1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 07-0421

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, March 22, 2007

MASS LAYOFFS IN FEBRUARY 2007

In February, employers took 1,280 mass layoff actions, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings

for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department

of Labor reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single establishment; the number

of workers involved totaled 143,977, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events increased by 43 from January, and the number of associated initial claims rose by 17,609. During February,

419 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 64,072

initial claims. Compared with the prior month, mass layoff activity in manufacturing increased by 30 events

and by 12,931 initial claims. (See table 1.)

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2003 2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

March 2002-February 2007

The national unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in February, essentially unchanged from 4.6 percent

the prior month and down from 4.8 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased

by 97,000 over the month and by 2.0 million over the year.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The 10 industries reporting the highest numbers of mass layoff initial claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 33 percent of the total initial claims in February. The industry with the highest number of initial

claims was temporary help services (with 5,581), followed by automobile manufacturing (5,561), and motorcycle, bicycle, and parts manufacturing (3,043). Together, these three industries accounted for 16 percent of

all initial claims due to mass layoffs during the month. (See table A.)

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

2003 2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

March 2002-February 2007
2

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

Industry Initial claims

February peak

Year

Initial claims

Temporary help services ....................................... 5,581 2001 18,893

Automobile manufacturing ..................................... 5,561 2001 13,977

Motorcycle, bicycle, and parts manufacturing ........ 3,043 2007 3,043

School and employee bus transportation .............. 2,618 2004 2,997

Heavy duty truck manufacturing ............................ 2,602 2005 2,627

Commercial building construction .......................... 2,137 2007 2,137

Professional employer organizations ...................... 2,008 2001 3,241

Highway, street, and bridge construction ............... 1,841 2003 3,316

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders .............. 1,813 2000 12,516

Food service contractors ...................................... 1,792 2007 1,792

The manufacturing sector accounted for 29 percent of all mass layoff events and 42 percent of all related

initial claims filed in February; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 29 percent of events and 37 percent of

initial claims. In February 2007, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (14,510, mostly in motor vehicle manufacturing), followed by wood product manufacturing (4,497) and food manufacturing (4,188). (See table 3.)

Construction accounted for 22 percent of mass layoff events and 15 percent of initial claims in February,

largely from specialty trade contractors. Administrative and waste services comprised 12 percent of events

and 11 percent of initial claims filed over the month, with the majority of layoffs in temporary help services.

Eight percent of all mass layoff events and 7 percent of related initial claims filed were from retail trade, primarily from general merchandise stores. Transportation and warehousing made up 4 percent of events and

5 percent of associated initial claims, primarily from the school and employee bus transportation industry.

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of mass layoff events in February, at 935, was up by

216 from a year earlier, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 20,141 to 86,696. (See

table 2.) The February level of all mass layoff initial claims, on a not seasonally adjusted basis, was the

highest for that month since 2003. The largest over-the-year increases in initial claims were reported in

transportation equipment manufacturing (+5,397), wood product manufacturing (+3,267), and specialty

trade contractors (+3,198). The largest over-the-year decreases in mass layoff initial claims were reported

in apparel manufacturing (-1,358) and motion picture and sound recording industries (-1,268).

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

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

in the Midwest, 26,603. Transportation equipment manufacturing and specialty trade contractors industries

together accounted for 37 percent of all mass layoff initial claims in that region during the month. The West

had the second largest number of initial claims among the regions, 23,971, followed by the Northeast,

18,272, and the South, 17,850. (See table 5.)
3

The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year in all four regions—the Midwest

(+9,981), the Northeast (+6,020), the South (+2,909), and the West (+1,231). Six geographic divisions had

over-the-year increases in the numbers of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest increases

in the East North Central (+10,662), the Middle Atlantic (+7,402), and the South Atlantic (+2,745). The

division with the largest over-the-year decrease was New England (-1,382).

Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events

in February (19,809), followed by Pennsylvania (10,928), Michigan (6,507), Wisconsin (6,035), and Illinois

(4,684). These five states accounted for 58 percent of all mass layoff events and 55 percent of all associated initial claims for unemployment insurance. (See table 6.)

Pennsylvania had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial claims (+7,919), mostly due

to layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing. States having the next largest increases in initial claims

were Michigan (+4,219), Wisconsin (+3,514), Ohio (+1,403), and Illinois (+1,299). The largest over-theyear decreases in claims occurred in Minnesota (-1,685) and Kentucky (-1,320).

Note

The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or more workers beginning in a given

month, regardless of the duration of the layoffs. For private nonfarm establishments, information on the length

of the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports on mass layoffs lasting more than

30 days (referred to as “extended mass layoffs”). The quarterly release provides more information on the

industry classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of the laid-off workers. Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months in

a quarter will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 30 days. (See table 4.) See

the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.

______________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in March 2007 is scheduled to be released on Friday, April 20.

 Upcoming Changes to Extended Mass Layoff Data

As previously published in the Extended Mass Layoffs news release issued on February

13, the collection and presentation of data on economic reasons for extended mass layoffs

will be improved. Clearer definitions and titles for many of the current reasons will be introduced, and four new reasons will be added. Moreover, seven higher-level categories—

business demand, disaster/safety, financial, organizational, production, seasonal, and other/

miscellaneous—will be used to aggregate and report the detailed economic reasons for layoff.

For additional information on the changes to the MLS reasons, including detailed definitions of each reason and a crosswalk of the old to the new reasons, please see http://www.

bls.gov/mls/home.htm or call (202) 691-6392.
Technical Note

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

program that uses a standardized, automated approach to

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job

cutbacks, using data from each state’s unemployment insurance

database. Each month, states report on establishments which

have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during a

consecutive 5-week period. These establishments then are

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these

separations lasted 31 days or longer, and, if so, other

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report on

layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quarterly basis.

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday through

Saturday weeks in that month. All weeks are included for the

particular month, except if the first day of the month falls on

Saturday. In this case, the week is included in the prior month’s

tabulations. This means that some months will contain 4 weeks

and others, 5 weeks, the number of weeks in a given month may

be different from year to year, and the number of weeks in a year

may vary. Therefore, analysis of over-the-month and over-theyear change in not seasonally adjusted series should take this

calendar effect into consideration.

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after it

had been terminated in November 1992 due to lack of funding.

Prior to April 1995, monthly layoff statistics were not available.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

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

TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.

Definitions

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.

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an

establishment during a 5-week period, regardless of duration.

Seasonal adjustment

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS

began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS series.

The six series are the numbers of mass layoff events and mass

layoff initial claims for the total, private nonfarm, and

manufacturing sectors.

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and

removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring

seasonal events such as changes in the weather, holidays, and

the beginning and ending of the school year. The use of

seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental

changes in time series, particularly those associated with

general economic expansions and contractions.

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

ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis.

Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly

estimates, including those for the current month, in developing

seasonal adjustment factors. Revisions to the most recent

5 years of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a

year with the issuance of December data. Before the data are

seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments are made to the

original data to adjust them for differences in the number of

weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly

unemployment insurance claims are aggregated to form

monthly data, a particular month’s value could be calculated

with 5 weeks of data in one year and 4 weeks in another. The effects of these differences could seriously distort

the seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal

adjustment process. These effects are modeled in the X-12-

ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the final

seasonally adjusted series.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, March 2003 to February 2007,

seasonally adjusted

2003

March ...................................................................... 1,787 174,936 1,592 159,242 610 73,015 

April ......................................................................... 1,707 172,348 1,557 162,117 634 82,756 

May ......................................................................... 1,731 184,479 1,550 170,984 635 87,049 

June ........................................................................ 1,733 164,442 1,523 147,609 638 68,976 

July ......................................................................... 1,649 164,146 1,443 148,650 567 72,023 

August ..................................................................... 1,498 169,799 1,362 156,687 546 74,509 

September .............................................................. 1,562 147,054 1,370 132,262 479 57,332 

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

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

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

2004

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2005

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2006

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2007

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

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

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

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

not seasonally adjusted

2003

March ...................................................................... 1,207 113,026 1,099 104,468 390 41,063 

April ......................................................................... 1,581 161,412 1,470 152,937 499 62,349 

May ......................................................................... 1,703 174,204 1,538 160,729 499 61,278 

June ........................................................................ 1,691 157,552 1,336 127,743 389 40,845 

July ......................................................................... 2,087 226,435 1,815 206,901 946 136,410 

August ..................................................................... 1,258 133,839 1,163 124,131 405 52,620 

September .............................................................. 868 82,647 756 73,914 271 31,428 

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

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

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

2004

January ................................................................... 2,428 239,454 2,226 220,687 848 89,551 

February ................................................................. 941 84,201 832 76,577 240 23,043 

March ...................................................................... 920 92,554 847 87,782 258 34,686 

April ......................................................................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 343 36,172 

May ......................................................................... 988 87,501 878 78,786 219 22,141 

June ........................................................................ 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 222 27,307 

July ......................................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 885 145,895 

August ..................................................................... 809 69,033 745 63,876 194 17,698 

September .............................................................. 708 68,972 637 63,102 189 25,808 

October ................................................................... 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 372 48,265 

November ............................................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 412 44,243 

December ............................................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 436 50,726 

2005

January ................................................................... 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 823 108,985 

February ................................................................. 810 74,644 722 68,372 230 24,931 

March ...................................................................... 806 88,937 733 83,793 246 33,030 

April ......................................................................... 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 395 59,129 

May ......................................................................... 986 101,358 891 93,332 249 30,424 

June ........................................................................ 1,157 120,463 941 103,307 216 32,783 

July ......................................................................... 1,981 244,216 1,745 222,377 856 136,210 

August ..................................................................... 645 67,582 598 63,484 188 22,531 

September .............................................................. 1,662 213,281 1,505 179,042 318 47,497 

October ................................................................... 905 91,941 757 80,694 249 37,276 

November ............................................................... 1,254 116,127 1,079 102,182 363 41,442 

December ............................................................... 2,323 254,258 2,168 242,753 706 96,382 

2006

January ................................................................... 1,245 117,946 1,123 108,701 331 35,097 

February ................................................................. 719 66,555 658 62,208 210 24,892 

March ...................................................................... 921 111,838 856 106,177 285 44,688 

April ......................................................................... 1,140 121,589 1,038 112,964 296 39,538 

May ......................................................................... 872 84,809 794 78,663 192 23,570 

June ........................................................................ 1,489 164,761 1,224 140,687 319 41,095 

July ......................................................................... 1,511 166,857 1,335 154,342 648 96,152 

August ..................................................................... 708 72,844 656 69,054 203 28,494 

September .............................................................. 865 87,699 785 81,274 296 39,076 

October ................................................................... 964 98,804 820 88,133 311 46,737 

November ............................................................... 1,315 136,186 1,172 125,009 455 58,473 

December ............................................................... 2,249 254,503 2,126 244,783 735 105,462 

2007

January ................................................................... 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 456 53,615 

February ................................................................. 935 86,696 861 82,097 273 36,170 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

February December January February February December January February

2006 2006 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ..................................................................... 1,065 1,201 1,237 1,280 112,742 133,818 126,368 143,977 

 Total, private nonfarm .............................................. 973 1,099 1,095 1,166 105,055 124,526 115,615 135,252 

 Manufacturing ......................................................... 329 390 389 419 46,548 53,828 51,141 64,072 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total1

 .................................................................... 719 2,249 1,407 935 66,555 254,503 134,984 86,696 

Total, private ............................................................... 689 2,176 1,344 913 64,296 248,383 129,715 85,170 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ................ 31 50 81 52 2,088 3,600 5,240 3,073 

 Total, private nonfarm .............................................. 658 2,126 1,263 861 62,208 244,783 124,475 82,097 

 Mining ..................................................................... – 28 10 ( 2 ) – 3,048 769 ( 2 )

 Utilities .................................................................... ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 154 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Construction ........................................................... 82 423 194 203 5,997 36,426 12,426 13,191 

 Manufacturing ......................................................... 210 735 456 273 24,892 105,462 53,615 36,170 

 Food ................................................................... 42 80 59 40 4,255 8,557 4,525 4,188 

 Beverage and tobacco products ......................... ( 2 ) 6 6 4 ( 2 ) 468 456 280 

 Textile mills ......................................................... 6 18 16 6 373 2,480 1,703 998 

 Textile product mills ............................................ 4 9 9 4 301 758 1,132 383 

 Apparel ............................................................... 10 21 12 5 1,644 2,323 1,020 286 

 Leather and allied products ................................ ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 493 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Wood products ................................................... 12 59 46 47 1,230 6,359 4,342 4,497 

 Paper .................................................................. 4 13 7 7 397 1,415 572 397 

 Printing and related support activities ................ 6 12 13 4 519 1,178 1,110 358 

 Petroleum and coal products .............................. ( 2 ) 14 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,396 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Chemicals ........................................................... 4 7 9 4 315 608 771 348 

 Plastics and rubber products .............................. 9 48 22 9 564 5,674 1,513 469 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ............................. 9 56 28 24 694 5,824 2,059 1,624 

 Primary metals ................................................... 7 38 13 13 523 4,714 1,687 1,411 

 Fabricated metal products .................................. 12 57 32 14 972 5,346 2,581 1,315 

 Machinery ........................................................... 14 38 24 17 1,029 5,676 2,309 2,946 

 Computer and electronic products ..................... 6 24 15 9 623 2,085 1,351 667 

 Electrical equipment and appliances .................. 9 25 8 4 773 5,701 514 281 

 Transportation equipment .................................. 39 159 104 43 9,113 38,811 22,315 14,510 

 Furniture and related products ........................... 7 34 23 15 681 4,510 2,948 994 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ............................. 4 12 6 ( 2 ) 457 1,086 454 ( 2 )

 Wholesale trade ..................................................... 8 26 22 5 416 2,119 1,603 278 

 Retail trade ............................................................. 79 109 112 71 6,781 13,055 9,587 5,869 

 Transportation and warehousing ............................ 31 165 88 40 3,274 19,172 9,275 4,254 

 Information ............................................................. 28 33 32 24 3,611 7,949 6,296 2,966 

 Finance and insurance ........................................... 26 34 29 21 1,752 2,687 2,197 1,511 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ......................... 3 8 6 4 194 442 307 275 

 Professional and technical services ....................... 24 50 28 25 2,124 5,572 3,088 2,403 

 Management of companies and enterprises .......... 4 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 274 130 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services ......................... 106 258 172 114 8,492 22,076 16,699 9,156 

 Educational services .............................................. ( 2 ) 4 5 4 ( 2 ) 288 647 322 

 Health care and social assistance .......................... 15 31 14 18 938 2,450 776 1,099 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ........................ 7 26 26 5 457 1,760 1,897 289 

 Accommodation and food services ........................ 26 175 56 42 2,486 20,735 4,124 3,555 

 Other services, except public administration .......... 3 14 8 5 197 1,198 772 310 

 Unclassified ........................................................... 3 1 2 1 162 60 104 71 

Government ................................................................ 30 73 63 22 2,259 6,120 5,269 1,526 

 Federal ................................................................... 4 12 21 5 238 1,215 2,311 339 

 State ....................................................................... 7 16 15 6 764 1,517 1,272 482 

 Local ....................................................................... 19 45 27 11 1,257 3,388 1,686 705 

 1

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

 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

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

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants

2005

January .............................................. 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 

February ............................................ 810 74,644 722 68,372 

March ................................................. 806 88,937 733 83,793 

First Quarter ....................................... 4,180 427,533 3,876 405,574 1,142 185,486 29.5 45.7 

April .................................................... 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 

May .................................................... 986 101,358 891 93,332 

June ................................................... 1,157 120,463 941 103,307 

Second Quarter ................................. 3,516 380,403 3,095 344,772 1,203 212,673 38.9 61.7 

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

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

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

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

October .............................................. 905 91,941 757 80,694 

November .......................................... 1,254 116,127 1,079 102,182 

December .......................................... 2,323 254,258 2,168 242,753 

Fourth Quarter ................................... 4,482 462,326 4,004 425,629 1,400 246,188 35.0 57.8 

2006

January .............................................. 1,245 117,946 1,123 108,701 

February ............................................ 719 66,555 658 62,208 

March ................................................. 921 111,838 856 106,177 

First Quarter ....................................... 2,885 296,339 2,637 277,086 963 193,102 36.5 69.7 

April .................................................... 1,140 121,589 1,038 112,964 

May .................................................... 872 84,809 794 78,663 

June ................................................... 1,489 164,761 1,224 140,687 

Second Quarter ................................. 3,501 371,159 3,056 332,314 1,353 264,494 44.3 79.6 

July ..................................................... 1,511 166,857 1,335 154,342 

August ................................................ 708 72,844 656 69,054 

September ......................................... 865 87,699 785 81,274 

Third Quarter ..................................... 3,084 327,400 2,776 304,670 929 160,813 33.5 52.8 

October .............................................. 964 98,804 820 88,133 

November .......................................... 1,315 136,186 1,172 125,009 

December .......................................... 2,249 254,503 2,126 244,783 

Fourth Quarter ................................... 4,528 489,493 4,118 457,925 2,p 1,444 2,p 217,742 p

 35.1 p 47.5 

2007

January .............................................. 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 

February ............................................ 935 86,696 861 82,097 

 1

 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

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

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

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

 2

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

Mass layoffs Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

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

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

February December January February February December January February

2006 2006 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007

 United States1

 .................................................... 719 2,249 1,407 935 66,555 254,503 134,984 86,696 

Northeast .................................................................... 115 412 299 179 12,252 40,738 25,463 18,272 

 New England .......................................................... 23 60 41 25 3,984 6,612 3,349 2,602 

 Middle Atlantic ........................................................ 92 352 258 154 8,268 34,126 22,114 15,670 

South .......................................................................... 149 416 283 168 14,941 54,023 29,870 17,850 

 South Atlantic ......................................................... 66 202 163 84 7,193 22,765 14,996 9,938 

 East South Central ................................................. 38 126 71 42 4,136 22,085 9,489 4,336 

 West South Central ................................................ 45 88 49 42 3,612 9,173 5,385 3,576 

Midwest ...................................................................... 168 898 373 239 16,622 109,495 38,412 26,603 

 East North Central .................................................. 136 674 295 198 12,702 78,466 31,681 23,364 

 West North Central ................................................. 32 224 78 41 3,920 31,029 6,731 3,239 

West ........................................................................... 287 523 452 349 22,740 50,247 41,239 23,971 

 Mountain ................................................................. 16 82 46 25 1,271 7,835 3,508 1,833 

 Pacific ..................................................................... 271 441 406 324 21,469 42,412 37,731 22,138 

 1

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

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 

 the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, 

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 

Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, 

Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central:

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

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

February December January February February December January February

2006 2006 2007 2007 2006 2006 2007 2007

 Total1

 ....................................................................... 719 2,249 1,407 935 66,555 254,503 134,984 86,696 

Alabama ..................................................................... 7 30 19 16 621 3,438 1,792 1,757 

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

Arizona ....................................................................... – 5 4 ( 2 ) – 406 409 ( 2 )

Arkansas .................................................................... ( 2 ) 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 836 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

California .................................................................... 246 374 366 299 19,455 34,848 33,560 19,809 

Colorado ..................................................................... ( 2 ) 15 11 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,483 818 ( 2 )

Connecticut ................................................................ 3 4 8 ( 2 ) 1,353 452 819 ( 2 )

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

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

Florida ........................................................................ 30 57 60 39 2,055 4,697 3,537 2,616 

Georgia ....................................................................... 10 42 48 15 1,081 4,421 4,802 1,831 

Hawaii ......................................................................... 3 ( 2 ) 5 – 199 ( 2 ) 562 –

Idaho .......................................................................... ( 2 ) 11 10 10 ( 2 ) 1,191 646 615 

Illinois ......................................................................... 36 149 48 44 3,385 17,195 5,524 4,684 

Indiana ........................................................................ 16 82 38 21 1,736 10,123 3,388 1,963 

Iowa ............................................................................ 8 62 15 14 620 10,039 1,772 1,469 

Kansas ....................................................................... ( 2 ) 23 11 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,626 689 ( 2 )

Kentucky ..................................................................... 20 64 27 16 2,653 15,975 6,086 1,333 

Louisiana .................................................................... 10 9 7 8 624 901 1,891 492 

Maine .......................................................................... 3 6 7 ( 2 ) 338 452 495 ( 2 )

Maryland ..................................................................... 3 28 11 8 233 2,825 1,000 747 

Massachusetts ........................................................... 3 22 16 7 163 2,256 1,235 442 

Michigan ..................................................................... 29 184 88 38 2,288 22,842 7,914 6,507 

Minnesota ................................................................... 11 52 15 9 2,300 7,545 1,474 615 

Mississippi .................................................................. 5 6 3 4 364 569 236 254 

Missouri ...................................................................... 7 75 34 14 541 9,687 2,593 801 

Montana ..................................................................... 3 6 5 ( 2

 ) 173 513 452 ( 2 )

Nebraska .................................................................... 4 8 ( 2 ) – 280 815 ( 2 ) –

Nevada ....................................................................... 6 26 7 6 487 2,076 547 638 

New Hampshire .......................................................... 3 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 265 793 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

New Jersey ................................................................. 24 91 38 27 2,115 7,948 2,737 2,558 

New Mexico ................................................................ ( 2 ) 10 ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) 1,180 ( 2 ) 229 

New York .................................................................... 30 106 113 20 3,144 11,731 10,678 2,184 

North Carolina ............................................................ 10 16 10 5 786 1,511 1,013 518 

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

Ohio ............................................................................ 23 137 61 41 2,772 15,848 8,883 4,175 

Oklahoma ................................................................... 4 11 7 13 437 1,152 436 1,377 

Oregon ....................................................................... 9 41 20 12 802 4,862 2,006 1,264 

Pennsylvania .............................................................. 38 155 107 107 3,009 14,447 8,699 10,928 

Rhode Island .............................................................. 9 11 7 7 1,746 1,885 489 1,249 

South Carolina ............................................................ 6 17 14 7 514 2,836 1,466 641 

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

Tennessee .................................................................. 6 26 22 6 498 2,103 1,375 992 

Texas .......................................................................... 29 61 33 20 2,375 6,284 2,845 1,656 

Utah ............................................................................ ( 2 ) 9 7 – ( 2 ) 986 494 –

Vermont ...................................................................... ( 2 ) 9 ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) 774 ( 2 ) 240 

Virginia ....................................................................... 7 35 17 8 2,524 5,969 1,706 3,476 

Washington ................................................................ 12 21 14 13 951 2,350 1,528 1,065 

West Virginia .............................................................. – 4 – ( 2 ) – 318 – ( 2 )

Wisconsin ................................................................... 32 122 60 54 2,521 12,458 5,972 6,035 

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

Puerto Rico ................................................................. 19 17 12 8 1,962 1,977 1,257 535 

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

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State