976 5.3 .4 .6 .7 44.1 46.3 26.9 21.1 

Maryland3

 .................................... 18 3 1,732 365 36.5 12.9 4.1 1.6 38.4 52.1 26.6 10.4 

Massachusetts ............................ 20 21 2,924 3,368 13.3 17.0 .7 1.7 40.9 65.1 17.3 28.4 

Michigan ...................................... 29 37 9,265 4,687 16.8 19.6 2.1 3.1 38.1 69.6 23.6 27.0 

Minnesota .................................... 18 15 2,508 1,681 4.6 8.7 3.4 3.5 27.3 46.8 20.0 28.4 

Mississippi ................................... 9 7 954 1,000 56.7 67.5 2.6 7.5 45.9 49.0 32.4 19.7 

Missouri ....................................... 21 47 1,762 7,791 13.8 21.7 2.9 1.8 38.4 56.4 20.7 28.6 

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) 439 – 1.4 4.1 2.7 6.5 40.3 37.4 9.3 

Nebraska ..................................... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) 835 9.2 17.1 18.4 3.4 42.1 62.8 19.7 44.0 

Nevada ........................................ 18 12 3,243 1,196 10.7 8.7 28.6 29.9 42.8 47.8 20.6 29.8 

New Hampshire ........................... 7 6 558 1,170 1.1 .4 13.3 1.1 20.3 69.0 27.4 32.9 

New Jersey .................................. 44 66 6,390 10,698 19.8 21.7 5.4 5.8 44.9 64.1 22.7 35.3 

New Mexico ................................. 6 16 683 1,654 .9 1.2 54.8 54.0 22.7 51.1 19.6 21.9 

New York ..................................... 86 90 11,941 13,816 15.0 16.2 19.1 16.2 37.4 49.8 25.0 25.1 

North Carolina ............................. 16 10 1,794 1,308 26.0 58.0 7.7 6.2 33.2 56.3 22.8 17.0 

North Dakota ............................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – – – 1.0 – 12.9 – 33.7 –

Ohio ............................................. 62 66 8,069 8,051 13.9 16.1 3.0 3.5 30.3 51.1 21.3 25.2 

Oklahoma .................................... 5 ( 2 ) 479 ( 2 ) 5.0 3.3 7.3 19.7 44.3 46.1 23.2 23.0 

Oregon ........................................ 24 28 5,321 4,012 2.8 2.6 14.8 19.5 45.2 48.1 19.1 18.9 

Pennsylvania ............................... 68 94 10,399 12,999 8.1 10.9 5.7 3.3 36.3 57.4 28.8 37.0 

Rhode Island ............................... – 7 – 1,452 – 4.4 – 16.5 – 68.0 – 32.4 

South Carolina ............................. 10 7 1,351 1,047 51.0 57.4 1.9 1.9 51.5 61.2 13.4 27.9 

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

Tennessee ................................... 11 18 1,851 2,205 17.5 22.3 .1 – 50.6 58.7 21.2 36.5 

Texas ........................................... 31 50 9,174 9,670 12.9 17.6 53.4 45.8 17.4 47.6 14.5 17.2 

Utah ............................................. 5 9 492 1,000 2.2 1.1 14.8 10.1 15.0 45.4 10.0 15.6 

Vermont ....................................... 6 3 1,176 446 .9 1.1 .5 .4 34.9 36.5 20.6 18.6 

Virginia ........................................ 17 20 3,149 2,770 40.4 37.9 3.9 6.2 46.1 51.3 25.2 23.9 

Washington ................................. 29 32 5,059 3,392 5.3 8.8 7.7 18.9 35.2 35.0 18.9 21.2 

West Virginia ............................... 5 5 844 694 .1 .1 – .1 28.0 20.3 28.2 20.2 

Wisconsin .................................... 28 48 4,970 7,423 4.7 15.7 9.2 3.8 34.3 62.1 21.5 37.6 

Wyoming ..................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2.8 – 21.6 7.9 24.4 18.9 17.0 11.1 

Puerto Rico .................................. 17 7 4,994 1,195 .1 – 99.5 99.6 59.7 51.7 10.3 7.4 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r

 = revised.

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

 = preliminary.

 3 Data starting in June 2012 may not be comparable to prior data NOTE: Dash represents zero.

due to a change in MLS unemployment insurance procedures.
Table 4. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, 

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

II I II II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 United States1 .................................. 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848 342,530 286,384 221,997 

Northeast ................................................. 367 244 312 61,739 35,480 53,411 73,021 35,002 47,085 

 New England ........................................ 83 46 62 17,350 8,243 12,189 13,720 6,272 9,572 

 Middle Atlantic ...................................... 284 198 250 44,389 27,237 41,222 59,301 28,730 37,513 

South ........................................................ 417 219 310 66,705 36,881 49,261 75,199 35,556 44,723 

 South Atlantic ....................................... 220 112 138 34,512 15,734 21,985 40,279 15,071 18,436 

 East South Central ............................... 72 55 72 10,299 11,095 10,714 11,761 7,781 9,475 

 West South Central .............................. 125 52 100 21,894 10,052 16,562 23,159 12,704 16,812 

Midwest .................................................... 432 263 381 75,635 39,067 66,493 79,225 43,987 58,072 

 East North Central ............................... 328 216 290 58,403 33,751 49,987 62,024 38,897 44,648 

 West North Central .............................. 104 47 91 17,232 5,316 16,506 17,201 5,090 13,424 

West ......................................................... 594 564 473 113,467 134,473 93,683 115,085 171,839 72,117 

 Mountain .............................................. 118 60 92 31,060 9,223 28,246 16,816 8,591 11,836 

 Pacific .................................................. 476 504 381 82,407 125,250 65,437 98,269 163,248 60,281 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 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, 2011 and 2012

State

II I II II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ........................ 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848 342,530 286,384 221,997 

Alabama ................................................... 21 6 22 3,683 892 3,134 3,868 1,719 3,156 

Alaska ...................................................... 11 4 11 3,110 534 3,020 2,347 433 1,828 

Arizona ..................................................... 31 15 21 5,519 2,597 7,643 5,164 1,969 3,624 

Arkansas .................................................. 25 6 13 2,982 990 2,873 5,214 1,517 2,374 

California .................................................. 388 446 308 66,846 114,906 52,943 82,319 152,169 50,835 

Colorado .................................................. 18 8 22 8,337 1,419 6,637 2,967 1,251 3,181 

Connecticut .............................................. 27 7 16 5,202 762 2,160 4,298 762 2,160 

Delaware .................................................. 10 4 7 1,289 260 608 1,177 505 669 

District of Columbia .................................. 5 3 5 672 239 505 672 239 505 

Florida ...................................................... 75 20 48 14,755 3,273 7,179 14,141 2,728 5,778 

Georgia .................................................... 48 19 33 4,693 2,729 5,300 9,705 2,729 5,300 

Hawaii ...................................................... 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 413 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 503 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Idaho ........................................................ 12 5 6 1,967 529 1,306 1,516 654 462 

Illinois ....................................................... 109 75 110 25,506 12,596 23,396 24,595 12,761 20,524 

Indiana ..................................................... 35 22 29 3,805 2,668 2,907 6,869 3,832 3,963 

Iowa ......................................................... 10 – 8 1,422 – 1,104 1,885 – 1,118 

Kansas ..................................................... 17 6 16 1,930 752 2,969 2,093 643 1,999 

Kentucky .................................................. 30 29 25 3,133 6,879 3,482 3,598 3,257 3,114 

Louisiana .................................................. 40 10 35 8,710 2,320 5,457 5,540 1,534 4,616 

Maine ....................................................... 12 6 9 2,423 1,770 1,556 1,730 852 976 

Maryland3

 ................................................. 13 18 3 2,607 2,705 364 1,648 1,732 365 

Massachusetts ......................................... 17 20 21 2,975 3,052 4,764 2,378 2,924 3,368 

Michigan ................................................... 50 29 37 6,605 5,098 5,602 7,793 9,265 4,687 

Minnesota ................................................ 24 18 15 4,240 2,495 2,705 3,920 2,508 1,681 

Mississippi ................................................ 6 9 7 1,312 1,319 1,575 1,146 954 1,000 

Missouri .................................................... 43 21 47 8,372 1,923 8,874 7,920 1,762 7,791 

Montana ................................................... 10 ( 2

 ) 4 1,205 ( 2 ) 1,558 990 ( 2 ) 439 

Nebraska .................................................. 8 ( 2 ) 5 1,088 ( 2 ) 854 1,104 ( 2 ) 835 

Nevada ..................................................... 13 18 12 3,527 3,104 1,281 2,125 3,243 1,196 

New Hampshire ....................................... 4 7 6 2,174 807 1,796 1,111 558 1,170 

New Jersey .............................................. 66 44 66 13,001 7,426 14,366 14,308 6,390 10,698 

New Mexico ............................................. 17 6 16 2,960 758 3,411 2,089 683 1,654 

New York ................................................. 97 86 90 12,986 12,008 16,002 22,128 11,941 13,816 

North Carolina .......................................... 17 16 10 1,341 1,345 2,160 5,104 1,794 1,308 

North Dakota ............................................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Ohio ......................................................... 80 62 66 13,134 8,656 9,282 13,296 8,069 8,051 

Oklahoma ................................................. 12 5 ( 2 ) 1,717 761 ( 2 ) 1,614 479 ( 2 ) Oregon ..................................................... 37 24 28 7,789 5,978 5,631 7,789 5,321 4,012 

Pennsylvania ............................................ 121 68 94 18,402 7,803 10,854 22,865 10,399 12,999 

Rhode Island ............................................ 7 – 7 1,995 – 1,601 2,011 – 1,452 

South Carolina ......................................... 12 10 7 3,167 1,398 1,211 1,854 1,351 1,047 

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

Tennessee ............................................... 15 11 18 2,171 2,005 2,523 3,149 1,851 2,205 

Texas ....................................................... 48 31 50 8,485 5,981 8,094 10,791 9,174 9,670 

Utah ......................................................... 14 5 9 5,955 487 4,810 1,580 492 1,000 

Vermont ................................................... 16 6 3 2,581 1,852 312 2,192 1,176 446 

Virginia ..................................................... 30 17 20 4,417 2,509 2,708 4,714 3,149 2,770 

Washington .............................................. 36 29 32 4,249 3,777 3,618 5,311 5,059 3,392 

West Virginia ............................................ 10 5 5 1,571 1,276 1,950 1,264 844 694 

Wisconsin ................................................. 54 28 48 9,353 4,733 8,800 9,471 4,970 7,423 

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

Puerto Rico .............................................. 13 17 7 1,876 2,524 960 2,774 4,994 1,195 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r

 = revised.

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

 = preliminary.

 3 Data starting in June 2012 may not be comparable to prior data NOTE: Dash represents zero.

due to a change in MLS unemployment insurance procedures.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance
Table 6. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,

selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ............................................... 42 34 36 6,922 5,294 7,506 

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

 Utilities ......................................................................... – – – – – –

 Construction ................................................................. 3 – – 448 – –

 Manufacturing .............................................................. 19 20 17 3,717 3,092 4,594 

 Food ........................................................................ 5 4 ( 2 ) 1,400 712 ( 2 )

 Beverage and tobacco products ............................. – – – – – –

 Textile mills ............................................................. – – – – – –

 Textile product mills ................................................ – – – – – –

 Apparel ................................................................... ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Leather and allied products .................................... – – – – – –

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

 Paper ...................................................................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

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

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

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

 Plastics and rubber products .................................. ( 2 ) 4 – ( 2 ) 529 –

 Nonmetallic mineral products ................................. – – – – – –

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

 Fabricated metal products ...................................... – – – – – –

 Machinery ............................................................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Computer and electronic products .......................... 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 577 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Electrical equipment and appliances ...................... – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 )

 Transportation equipment ....................................... 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 838 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Furniture and related products ................................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ................................. – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Wholesale trade ........................................................... 3 ( 2

 ) 3 288 ( 2 ) 558 

 Retail trade .................................................................. 4 ( 2 ) 4 708 ( 2 ) 509 

 Transportation and warehousing ................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Information ................................................................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Finance and insurance ................................................ 7 5 ( 2 ) 845 593 ( 2 )

 Real estate and rental and leasing .............................. – – – – – –

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

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

 Administrative and waste services ............................... ( 2 ) – 3 ( 2 ) – 360 

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

 Health care and social assistance ............................... – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 )

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

 Accommodation and food services .............................. – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

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

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

 

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

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

 r = revised.

Industry

Layoff events Separations
Table 7. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work, 

selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

Reason for layoff

II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ................................................... 42 34 36 6,922 5,294 7,506 

Business demand ............................................................. ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2

 ) ( 2

 ) 1,518 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

 Contract completion ....................................................... 5 ( 2 ) – 894 ( 2 ) –

 Domestic competition ..................................................... – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) Excess inventory/saturated market ................................ – – – – – –

 Import competition ......................................................... ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Slack work/insufficient demand/non-seasonal

 business slowdown ................................................. ( 2

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

Organizational changes .................................................... 17 17 21 1,985 2,825 4,562 

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

 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 388 ( 2 )

 Reorganization or restructuring of company .................. ( 2 ) 14 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,437 ( 2 )

Financial issues ................................................................ 13 10 6 2,247 1,379 687 

 Bankruptcy ..................................................................... ––––––

 Cost control/cost cutting/increase profitability ................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 687 

 Financial difficulty ........................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Production specific ............................................................ – ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Automation/technological advances .............................. – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) –

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

 Governmental regulations/intervention .......................... – – – – – –

 Labor dispute/contract negotiations/strike ..................... – – – – – –

 Material or supply shortage ............................................ – – – – – –

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

 Plant or machine repair/maintenance ............................ – – – – – –

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

Disaster/safety .................................................................. ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Hazardous work environment ........................................ ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Natural disaster (not weather related) ............................ – – – – – –

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

 Extreme weather-related event ...................................... ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

Other/miscellaneous ......................................................... – – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 )

 Other .............................................................................. – – ( 2

 ) – – ( 2 )

 Data not provided: refusal .............................................. – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) Data not provided: does not know ................................. – – – – – –

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

 2

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

 r

 = revised.

Layoff events Separations
Table 8. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work,

selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations

II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 United States1 ...................................... 42 34 36 6,922 5,294 7,506 

Northeast ..................................................... 5 9 5 893 1,232 588 

 New England ........................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 )( 2 ) – ( 2 )

 Middle Atlantic ......................................... ( 2 ) 9 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,232 ( 2 )

South ........................................................... 9 8 10 1,422 1,150 2,091 

 South Atlantic .......................................... ( 2

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

 East South Central .................................. ( 2 ) 4 5 ( 2 ) 433 557 

 West South Central ................................. 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 734 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Midwest ....................................................... 10 6 10 1,163 829 2,750 

 East North Central ................................... ( 2

 )( 2 ) 7 ( 2 )( 2 ) 1,900 

 West North Central .................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 850 

West ............................................................ 18 11 11 3,444 2,083 2,077 

 Mountain .................................................. 5 3 3 1,169 479 287 

 Pacific ...................................................... 13 8 8 2,275 1,604 1,790 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 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 9. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p

Total, private nonfarm1 ................................. 1,810 1,290 1,476 317,546 245,901 262,848 

 Total, excluding seasonal

 and vacation events2

 ............................ 1,037 966 820 165,829 191,657 130,028 

 Total, movement of work3

 .................... 42 34 36 6,922 5,294 7,506 

 Movement of work actions .............. 50 48 42 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

 With separations reported ......... 25 37 25 3,293 2,787 2,873 

 With separations unknown ........ 25 11 17 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

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

 2 The questions 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.

Action

Layoff events Separations
Table 10. Movement of work actions by type of separation where number of separations is known by employers,

selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p

With separations reported2 .................................. 25 37 25 3,293 2,787 2,873 

By location

 Out-of-country relocations ................................ 6 4 3 916 247 1,315 

 Within company ............................................ 4 4 3 733 247 1,315 

 Different company ......................................... 2 – – 183 – –

 Domestic relocations ........................................ 19 33 21 2,377 2,540 1,483 

 Within company ............................................ 17 31 21 2,119 2,340 1,483 

 Different company ......................................... 2 2 – 258 200 –

 Unable to assign place of 

 relocation ....................................................... – – 1 – – 75 

By company

 Within company ................................................ 21 35 24 2,852 2,587 2,798 

 Domestic ....................................................... 17 31 21 2,119 2,340 1,483 

 Out of country ............................................... 4 4 3 733 247 1,315 

 Unable to assign ........................................... ––––––

 Different company ............................................. 4 2 1 441 200 75 

 Domestic ....................................................... 2 2 – 258 200 –

 Out of country ............................................... 2 – – 183 – –

 Unable to assign ........................................... – – 1 – – 75 

 1

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

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

 2

 See footnote 1, table 1. Note: Dash represents zero.

Table 11. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended mass layoffs, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

II I II II I II II I II

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p

Anticipate a recall ............................................... 60.1 48.4 64.0 96.2 85.8 96.5 33.2 35.9 38.0

 Timeframe

Within 6 months .................................................. 78.5 51.2 75.0 91.1 73.7 91.6 51.2 33.1 41.3

 Within 3 months ............................................ 52.6 36.2 50.8 58.3 46.4 59.4 40.1 28.0 33.3

 Size of recall

At least half ......................................................... 81.9 57.3 77.4 95.0 87.4 94.9 53.5 33.1 41.7

 All workers .................................................... 45.2 19.8 43.6 57.0 34.9 59.7 19.8 7.8 10.9

 1

 See footnote 1, table 1.

 r

 = revised.

 p

 = preliminary.

Percent of layoff events, excluding those due to 

seasonal and vacation period

Activities

Actions1 Separations

Nature of recall

Percent of total layoff events1 Percent of layoff events due to seasonal work 

and vacation period
Table 12. Average number of separations in extended mass layoff events by 

selected measures, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

II I II

2011 2012r 2012p

 Total, private nonfarm1 .................................................... 175 191 178 

Industry

Mining ................................................................................... 285 110 139 

Utilities .................................................................................. 223 140 215 

Construction .......................................................................... 125 129 113 

Manufacturing ....................................................................... 152 142 161 

Wholesale trade .................................................................... 121 112 155 

Retail trade ............................................................................ 175 254 205 

Transportation and warehousing .......................................... 236 172 183 

Information ............................................................................ 281 425 237 

Finance and insurance .......................................................... 152 195 218 

Real estate and rental and leasing ....................................... 158 545 147 

Professional and technical services ...................................... 223 206 267 

Management of companies and enterprises ......................... 115 156 104 

Administrative and waste services ........................................ 191 246 175 

Educational services ............................................................. 135 83 122 

Health care and social assistance ........................................ 123 151 137 

Arts, entertainment, and recreation ....................................... 224 131 244 

Accommodation and food services ....................................... 242 169 257 

Other services, except public administration ........................ 113 116 140 

Unclassified establishments .................................................. – 91 82 

Reason for layoff groupings

Business demand ................................................................. 144 208 150 

Organizational changes ........................................................ 236 204 203 

Financial issues .................................................................... 136 191 175 

Production specific ................................................................ 132 154 275 

Disaster/Safety ...................................................................... 185 169 270 

Seasonal ............................................................................... 196 167 202 

Other/miscellaneous ............................................................. 183 184 145 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 1. p = preliminary.

 r

 = revised. NOTE: Dash represents zero.

Table 13. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff, private nonfarm sector, 

second quarter 2012p

Number Percent Number Percent

 Total ........................................................................ 1,476 100.0 262,848 100.0 

 50-99 ..................................................................... 661 44.8 47,285 18.0 

 100-149 ................................................................. 327 22.2 38,225 14.5 

 150-199 .................................................................. 142 9.6 23,958 9.1 

 200-299 .................................................................. 139 9.4 32,357 12.3 

 300-499 .................................................................. 118 8.0 42,403 16.1 

 500-999 .................................................................. 68 4.6 48,272 18.4 

 1,000 or more ......................................................... 21 1.4 30,348 11.5 

 p

 = preliminary.

Measure

Average number of separations

Size Layoff events Separations
Extended Mass Layoff Events by Reason Categories

Second quarters, 2006-12

1400160010001200

800400600

0

200

2006:2 2007:2 2008:2 2009:2 2010:2 2011:2 

Seasonal Business demand Organizational changes Financial issues Production specific Disa

1 The chart excludes information on layoffs due to other/miscellaneous reasons.p = preliminary.