For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, February 14, 2013 USDL-13-0236 

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

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

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS — FOURTH QUARTER 2012 

ANNUAL TOTALS — 2012 

Employers in the private nonfarm sector initiated 1,674 mass layoff events in the fourth quarter of 2012 

that resulted in the separation of 319,639 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 1,903 and 334,383, respectively. (See table A.) Permanent worksite 

closures accounted for 7 percent of all events and 10 percent of all separations during the fourth quarter 

of 2012, primarily in the manufacturing sector. Fourth quarter 2012 layoff data are preliminary and are 

subject to revision. (See the Technical Note.) 

Preliminary fourth quarter 2012 data indicate that in New Jersey and New York, 31 extended mass 

layoff events related to Hurricane Sandy resulted in 6,759 worker separations. 

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

Construction industry firms reported 528 extended mass layoff events and 68,463 separations in the 

fourth quarter of 2012, largely due to the completion of seasonal work. This sector accounted for 32 

percent of layoff events and 21 percent of related separations during the quarter. (See table 1.) 

During the same period, the manufacturing sector had 311 extended mass layoff events and 62,964 

separations, also largely due to the completion of seasonal work. This sector accounted for 19 percent of 

layoff events and 20 percent of related separations during the quarter. Employers in the administrative 

and waste services sector reported 249 layoff events and 55,685 separations, primarily due to contract 

completion. (See table 1.) 

Reasons for Extended Layoffs

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

and 39 percent of related separations in the private nonfarm sector during the fourth quarter of 2012. 

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

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

Movement of Work 

In the fourth quarter of 2012, 29 extended mass layoffs involved movement of work and were associated 

with 6,290 worker separations. Forty-one percent of the events related to movement of work were from 
- 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-September.................... 1,393 235,325 291,066 

October-December.............. 1,903 334,383 403,457 

2012

January-Marchr

 ................... 1,294 246,956 291,174 

April-Juner

 .......................... 1,959 385,983 383,466 

July-Septemberr

 .................. 1,124 199,680 228,528 

October-Decemberp

 ............ 1,674 319,639 273,975 

 r

 = revised.

 p

 = preliminary.

manufacturing industries. Employers cited organizational changes as the economic reason for layoff in 

34 percent of the events involving movement of work. Among the four census regions, the Northeast 

had the largest share of workers affected by the movement of work. (See tables 6-8.) 

The 29 events with movement of work for the fourth quarter involved 39 identifiable relocations of work 

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

separations for 22 of these actions. Among these 22 actions, most were domestic reassignments and 

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

Recall Expectations

Sixty-three percent of the private nonfarm employers reporting an extended mass layoff in the fourth 

quarter of 2012 anticipated recalling at least some of the displaced workers. Of those employers 

expecting to recall workers, 37 percent indicated the offer would be extended to all displaced employees 
- 3 - 

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

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

 Total, 372 metropolitan areas ................. 326,505 ... 220,398 ...

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. .... 69,571 1 31,715 1 

New York-Northern New Jersey-Long

 Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ................................ 18,673 2 15,342 2 

Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. ......... 15,952 3 11,847 3 

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. ....... 13,493 4 9,554 4 

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. ......... 11,376 5 7,812 5 

San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif. ........ 7,539 6 5,434 6 

Pittsburgh, Pa. ............................................... 3,490 14 4,209 7 

Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, Calif. 5,064 8 3,887 8 

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. .......... 4,889 9 3,825 9 

Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. ............................. 6,051 7 3,667 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 IVr 2012 IVp

Initial 

claimants Rank Initial claimants Rank

and 78 percent anticipated extending the offer to at least half of the workers. Among employers 

expecting to recall laid-off workers, 74 percent intend to do so within six months. Excluding extended 

mass layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period, employers anticipated recalling the laidoff workers in 41 percent of the events. (See table 11.) 

Size of Extended Layoffs

The average size of an extended mass layoff (as measured by the number of separations per layoff 

event) was 191 workers during the fourth quarter of 2012. (See table 12.) Events were largely 

concentrated at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 64 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 273,975 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass 

layoffs in the fourth quarter of 2012. Of these claimants, 12 percent were black, 22 percent were 

Hispanic, 29 percent were women, and 19 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 - 

Table C. Selected measures of mass layoff activity, 1996-2012

Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

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

 2006 ....................... 4,885 935,969 951,155 

 2007 ....................... 5,363 965,935 978,712 

 2008 ....................... 8,259 1,516,978 1,670,042 

 2009 ....................... 11,824 2,108,202 2,442,000 

 2010 ....................... 7,247 1,257,134 1,415,766 

 2011r

 ...................... 6,596 1,112,710 1,295,273 

 2012p

 ..................... 6,051 1,152,258 1,177,143 

 r

 = revised.

 p

 = preliminary.

Geographic Distribution 

Among the four census regions, the Midwest had the highest number of extended mass layoff events in 

the fourth quarter of 2012, primarily in the construction industry. Among the nine census divisions, the 

highest number of extended mass layoff events was in the Pacific. (See table 4.) 

California had the largest number of extended mass layoff events in the fourth quarter of 2012, followed 

by Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. (See table 5.) Excluding layoff activity due to seasonal 

work and vacation period reasons, California, New York, and Illinois had the largest numbers of events. 

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

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

areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., had the highest number of resident initial claimants. 

(See table B.) 

Review of 2012 

For all of 2012, employers reported 6,051 extended mass layoff actions, affecting 1,152,258 workers. 

Compared to 2011, the number of events decreased by 8 percent, while the number of separations 

increased by 4 percent. (See table C.) The annual proportion of extended mass layoff events involving 

permanent worksite closures, at 9 percent, increased for the first time since 2006. The annual average 
- 5 - 

national unemployment rate decreased from 8.9 percent in 2011 to 8.1 percent in 2012, and private 

nonfarm payroll employment increased by 2.2 percent, or 2,410,000. 

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

In the private nonfarm economy, administrative and waste services firms reported the largest number of 

separations, increasing to the highest annual level since 2009. Manufacturing had the next highest 

number of separations, followed by construction. 

Reasons for Extended Layoffs

Among the seven categories of economic reasons for layoff, layoffs due to business demand factors 

accounted for the largest number of extended mass layoff events during 2012, mostly due to contract 

completion. Layoffs attributed to this reason occurred primarily in construction and in administrative 

and waste services, which includes temporary help services. 

Movement of Work 

In 2012, 137 extended mass layoffs involved movement of work and were associated with 24,983 

separated workers. Both measures reached program lows (with annual data available back to 2004). 

Forty-eight percent of events related to movement of work were from manufacturing industries. 

Employers cited organizational issues in 49 percent of the layoffs involving the movement of work, the 

highest among the reason categories. 

The 137 extended layoff events with movement of work for 2012 involved 187 identifiable relocations 

of work actions. Employers were able to provide more complete separations information for 112 of the 

actions. Of these, 91 percent involved work moving within the same company, and 84 percent were 

domestic reassignments. 

Recall Expectations

Fifty-seven percent of employers reporting an extended mass layoff in 2012 indicated they anticipated 

some type of recall, up slightly from 55 percent in 2011. Of those employers expecting to recall workers, 

31 percent indicated that the offer would be extended to all displaced employees, and 65 percent 

intended to do so within 6 months. Excluding events due to seasonal work and vacation period, 

employers anticipated recalling laid-off workers in just 38 percent of the events. 

Size of Extended Layoffs

In 2012, the average size of an extended mass layoff (as measured by separations per layoff event) was 

190, the largest average size for a calendar year since 2006. Extended mass layoffs involving 500 or 

more workers accounted for 7 percent of events in 2012 but resulted in one-third of all separations. 

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 1,177,143 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass 

layoffs in 2012. Of these claimants, 14 percent were black, 22 percent were Hispanic, 41 percent were 

women, and 20 percent were 55 years of age or older. Among persons in the civilian labor force for the 
- 6 - 

same period, 12 percent were black, 16 percent were Hispanic, 47 percent were women, and 21 percent 

were 55 years of age or older.

Geographic Distribution 

Among the four census regions, the West had the greatest numbers of laid-off workers in 2012, 

increasing by 22 percent to the highest annual level since 2009. Among the nine census divisions, the 

Pacific had the largest numbers of worker separations. Among the states, California had the largest 

annual numbers of laid-off workers. 

Among the 372 metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., had the highest number 

of resident initial claimants associated with extended mass layoff events in 2012, followed by New 

York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. 

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 January 2013 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, February 

26, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. (EST). 
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 fourth quarter of 2012, outright refusal to 

participate in the employer interview accounted for 3.5 

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, 2 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

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

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

 Total, private nonfarm1 .................................. 1,903 1,124 1,674 334,383 199,680 319,639 403,457 228,528 273,975 

 Mining ............................................................. 26 14 38 3,358 2,043 4,597 3,825 1,800 4,128 

 Utilities ............................................................ ( 2 ) 4 7 ( 2 ) 586 1,214 ( 2 ) 768 851 

 Construction .................................................... 576 144 528 73,985 19,076 68,463 88,328 24,119 68,016 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 366 235 311 67,370 34,549 62,964 70,972 37,328 53,183 

 Food ........................................................... 94 55 86 19,011 9,993 27,520 18,520 11,879 22,558 

 Beverage and tobacco products ................ 11 6 6 1,829 656 805 2,633 688 605 

 Textile mills ................................................ 8 ( 2 ) 3 4,401 ( 2 ) 537 4,439 ( 2 ) 574 

 Textile product mills ................................... 4 3 3 1,174 227 443 1,562 221 578 

 Apparel ....................................................... 6 4 7 989 748 731 1,496 929 726 

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

 Wood products ........................................... 14 – 8 2,561 – 742 3,307 – 786 

 Paper ......................................................... 14 6 – 3,039 613 – 2,318 582 –

 Printing and related support activities ........ 11 3 9 1,411 299 890 1,924 303 765 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................... 15 ( 2 ) 21 1,868 ( 2 ) 3,017 2,332 ( 2 ) 2,544 

 Chemicals ................................................. 8 10 7 1,788 966 3,290 1,839 986 582 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................... 13 9 9 2,409 849 779 2,341 721 949 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................... 41 7 31 5,537 820 4,823 6,017 1,104 4,602 

 Primary metals ........................................... 13 9 11 2,090 1,117 1,669 2,659 1,488 1,301 

 Fabricated metal products ......................... 18 17 20 2,064 1,947 2,055 2,282 2,605 2,512 

 Machinery .................................................. 16 23 28 3,639 2,622 5,893 4,032 3,467 5,506 

 Computer and electronic products ............. 29 29 20 5,255 3,361 3,012 3,683 3,440 2,196 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ......... ( 2 ) 3 4 ( 2 ) 411 371 ( 2 ) 453 304 

 Transportation equipment .......................... 28 35 31 5,712 7,576 4,903 6,411 6,502 4,871 

 Furniture and related products ................... 10 ( 2 ) 3 905 ( 2 ) 369 1,094 ( 2 ) 292 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing .................... 9 10 4 1,065 1,077 1,115 1,099 980 932 

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 25 26 36 3,742 2,995 5,580 3,204 2,868 4,820 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 96 67 89 24,309 15,685 18,290 30,002 17,972 14,190 

 Transportation and warehousing .................... 37 78 43 5,529 13,239 13,550 5,607 12,670 6,412 

 Information ...................................................... 74 69 43 24,160 27,677 15,337 44,158 35,560 14,945 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 40 32 16 7,687 6,222 2,487 9,662 6,692 1,623 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................. 15 3 10 2,862 712 1,454 2,788 803 1,436 

 Professional and technical services ................ 94 56 57 18,126 12,145 8,887 25,207 13,771 8,416 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 6 7 ( 2 ) 991 858 ( 2 ) 1,194 931 ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services .................. 275 180 249 50,945 30,647 55,685 69,772 41,118 60,342 

 Educational services ....................................... 13 29 11 1,394 4,145 1,234 1,902 4,276 1,012 

 Health care and social assistance .................. 38 54 41 6,421 6,222 10,907 5,810 5,695 5,252 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 69 42 60 11,944 7,373 16,551 11,187 7,962 7,426 

 Accommodation and food services ................. 133 66 105 28,039 13,149 27,535 26,088 11,983 18,505 

 Other services, except public administration .. 17 16 24 2,926 2,069 3,970 3,119 1,937 2,634 

 Unclassified ..................................................... ( 2

 ) 2 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 288 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 275 ( 2 )

 1

 For the fourth 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

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

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

 Total, private nonfarm1 ..................................................... 1,903 1,124 1,674 334,383 199,680 319,639 403,457 228,528 273,975 

Business demand ............................................................... 633 485 529 110,761 87,573 103,318 171,251 112,253 108,104 

 Contract cancellation ....................................................... 21 31 23 3,041 5,723 6,150 4,866 3,714 2,706 

 Contract completion ......................................................... 428 335 350 80,872 69,317 78,272 133,036 94,313 86,101 

 Domestic competition ....................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Excess inventory/saturated market .................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 657 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 729 

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

 Slack work/insufficient demand/non-seasonal

 business slowdown ................................................. 181 114 147 26,411 11,473 17,896 32,966 13,153 18,181 

Organizational changes ...................................................... 73 75 55 14,431 12,762 21,736 13,465 10,689 7,404 

 Business-ownership change ............................................ 18 13 19 3,806 2,694 12,631 2,996 1,408 2,072 

 Reorganization or restructuring of company .................... 55 62 36 10,625 10,068 9,105 10,469 9,281 5,332 

Financial issues .................................................................. 76 83 97 13,631 12,290 28,570 16,805 13,954 19,799 

 Bankruptcy ....................................................................... 15 9 43 3,975 2,671 19,016 2,199 1,330 13,333 

 Cost control/cost cutting/increase profitability .................. 33 43 29 5,630 5,797 4,893 7,764 9,094 3,385 

 Financial difficulty ............................................................. 28 31 25 4,026 3,822 4,661 6,842 3,530 3,081 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 19 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3,902 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3,215 

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

 ) 3 3 ( 2 ) 410 427 ( 2 ) 428 307 

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

 Governmental regulations/intervention ............................ ( 2 ) 6 4 ( 2 ) 1,057 965 ( 2 ) 807 706 

 Labor dispute/contract negotiations/strike ....................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 675 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 327 

 Material or supply shortage .............................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Model changeover ........................................................... 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 820 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 741 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Plant or machine repair/maintenance .............................. 4 5 ( 2 ) 2,054 433 ( 2 ) 1,408 744 ( 2 ) Product line discontinued ................................................. 6 ( 2 ) 4 1,749 ( 2 ) 857 1,408 ( 2 ) 569 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 34 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6,083 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 7,455 

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

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

 Natural disaster (not weather related) .............................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Non-natural disaster ......................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Extreme weather-related event ........................................ ( 2 ) – 30 ( 2 ) – 5,457 ( 2 ) – 7,049 

Seasonal ............................................................................. 818 216 736 135,675 35,114 124,401 142,554 40,161 97,359 

 Seasonal .......................................................................... 811 142 725 134,764 26,571 122,505 140,774 29,318 95,838 

 Vacation period–school related or otherwise ................... 7 74 11 911 8,543 1,896 1,780 10,843 1,521 

Other/miscellaneous ........................................................... 279 241 204 52,965 47,975 31,629 53,584 47,312 30,639 

 Other ................................................................................ 22 22 16 2,816 4,756 2,566 3,545 4,106 1,608 

 Data not provided: refusal ................................................ 75 63 59 18,157 15,636 10,808 18,076 15,635 10,806 

 Data not provided: does not know ................................... 182 156 129 31,992 27,583 18,255 31,963 27,571 18,225 

 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, third and fourth quarters, 2012

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

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

 Total, private nonfarm1 ............ 1,124 1,674 228,528 273,975 13.4 11.6 24.3 21.5 40.3 29.4 19.3 19.2 

Alabama ....................................... 5 9 1,526 1,278 48.3 53.4 4.8 3.8 52.1 52.7 10.2 19.4 

Alaska ........................................... 6 14 2,656 2,430 9.1 5.8 22.6 11.2 29.2 27.0 28.0 21.6 

Arizona ......................................... 15 10 2,159 929 12.6 4.8 34.2 31.9 49.1 22.2 13.0 16.4 

Arkansas ...................................... 10 8 1,665 1,635 32.5 16.8 4.7 6.6 38.9 32.2 16.8 23.0 

California ...................................... 450 343 120,513 85,045 8.5 9.4 33.8 39.0 41.3 36.2 16.7 15.2 

Colorado ....................................... 9 21 1,163 2,609 7.7 5.9 16.3 30.0 32.1 22.6 13.0 22.5 

Connecticut .................................. 12 10 1,436 1,229 15.7 8.6 23.4 9.4 55.3 12.0 22.8 23.4 

Delaware ...................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 64.4 58.7 6.8 12.5 55.9 52.6 16.9 38.0 

District of Columbia ...................... ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) 451 95.1 78.3 3.3 6.9 72.1 57.4 8.2 18.6 

Florida .......................................... 32 18 3,836 3,472 30.4 22.7 27.9 23.8 45.6 38.8 20.3 28.9 

Georgia ......................................... 14 9 1,495 2,070 46.1 72.8 .8 .7 39.6 40.0 25.2 16.9 

Hawaii ........................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 2.0 15.7 4.7 2.9 43.6 5.9 16.8 

Idaho ............................................ 5 10 450 1,127 – .1 12.2 17.5 55.6 32.7 29.3 19.8 

Illinois ........................................... 58 164 11,779 21,232 21.1 14.8 14.6 20.6 32.0 22.9 18.5 17.1 

Indiana .......................................... 14 35 2,270 6,140 14.2 8.5 2.2 3.8 28.7 15.9 18.4 18.8 

Iowa .............................................. 8 8 1,186 1,534 8.0 3.5 9.8 5.1 49.2 12.8 23.8 26.5 

Kansas ......................................... ( 2 ) 8 ( 2 ) 1,763 20.8 10.0 1.9 2.1 57.1 21.5 45.7 15.4 

Kentucky ....................................... 18 29 2,069 3,239 15.0 6.2 – .2 33.1 20.0 23.3 22.2 

Louisiana ...................................... 15 18 1,949 2,119 46.4 38.0 6.1 6.5 41.3 24.0 26.7 27.0 

Maine ............................................ 4 9 433 1,521 6.2 .6 3.9 .7 37.9 22.6 28.6 27.9 

Maryland ....................................... 22 7 3,174 807 22.2 17.2 .5 .1 46.7 42.9 22.6 28.0 

Massachusetts ............................. 6 27 547 3,617 11.7 9.5 – 1.2 47.9 41.1 31.6 20.5 

Michigan ....................................... 17 66 2,200 7,356 13.0 8.8 3.5 7.9 30.5 16.7 16.3 15.9 

Minnesota ..................................... 11 79 1,299 8,963 5.8 2.8 2.3 9.0 24.3 13.9 20.6 19.4 

Mississippi .................................... 5 8 413 685 59.8 52.8 2.4 4.8 48.7 31.8 12.1 14.6 

Missouri ........................................ 13 31 2,109 3,834 25.8 18.2 1.6 2.8 36.5 34.4 33.1 24.3 

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

 ) 13 ( 2 ) 1,332 .7 .7 2.5 4.7 16.9 22.3 25.9 22.1 

Nebraska ...................................... ( 2 ) 8 ( 2 ) 780 27.1 2.4 2.1 11.9 46.8 21.8 39.4 30.3 

Nevada ......................................... 14 19 3,978 4,174 9.0 9.0 30.8 31.6 47.2 39.9 22.8 19.5 

New Hampshire ............................ – 8 – 760 – .7 – 1.2 – 19.2 – 33.3 

New Jersey ................................... 30 49 3,822 9,729 19.1 13.9 11.9 23.4 53.5 46.8 25.8 28.8 

New Mexico .................................. 6 9 827 1,198 3.3 1.7 31.3 58.6 34.3 38.3 19.8 21.1 

New York ...................................... 95 131 17,046 18,190 19.2 15.8 19.6 16.5 48.4 36.4 24.6 23.1 

North Carolina .............................. 6 20 729 2,554 52.9 34.7 2.2 7.7 32.9 28.9 24.8 23.4 

North Dakota ................................ ( 2 ) 15 ( 2 ) 1,687 1.5 1.8 13.2 3.3 11.0 9.6 15.4 22.8 

Ohio .............................................. 38 100 5,663 13,023 13.3 10.5 3.8 3.9 26.0 17.9 21.9 19.0 

Oklahoma ..................................... 7 9 805 1,072 7.7 11.1 6.3 6.6 58.6 35.5 21.5 20.8 

Oregon ......................................... 19 26 2,530 4,743 1.4 1.6 23.4 28.4 39.0 42.0 18.4 22.8 

Pennsylvania ................................ 55 101 10,391 16,926 10.4 7.4 6.3 3.0 32.4 17.8 26.2 23.4 

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) 220 – 1.8 75.8 6.4 78.8 8.2 4.5 21.4 

South Carolina .............................. 8 6 1,122 903 52.4 38.9 1.8 1.1 43.1 30.5 21.7 31.9 

South Dakota ................................ ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – 8.5 – 3.4 – 22.0 – 6.8 –

Tennessee .................................... 13 5 2,214 417 29.2 5.3 – .5 36.0 20.9 30.1 24.7 

Texas ............................................ 26 40 4,508 8,037 31.3 19.2 32.2 45.5 43.7 20.1 15.2 14.9 

Utah .............................................. 3 13 334 2,400 .6 1.1 18.9 13.1 4.8 10.9 6.3 16.2 

Vermont ........................................ – 3 – 304 – .3 – .3 – 16.8 – 24.0 

Virginia ......................................... 7 13 1,593 2,453 26.3 38.2 4.5 3.2 31.0 42.2 18.5 24.1 

Washington .................................. 19 54 2,820 6,670 9.4 5.6 25.3 17.3 34.0 32.0 18.2 18.4 

West Virginia ................................ 5 8 553 610 .4 .7 .2 .3 6.1 19.0 39.6 19.5 

Wisconsin ..................................... 12 70 1,920 9,668 3.3 5.2 3.0 12.7 39.4 18.1 24.6 19.3 

Wyoming ...................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6.7 1.7 16.0 4.2 9.3 44.7 10.7 26.2 

Puerto Rico ................................... 9 10 2,061 2,126 .1 – 99.6 99.3 52.7 57.9 7.7 8.5 

 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.
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

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

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

 United States1 .................................. 1,903 1,124 1,674 334,383 199,680 319,639 403,457 228,528 273,975 

Northeast ................................................. 311 203 342 38,571 29,393 52,553 58,763 33,741 52,496 

 New England ........................................ 43 23 61 6,209 2,499 9,166 5,755 2,482 7,651 

 Middle Atlantic ...................................... 268 180 281 32,362 26,894 43,387 53,008 31,259 44,845 

South ........................................................ 308 195 212 53,937 30,374 38,640 59,609 27,771 32,163 

 South Atlantic ....................................... 161 96 86 28,967 13,493 16,594 33,267 12,622 13,681 

 East South Central ............................... 68 41 51 10,352 7,229 7,591 10,128 6,222 5,619 

 West South Central .............................. 79 58 75 14,618 9,652 14,455 16,214 8,927 12,863 

Midwest .................................................... 551 176 584 94,348 28,279 95,326 95,581 29,131 75,980 

 East North Central ............................... 415 139 435 70,961 23,248 65,587 73,514 23,832 57,419 

 West North Central .............................. 136 37 149 23,387 5,031 29,739 22,067 5,299 18,561 

West ......................................................... 733 550 536 147,527 111,634 133,120 189,504 137,885 113,336 

 Mountain .............................................. 122 55 97 23,748 10,762 21,141 20,498 9,264 14,299 

 Pacific .................................................. 611 495 439 123,779 100,872 111,979 169,006 128,621 99,037 

 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

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

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

 Total, private nonfarm1 ........................ 1,903 1,124 1,674 334,383 199,680 319,639 403,457 228,528 273,975 

Alabama ................................................... 4 5 9 1,763 1,566 1,448 1,975 1,526 1,278 

Alaska ...................................................... 14 6 14 4,774 2,736 5,873 2,627 2,656 2,430 

Arizona ..................................................... 15 15 10 2,823 1,833 1,568 3,159 2,159 929 

Arkansas .................................................. 13 10 8 1,856 1,263 1,438 2,227 1,665 1,635 

California .................................................. 512 450 343 101,452 92,804 93,319 146,770 120,513 85,045 

Colorado .................................................. 19 9 21 2,935 1,938 3,287 2,326 1,163 2,609 

Connecticut .............................................. 6 12 10 689 1,436 1,229 689 1,436 1,229 

Delaware .................................................. 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 398 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 572 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) District of Columbia .................................. 3 ( 2 ) 3 471 ( 2 ) 451 543 ( 2 ) 451 

Florida ...................................................... 35 32 18 5,022 4,526 4,819 4,609 3,836 3,472 

Georgia .................................................... 33 14 9 8,340 1,501 2,070 8,913 1,495 2,070 

Hawaii ...................................................... 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 975 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 842 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Idaho ........................................................ 18 5 10 3,570 632 1,294 2,602 450 1,127 

Illinois ....................................................... 156 58 164 24,908 11,642 23,840 25,674 11,779 21,232 

Indiana ..................................................... 29 14 35 3,344 1,664 5,773 5,695 2,270 6,140 

Iowa ......................................................... 12 8 8 1,071 754 1,374 3,313 1,186 1,534 

Kansas ..................................................... 5 ( 2 ) 8 662 ( 2 ) 1,918 660 ( 2 ) 1,763 

Kentucky .................................................. 31 18 29 4,037 2,926 3,606 3,326 2,069 3,239 

Louisiana .................................................. 22 15 18 4,802 2,732 3,011 3,330 1,949 2,119 

Maine ....................................................... 10 4 9 1,271 308 1,522 1,310 433 1,521 

Maryland3

 ................................................. 15 22 7 1,731 3,269 1,767 2,234 3,174 807 

Massachusetts ......................................... 17 6 27 2,844 689 4,797 2,201 547 3,617 

Michigan ................................................... 55 17 66 7,415 2,241 11,031 8,812 2,200 7,356 

Minnesota ................................................ 68 11 79 13,023 1,400 14,075 10,397 1,299 8,963 

Mississippi ................................................ 9 5 8 1,015 651 1,928 857 413 685 

Missouri .................................................... 34 13 31 6,044 2,181 9,654 5,508 2,109 3,834 

Montana ................................................... 13 ( 2

 ) 13 1,674 ( 2 ) 2,894 1,350 ( 2 ) 1,332 

Nebraska .................................................. 7 ( 2 ) 8 1,628 ( 2 ) 887 805 ( 2 ) 780 

Nevada ..................................................... 34 14 19 6,546 5,082 4,894 7,389 3,978 4,174 

New Hampshire ....................................... ( 2 ) – 8 ( 2 ) – 1,044 ( 2 ) – 760 

New Jersey .............................................. 54 30 49 9,820 3,735 11,333 9,839 3,822 9,729 

New Mexico ............................................. 9 6 9 1,904 612 2,050 1,036 827 1,198 

New York ................................................. 133 95 131 13,400 14,566 19,698 27,245 17,046 18,190 

North Carolina .......................................... 28 6 20 3,062 523 2,815 5,444 729 2,554 

North Dakota ............................................ 10 ( 2 ) 15 959 ( 2 ) 1,831 1,384 ( 2 ) 1,687 

Ohio ......................................................... 94 38 100 17,100 6,118 15,052 16,179 5,663 13,023 

Oklahoma ................................................. 9 7 9 1,247 744 1,197 995 805 1,072 

Oregon ..................................................... 33 19 26 9,257 2,972 4,731 9,257 2,530 4,743 

Pennsylvania ............................................ 81 55 101 9,142 8,593 12,356 15,924 10,391 16,926 

Rhode Island ............................................ 4 ( 2

 ) 4 306 ( 2 ) 250 307 ( 2 ) 220 

South Carolina ......................................... 8 8 6 2,902 850 855 1,988 1,122 903 

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

Tennessee ............................................... 24 13 5 3,537 2,086 609 3,970 2,214 417 

Texas ....................................................... 35 26 40 6,713 4,913 8,809 9,662 4,508 8,037 

Utah ......................................................... 12 3 13 1,876 327 3,194 2,019 334 2,400 

Vermont ................................................... 3 – 3 804 – 324 840 – 304 

Virginia ..................................................... 31 7 13 6,251 1,664 2,771 8,254 1,593 2,453 

Washington .............................................. 48 19 54 7,321 2,280 7,772 9,510 2,820 6,670 

West Virginia ............................................ 4 5 8 790 1,040 886 710 553 610 

Wisconsin ................................................. 81 12 70 18,194 1,583 9,891 17,154 1,920 9,668 

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

Puerto Rico .............................................. 12 9 10 2,370 912 1,956 5,159 2,061 2,126 

 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

IV III IV IV III IV

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ................................................. 36 32 29 6,513 4,387 6,290 

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

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

 Construction ................................................................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

 Manufacturing ................................................................ 23 17 12 4,187 2,073 2,385 

 Food .......................................................................... 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 431 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

 Textile mills ............................................................... – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

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

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

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

 Paper ........................................................................ – 3 – – 273 –

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

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

 Chemicals ................................................................ – 3 ( 2

 ) – 236 ( 2 )

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

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

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

 Fabricated metal products ........................................ 3 ( 2 ) – 487 ( 2 ) –

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

 Computer and electronic products ............................ 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 610 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

 Transportation equipment ......................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

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

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

 ) – ( 2 )( 2 ) – ( 2 )

 Retail trade .................................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 517 

 Transportation and warehousing ................................... ( 2 ) 3 – ( 2 ) 453 –

 Information ..................................................................... 3 3 ( 2 ) 613 562 ( 2 )

 Finance and insurance .................................................. ( 2 ) 5 3 ( 2 ) 802 452 

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

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

 Management of companies and enterprises ................. – – – – – –

 Administrative and waste services ................................ 3 – 3 198 – 1,720 

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

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

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ............................... – – – – – –

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

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

 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

IV III IV IV III IV

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ..................................................... 36 32 29 6,513 4,387 6,290 

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

 ) – 9 ( 2 ) – 2,991 

 Contract cancellation ....................................................... – – 3 – – 1,825 

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

 Slack work/insufficient demand/non-seasonal

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

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

Organizational changes ...................................................... 18 16 10 3,940 2,244 1,891 

 Business-ownership change ............................................ 3 ( 2

 ) 3 998 ( 2 ) 441 

 Reorganization or restructuring of company .................... 15 ( 2 ) 7 2,942 ( 2 ) 1,450 

Financial issues .................................................................. 8 11 ( 2

 ) 952 1,555 ( 2 )

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

 Cost control/cost cutting/increase profitability .................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) Financial difficulty ............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Automation/technological advances ................................ ––––––

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

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

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

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

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

 Plant or machine repair/maintenance .............................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

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

Disaster/safety .................................................................... ––––––

 Hazardous work environment .......................................... ––––––

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

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

 Extreme weather-related event ........................................ – – – – – –

Other/miscellaneous ........................................................... 5 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 801 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

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

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

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

 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

IV III IV IV III IV

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p 

 United States1 ...................................... 36 32 29 6,513 4,387 6,290 

Northeast ..................................................... 6 3 7 830 206 2,646 

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

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

 Middle Atlantic ......................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

South ........................................................... 8 12 8 1,207 1,588 1,360 

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

 ) 6 5 ( 2 ) 728 822 

 East South Central .................................. ( 2 ) 3 3 ( 2 ) 499 538 

 West South Central ................................. 3 3 – 706 361 –

Midwest ....................................................... 11 10 7 2,201 1,396 928 

 East North Central ................................... 8 6 ( 2

 ) 1,876 703 ( 2 )

 West North Central .................................. 3 4 ( 2 ) 325 693 ( 2 )

West ............................................................ 11 7 7 2,275 1,197 1,356 

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

 )( 2 ) – ( 2 )( 2 )

 Pacific ...................................................... 11 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,275 ( 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 9. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2011 and 2012

IV III IV IV III IV

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p

Total, private nonfarm1 ................................. 1,903 1,124 1,674 334,383 199,680 319,639 

 Total, excluding seasonal

 and vacation events2

 ............................ 1,085 908 938 198,708 164,566 195,238 

 Total, movement of work3

 .................... 36 32 29 6,513 4,387 6,290 

 Movement of work actions .............. 56 44 39 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

 With separations reported ......... 26 23 22 2,183 1,752 3,468 

 With separations unknown ........ 30 21 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

IV III IV IV III IV

2011 2012r 2012p 2011 2012r 2012p

With separations reported2 ................................... 26 23 22 2,183 1,752 3,468 

By location

 Out-of-country relocations .................................. 5 1 9 316 10 1,115 

 Within company .............................................. 5 1 8 316 10 933 

 Different company .......................................... – – 1 – – 182 

 Domestic relocations .......................................... 21 22 13 1,867 1,742 2,353 

 Within company .............................................. 16 20 9 896 1,520 1,035 

 Different company .......................................... 5 2 4 971 222 1,318 

 Unable to assign place of 

 relocation ......................................................... ––––––

By company

 Within company .................................................. 21 21 17 1,212 1,530 1,968 

 Domestic ........................................................ 16 20 9 896 1,520 1,035 

 Out of country ................................................. 5 1 8 316 10 933 

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

 Different company .............................................. 5 2 5 971 222 1,500 

 Domestic ........................................................ 5 2 4 971 222 1,318 

 Out of country ................................................. – – 1 – – 182 

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

 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 

IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV

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

Anticipate a recall ................................................. 62.4 46.5 63.2 93.9 94.9 91.7 38.6 35.0 40.8

 Timeframe

Within 6 months ................................................... 71.3 52.8 74.3 87.6 81.0 87.9 41.3 34.6 50.4

 Within 3 months ............................................. 30.0 42.8 32.6 29.0 61.0 30.4 31.7 31.1 36.6

 Size of recall

At least half .......................................................... 75.3 55.6 77.5 92.8 87.3 92.7 43.2 35.2 50.7

 All workers ...................................................... 31.7 18.4 36.5 42.7 28.3 47.7 11.5 11.9 16.7

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

IV III IV

2011r 2012r 2012p

 Total, private nonfarm1 ...................................................... 176 178 191 

Industry

Mining ...................................................................................... 129 146 121 

Utilities ..................................................................................... 263 147 173 

Construction ............................................................................ 128 132 130 

Manufacturing ......................................................................... 184 147 202 

Wholesale trade ...................................................................... 150 115 155 

Retail trade .............................................................................. 253 234 206 

Transportation and warehousing ............................................ 149 170 315 

Information .............................................................................. 326 401 357 

Finance and insurance ............................................................ 192 194 155 

Real estate and rental and leasing ......................................... 191 237 145 

Professional and technical services ........................................ 193 217 156 

Management of companies and enterprises ........................... 165 123 225 

Administrative and waste services .......................................... 185 170 224 

Educational services ............................................................... 107 143 112 

Health care and social assistance .......................................... 169 115 266 

Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......................................... 173 176 276 

Accommodation and food services ......................................... 211 199 262 

Other services, except public administration .......................... 172 129 165 

Unclassified establishments .................................................... 70 144 121 

Reason for layoff groupings

Business demand ................................................................... 175 181 195 

Organizational changes .......................................................... 198 170 395 

Financial issues ...................................................................... 179 148 295 

Production specific .................................................................. 311 165 205 

Disaster/Safety ........................................................................ 175 168 179 

Seasonal ................................................................................. 166 163 169 

Other/miscellaneous ............................................................... 190 199 155 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 1. p = preliminary.

 r

 = revised.

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

fourth quarter 2012p

Number Percent Number Percent

 Total ........................................................................... 1,674 100.0 319,639 100.0 

 50-99 ........................................................................ 666 39.8 48,405 15.1 

 100-149 .................................................................... 397 23.7 46,552 14.6 

 150-199 ..................................................................... 208 12.4 35,002 11.0 

 200-299 ..................................................................... 206 12.3 48,908 15.3 

 300-499 ..................................................................... 93 5.6 34,326 10.7 

 500-999 ..................................................................... 63 3.8 41,559 13.0 

 1,000 or more ............................................................ 41 2.4 64,887 20.3 

 p

 = preliminary.

Table 12. Average number of separations in extended mass layoff events by selected 

Measure

Average number of separations

Size Layoff events Separations
Extended Mass Layoff Events by Reason Categories1

Fourth quarters, 2006-12

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

2006:4 2007:4 2008:4 2009:4 2010:4 2011:4 2012:4

Seasonal Business demand Organizational changes Financial issues Production specific Disaster/Safety 

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

p = preliminary.

 p