Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 06-822

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, May 11, 2006

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2006

In the first quarter of 2006, employers took 892 mass layoff actions in the private nonfarm sector that

resulted in the separation of 161,686 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary

figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both the total number of

layoff events and the number of separations were sharply lower than during January-March 2005, with both

events and separations at their lowest levels for any first quarter since data collection began in 1995. (See

table A.) The over-the-year declines were most notable in administrative and support services, nonstore retailers, and food manufacturing. Extended mass layoffs that involve the movement of work within the same

company or to a different company, either domestically or outside the U.S., occurred in 8 percent of the nonseasonal layoff events and worker separations. (See table B.) Among employers who anticipated recalling

laid-off workers, 38 percent expected to extend the offer to all laid-off workers, a smaller proportion than a

year ago.

The completion of seasonal work accounted for 25 percent of all events and resulted in 37,772 separations during January-March 2006—the lowest level of private nonfarm seasonal separations for any first

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

difficulty, and reorganization) represented 22 percent of events and resulted in 47,412 separations, 29 percent of total separations. This was the highest share of separations from internal company restructuring since

the first quarter of 2003. Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 17 percent of all events and affected

35,644 workers, higher than a year ago.

In the first quarter of 2006, the national unemployment rate was 5.0 percent, not seasonally adjusted; a

year earlier it was 5.6 percent. Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by

1.9 million, or 1.7 percent from January-March 2005 to January-March 2006.

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

Extended mass layoff separations occurred in 318 of the 1,105 detailed industries for which data are

available for the first quarter of 2006. This is the fewest number of industries to have at least one extended

mass layoff event in a first quarter since data collection began in 1995.

Manufacturing industries accounted for 32 percent of private nonfarm layoff events and 35 percent of

separations during January-March 2006. (See table 1.) The 55,977 worker separations in manufacturing

were higher than in the first quarter of 2005. In the first quarter of 2006, separations in this sector were

highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (17,780), followed by food manufacturing (8,356).
2

 2002

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

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

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

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

 2003

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

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

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

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

 2004

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

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

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

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

 2005

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

April-June .................. 1,203 245,878 212,452

July-September .......... 1,136 201,878 190,119

October-December .... 1,400 250,094 244,943 

 2006

January-March ........... 892 161,686 129,607

Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity

 Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

r

 = revised.

p

r

r

r

= preliminary.

p

r

Retail trade accounted for 12 percent of private nonfarm layoff events and 20 percent of separations,

primarily in general merchandise stores. The construction sector had 21 percent of events and 13 percent

of separations, mostly among specialty trade contractors and in heavy and civil engineering construction. Layoffs in the administrative and waste services sector comprised 11 percent of events and separations, mostly

in temporary help services and in professional employer organizations. Cutbacks in transportation and warehousing accounted for 5 percent of events and separations, and were concentrated in air transportation and

in couriers and messengers.

Information technology-producing industries (communication equipment, communications services, computer hardware, and software and computer services) accounted for 3 percent of layoff events and 2 percent

of worker separations in the first quarter of 2006. In the first quarter of 2005, these industries accounted for

4 percent of both layoff events and separations. Layoffs in the information technology-producing industries in

the first quarter of 2006 were most numerous in computer hardware, with 1,048 separations, followed by

communications equipment. (See table 6.)

Reasons for Extended Layoff

Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 25 percent of the extended layoff events

and resulted in 37,772 separations in first quarter 2006. (See table 2.) Seasonal layoffs were most numer-
3

ous among workers in general merchandise stores (department stores, except discount) and in food manufacturing (fruit and vegetable canning).

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

reorganization) accounted for 22 percent of layoff events and resulted in 47,412 separations. These layoffs

were mostly among workers in general merchandise stores, transportation equipment manufacturing, air transportation, and in administrative and support services. Reorganization within the company accounted for 12

percent of events and resulted in 27,706 separations during the first quarter. These layoffs were primarily in

general merchandise stores, followed by transportation equipment manufacturing.

Movement of Work

Between January and March of 2006, 52 extended mass layoff events involved the movement of work,

about 8 percent of total extended mass layoff events, excluding those for seasonal and vacation reasons.

(See table B.) These movements of work were to other U.S. locations or to locations outside of the U.S.,

and they occurred either within the same company or to other companies. The extended mass layoff events

involving movement of work were associated with the separation of 10,206 workers, about 8 percent of all

separations resulting from nonseasonal/nonvacation mass layoff events. A year earlier, 71 layoff events and

13,980 separations were associated with the movement of work. (See table 10.)

Among the 52 extended mass layoff events with reported relocation of work, 62 percent were permanent

closures of worksites, which affected 7,613 workers. In comparison, for the 892 total layoff events reported

for the first quarter of 2006, only 17 percent involved the permanent closure of worksites.

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

first quarter 2006

Action Layoff events Separations

Total private nonfarm ............................. 892 161,686

 Total, excluding seasonal and

 vacation events ............................. 668 123,804

 Total events with movement

 of work ................................... 52 10,206

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

With separations reported .. 50 6,980

With separations unknown . 29 (3)

p

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

layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period.

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

 Data not available.

 preliminary.

1

2

 3

p

 =
4

Of the layoffs involving the movement of work, 73 percent of the events and 72 percent of the laid-off

workers were from manufacturing industries during the first quarter of 2006. (See table 7.) Among all private nonfarm extended layoffs, manufacturing accounted for 32 percent of the events and 35 percent of separations.

Internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and reorganization) accounted for 71 percent of layoff events associated with work relocation and resulted in 7,617

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

company. Twenty-two percent of the layoff events in the total private nonfarm economy were because of

internal company restructuring.

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

of separations is known by employers, first quarter 2006

With separations reported .......... 50 6,980

Out of country............................ 22 2,682

17 2,408

 Different company ................. 5 274

Domestic relocations .................. 28 4,298

23 3,773

 Different company ................. 5 525

Within company ......................... 40 6,181

 Domestic ............................... 23 3,773

 Out of country....................... 17 2,408

Different company ...................... 10 799

 Domestic ............................... 5 525

 Out of country....................... 5 274

Action Layoff events Separations

By location

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

were reported are shown.

 p = preliminary.

By company

p

1

Within company.......................

Within company.......................
5

Among the regions, the South and the Northeast accounted for the largest proportions of workers in

extended mass layoffs associated with the movement of work, 39 and 28 percent, respectively. The

Midwest had 23 percent of such layoffs and the West had 11 percent.

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

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

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

movement of work actions. As shown in table B, the 52 extended layoff events with movement of work for

the first quarter of 2006 involved 79 identifiable relocations of work. An identifiable relocation of work

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

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

the specific separations (6,980 workers) associated with the movement of work component of the layoff in

50 actions, or 63 percent of the 79 actions for the first quarter of 2006. Thus, a range of 6,980 (separations

in movement of work actions where the employer was able to provide specific detail) to 10,206 (total separations in all layoff events that included movement of work) was established for separations due to the movement of work in the first quarter. (See table 10.)

In the 50 actions where employers were able to provide more complete separations information, 80 percent of relocations (40 out of 50) occurred among establishments within the same company. (See table C.)

In 56 percent of these relocations, the work activities were reassigned to places elsewhere in the U.S.

Forty-four percent of the movement-of-work relocations involved out-of-country moves (22 out of 50).

The separation of 2,682 workers was associated with out-of-country relocations, 2 percent of all nonseasonal/nonvacation extended mass layoff separations. Domestic relocation of work—both within the company and to other companies—affected 4,298 workers. (See table 11.)

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

 layoff, first quarter 2005-first quarter 2006

 Anticipate a recall ................ 51.5 61.8 39.5 68.9 43.0

 Timeframe

 Within 6 months .................. 85.5 89.4 78.8 90.0 83.6

 Within 3 months................. 53.4 59.5 57.9 37.1 56.5

 Size

 At least half ......................... 92.5 92.9 80.2 92.6 87.8

 All workers........................ 43.2 51.1 43.2 50.5 38.3

Nature of the recall I

2006

III

2005

IV

2005

II

2005

I

2005 r p

Percentage of events

r

 = revised.

p

 = preliminary.
6

Recall Expectations

Forty-three percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the first quarter of 2006 indicated they

anticipated some type of recall. This compares with 51 percent of the employers anticipating a recall a year

earlier. (See table D.) Most employers not expecting a recall during the first quarter were from administrative and support services and specialty trade contractors.

Among establishments expecting a recall, most employers expected to recall over one-half of the separated employees and to do so within 6 months. Thirty-eight percent of the employers expected to extend the

offer to all laid-off workers.

Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 79 percent of the employers

expected a recall), employers expected to recall laid-off workers in 31 percent of the events. A year earlier

33 percent of employers expected a recall in nonseasonal and nonvacation events. In layoff events due to internal company restructuring, employers anticipated a recall in only 7 percent of the events.

Size of Extended Layoff

Layoff events during the first quarter continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 69 percent involving fewer than 150 workers. These events, however, accounted for

only 33 percent of all separations. (See table E.) Separations involving 500 or more workers, while comprising 5 percent of the events, accounted for 32 percent of all separations, up significantly from 25 percent

during the January-March 2005 period. The average size of layoffs (as measured by separations per layoff

event) differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 71 separations in textile product mills to a high of

494 in transportation equipment manufacturing.

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 129,607 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass layoffs in the first quarter of 2006. Of these claimants, 15 percent were black, 12 percent were Hispanic, 38

percent were women, 33 percent were 30 to 44 years of age, and 18 percent were 55 years of age or

 Number Percent Number Size

 Total............ 892 100.0 161,686 100.0

50-99................ 414 46.4 29,189 18.1

100-149............ 200 22.4 23,787 14.7

150-199............ 86 9.6 14,335 8.9

200-299............ 83 9.3 19,191 11.9

300-499............ 63 7.1 22,974 14.2

500-999............ 28 3.1 18,492 11.4

1,000 or more.... 18 2.0 33,718 20.9

p

 = preliminary.

 Percent

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

January-March 2006

Layoff events Separations

p
7

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

14 percent were Hispanic, 46 percent were women, 35 percent were age 30 to 44, and 17 percent were 55

years of age or older.

Geographic Distribution

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

Midwest (60,180), followed by the West (41,103), the South (33,214), and the Northeast (27,189).

(See table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the Midwest were mainly in transportation equipment manufacturing and in general merchandise stores.

All four regions reported over-the-year decreases in separations, with the largest decrease occurring in

the Northeast (-11,165), followed by the Midwest (-5,828), the South (-5,049), and the West (-2,778).

Seven of the nine geographic divisions reported over-the-year declines in laid-off workers, with the largest

declines occurring in the Middle Atlantic (-14,969) and South Atlantic (-7,325) divisions. The New England

division reported the largest increase in separations (+3,804), followed by the East South Central division

(+3,461).

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

California (31,072), followed by Michigan (18,392), Illinois (17,245), and Ohio (13,471). These four states

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

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

 p

 = preliminary.

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

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

Metropolitan area I

2006

I

2005

I

2006

 I

2005 p

Events Separations

Total, nonmetropolitan areas............................. 137 115 23,451 15,867

Total, 367 metropolitan areas........................... 650 526 92,443 86,755

Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich. ..................... 35 31 3,609 8,078

Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. ...... 52 37 9,251 7,565

New York-Northern New Jersey-Long

 Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ............................... 86 57 12,649 6,244

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. 34 49 4,275 5,535

San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. ....... 13 24 3,086 3,720

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn. ......... (1) (1) (1) (1)

Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. ......... 10 6 994 3,141

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News,

 Va.-N.C.................................................. 5 3 965 2,511

Lansing-East Lansing, Mich. ........................ (1

)3 (1)

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, Fla. .. 12 7 1,774 1,693

p

2,135
8

accounted for 42 percent of total layoff events and 50 percent of separations during the first quarter of 2006.

They were followed by New York (8,336), Florida (7,850), Pennsylvania (6,436), and Connecticut (5,276).

(See table 5.) Even after excluding the substantial impact of seasonal work, California still reported the most

laid-off workers (23,180), largely due to layoffs in specialty trade contractors.

Over the year, New York reported the greatest decrease in workers laid off for all reasons during the

first quarter (-11,945), followed by Wisconsin (-9,133) and Oregon (-6,801). The largest increases occurred in Michigan (+8,842), California (+7,454), and Connecticut (+4,178).

Fifty-nine percent of events and 54 percent of separations (86,755) occurred in metropolitan areas in the

first quarter of 2006, compared with 57 percent of events and 50 percent of separations (92,443) during the

first quarter of 2005. Among the 367 metropolitan areas, Detroit-Warren-Livonia, Mich., reported the highest number of separations, 8,078, in the first quarter of 2006. Next was Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-

Wis., with 7,565 separations, and New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., with 6,244

separations. (See table F.) Employers located in nonmetropolitan areas separated 15,867 workers in mass

layoffs, down from 23,451 workers in the first quarter of 2005.
Technical Note

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

program which identifies, describes, and tracks the effects of

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

insurance database. Establishments which have at least 50

initial claims filed against them during a consecutive 5-week

period are contacted by the state agency to determine whether

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

information is obtained on the total number of persons

separated and the reasons for these separations.

Establishments are identified according to industry

classification and location, and unemployment insurance

claimants are identified by such demographic factors as age,

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

yields information on an individual’s entire spell of

unemployment, to the point when regular unemployment

insurance benefits are exhausted.

Definitions

Establishment. A unit at a single physical location at which

predominantly one type of economic activity is conducted.

Extended layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for

unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment during

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

30 days.

Initial claimant. A person who files any notice of

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or

period of eligibility.

Layoff. The separation of persons from an employer as part

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

persons subject to recall and those who are terminated by the

establishment.

Mass layoff. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment

insurance benefits from an establishment beginning in a given

month, regardless of duration.

Worksite closure. The complete closure of either multi-unit

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

are closed or planned to be closed.

Movement of work concepts and questions

Because of the employer interview component, the BLS

decided to use the MLS program as a vehicle for collecting

additional information on offshoring and outsourcing

associated with job loss, by adding questions that address

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

company experiencing the layoff has reassigned work activities

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

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

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

to another company under formal arrangements at another

worksite. The type of work activities subject to movement can

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

 “Overseas relocation” is the movement of work from within

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

can occur within the same company and involve movement of

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

or to a different company altogether.

“Domestic relocation” is the movement of work to other

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

a different company.

 “Overseas relocation” and “domestic relocation” are no

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

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

news release are not comparable to those that were presented

in earlier news releases.

 Questions on movement of work and location are asked for

all identified layoff events when the reason for separation is

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

vacation layoff events were excluded because movement of

work appears unlikely.

Questions on movement of work are asked after the analyst

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

days, and obtained the total number of workers separated from

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

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

the employer was asked the following:

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

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

company?”

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

was performed in-house by your employees to a different

company, through contractual arrangements?”

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

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

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

Layoff actions are classified as “overseas relocation” if the

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

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

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

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

After asking the movement of work questions, the employer

interview continues and responses are obtained for questions

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

Reliability of the data

The identification of establishments and layoff events in the

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

unemployment insurance claims, and, therefore, is not subject

to issues associated with sampling error. Nonsampling errors

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

significant. While the MLS establishments and layoff events

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

asked the employer interview questions, the employer

responses are subject to nonsampling error. Nonsampling error

can occur for many reasons, including the inability to obtain

information for all respondents, inability or unwillingness of

respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in

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

2006, outright refusal to participate in the employer interview

accounted for 4.3 percent of all private nonfarm events.

Although included in the total number of instances involving

the movement of work, for the first quarter, employers in 29

relocations were unable to provide the number of separations

specifically associated with the movement of work, 9 of which

involved out-of-country moves.

Other information

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

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

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

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

Industry

I IV I I IV I I IV I

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

 Total, private nonfarm1 .................................. 1,142 1,400 892 186,506 250,094 161,686 185,486 244,943 129,607 

 Mining ............................................................. 12 28 ( 2

 ) 1,138 3,456 ( 2 ) 1,108 3,361 ( 2 ) 

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

 Construction .................................................... 275 485 186 29,735 66,909 20,499 32,649 70,035 18,205 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 334 397 283 50,832 71,702 55,977 56,012 81,546 51,794 

 Food ........................................................... 72 91 50 12,960 18,041 8,356 14,686 18,640 6,797 

 Beverage and tobacco products ................ 6 5 9 1,221 824 1,500 1,078 685 1,304 

 Textile mills ................................................ 8 15 7 1,531 1,658 566 1,391 3,078 660 

 Textile product mills ................................... 11 ( 2 ) 4 1,619 ( 2 ) 285 2,002 ( 2 ) 447 

 Apparel ....................................................... 11 10 15 1,610 2,296 1,845 1,409 1,272 1,784 

 Leather and allied products ........................ 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 313 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 273 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Wood products ........................................... 17 15 12 2,037 1,992 1,255 2,348 2,337 1,530 

 Paper ......................................................... 7 8 6 710 1,143 719 935 892 437 

 Printing and related support activities ........ 13 8 10 1,307 1,112 1,252 1,684 1,427 973 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................... 3 16 ( 2 ) 228 2,285 ( 2 ) 255 2,647 ( 2 )

 Chemicals ................................................. 8 11 7 1,475 1,723 757 1,022 1,635 559 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................... 19 26 17 2,756 3,044 2,061 2,618 3,577 1,406 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................... 24 37 14 3,088 6,469 1,393 2,319 7,170 1,537 

 Primary metals ........................................... 8 10 11 1,013 2,292 4,769 1,111 1,285 3,581 

 Fabricated metal products ......................... 20 14 14 2,778 1,928 1,595 3,248 2,020 1,521 

 Machinery .................................................. 17 10 18 2,157 1,746 2,988 3,362 1,598 1,465 

 Computer and electronic products ............. 14 20 17 1,892 4,401 2,430 2,500 3,465 2,866 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ......... 13 5 12 1,280 2,020 3,487 2,127 1,739 3,578 

 Transportation equipment .......................... 41 64 36 7,643 14,309 17,780 9,328 23,074 18,740 

 Furniture and related products ................... 13 17 11 2,074 2,302 1,551 1,777 2,422 1,580 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing .................... 6 10 9 1,140 1,298 892 539 1,313 659 

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 26 21 9 2,357 2,699 1,737 2,745 3,608 716 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 114 68 105 28,226 20,852 32,843 24,747 17,702 18,978 

 Transportation and warehousing .................... 49 32 41 12,203 6,382 8,026 8,479 5,594 5,907 

 Information ...................................................... 36 20 23 8,899 4,023 3,442 8,573 3,932 4,019 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 43 15 25 6,463 2,340 3,339 6,652 2,502 3,081 

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

 Professional and technical services ................ 25 33 26 4,233 5,285 3,288 3,658 6,515 3,035 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... ( 2 ) 4 4 ( 2 ) 714 480 ( 2 ) 770 451 

 Administrative and waste services .................. 123 154 95 25,322 27,495 17,313 24,933 27,138 13,111 

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

 Health care and social assistance .................. 24 22 20 3,952 5,031 2,464 2,672 3,276 1,744 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 24 45 22 3,796 13,800 3,372 2,342 6,330 2,073 

 Accommodation and food services ................. 42 59 39 7,127 14,294 6,755 8,273 9,730 5,168 

 Other services, except public administration .. 5 10 4 843 1,728 766 928 1,448 483 

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

 1

 For the first quarter of 2006, data on layoffs were reported by employers r = revised.

in all states and the District of Columbia. p

 = preliminary.

 2

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

Separations Initial claimants for

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

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

Reason for layoff

I IV I I IV I I IV I

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

 Total, private nonfarm1 ......................... 1,142 1,400 892 186,506 250,094 161,686 185,486 244,943 129,607 

Automation .............................................. – – 3 – – 552 – – 465 

Bankruptcy ............................................... 29 26 17 5,976 5,150 3,797 4,115 4,331 2,329 

Business ownership change .................... 42 16 27 9,817 2,475 7,564 6,396 2,410 4,167 

Contract cancellation ............................... 17 17 15 3,247 2,639 2,098 3,094 1,951 1,980 

Contract completed ................................. 162 158 208 29,197 28,048 27,465 34,093 31,701 24,725 

Energy-related ......................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

Environment-related ................................ – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

Financial difficulty .................................... 35 32 42 5,915 7,508 8,345 4,704 6,702 6,498 

Import competition ................................... 13 19 8 2,186 3,587 953 1,657 3,801 973 

Labor dispute ........................................... 8 3 3 1,650 309 6,470 1,169 401 3,909 

Material shortage ..................................... 3 ( 2

 ) – 497 ( 2 ) – 433 ( 2 ) –

Model changeover ................................... – 3 ( 2 ) – 767 ( 2 ) – 491 ( 2 )

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

Non-natural disaster ................................ ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

Plant or machine repair ........................... ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 269 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 691 ( 2 )

Product line discontinued ........................ 8 14 11 874 2,366 1,728 1,015 1,923 1,963 

Reorganization within company ............... 133 101 110 23,797 18,044 27,706 23,569 20,946 19,226 

Seasonal work ......................................... 372 778 223 57,120 137,885 37,772 51,497 122,832 28,815 

Slack work ............................................... 186 136 115 20,686 18,913 20,119 29,636 28,320 20,302 

Vacation period ........................................ ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 475 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 337 ( 2 )

Weather-related ....................................... 29 24 35 3,417 7,705 3,567 2,576 4,033 3,014 

Other ........................................................ 27 19 19 5,085 2,749 2,772 4,941 3,129 1,788 

Not reported ............................................. 72 44 49 15,865 10,235 9,953 15,535 10,235 8,860 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 1. p = preliminary.

 2

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

 r

 = revised.

Initial claimants for

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

private nonfarm sector, fourth quarter, 2005 and first quarter, 2006

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55and over

IV I IV I IV I IV I IV I IV I

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

 Total, private nonfarm1 ........... 1,400 892 244,943 129,607 12.2 15.2 14.1 12.3 31.9 38.0 16.5 17.9 

Alabama ...................................... 7 7 1,227 946 34.0 46.5 2.0 2.2 31.9 44.1 21.5 16.8 

Alaska .......................................... 8 ( 2 ) 1,413 ( 2 ) 3.9 1.3 22.7 2.6 26.0 35.5 12.9 10.5 

Arizona ........................................ 3 3 411 420 1.9 4.0 11.2 24.8 26.3 37.9 20.7 16.4 

Arkansas ..................................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – 27.7 – 19.1 – 53.9 – 11.6 –

California ..................................... 77 184 15,045 21,706 6.6 8.5 46.0 34.0 54.1 38.5 17.8 15.1 

Colorado ...................................... 18 8 2,595 891 2.1 7.1 39.5 24.7 19.3 54.8 17.7 19.1 

Connecticut ................................. 8 9 1,531 2,093 11.4 12.7 8.6 11.7 32.1 29.4 18.5 22.5 

Delaware ..................................... – – – – – – – – – – – –

District of Columbia ..................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – 41.2 – 13.4 – 65.5 – 25.2 –

Florida ......................................... 83 50 14,402 6,165 14.7 16.7 31.2 32.7 46.2 45.2 18.5 22.7 

Georgia ........................................ 15 17 2,164 2,288 64.0 56.5 .6 .8 58.7 42.9 15.0 16.2 

Hawaii .......................................... 3 4 350 387 .9 – 22.3 22.7 8.0 23.5 9.1 13.7 

Idaho ........................................... 18 4 2,616 261 .1 .8 21.8 14.9 39.0 36.4 18.5 22.6 

Illinois .......................................... 164 76 27,660 10,337 17.4 22.8 20.6 12.6 26.9 40.7 12.4 16.4 

Indiana ......................................... 44 25 7,709 3,652 8.8 12.7 4.0 5.5 20.2 25.9 11.8 15.1 

Iowa ............................................. 37 ( 2 ) 6,581 ( 2 ) 2.1 1.3 4.3 7.3 21.8 54.3 17.0 25.2 

Kansas ........................................ 4 3 686 418 4.1 9.3 8.2 2.2 12.5 40.4 16.9 25.6 

Kentucky ...................................... 24 25 2,700 2,685 8.7 8.4 .1 .3 30.1 44.8 16.6 16.9 

Louisiana ..................................... 19 12 3,327 1,343 63.4 63.0 4.0 2.7 63.7 54.4 4.6 3.7 

Maine ........................................... 5 3 1,092 583 1.3 2.9 .2 .3 29.7 53.5 20.4 21.6 

Maryland ...................................... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) 544 7.7 52.2 – – 6.2 47.2 10.8 17.6 

Massachusetts ............................ 16 17 3,034 1,647 5.5 9.2 6.2 .8 32.8 40.5 25.1 16.2 

Michigan ...................................... 108 71 23,930 21,226 14.1 14.6 6.4 2.5 26.7 32.2 13.2 20.6 

Minnesota .................................... 84 23 12,290 2,303 2.2 6.9 11.3 3.3 18.8 27.6 16.2 16.3 

Mississippi ................................... ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) 278 28.0 33.8 3.0 6.1 66.1 50.4 16.7 14.7 

Missouri ....................................... 32 12 7,191 1,133 8.9 12.4 .5 .6 34.3 47.4 24.3 20.1 

Montana ...................................... 12 3 1,106 255 .3 – 3.3 4.3 12.0 11.4 17.4 26.3 

Nebraska ..................................... 11 3 1,064 445 4.6 13.0 16.5 19.8 20.0 47.9 19.7 16.4 

Nevada ........................................ 5 ( 2 ) 578 ( 2 ) 14.7 12.0 17.1 19.0 49.1 59.5 26.5 35.9 

New Hampshire ........................... 5 3 1,008 286 1.5 9.8 24.2 5.2 22.6 51.0 16.5 20.3 

New Jersey .................................. 40 15 5,064 1,722 14.0 20.4 13.8 15.4 35.6 54.4 25.6 27.3 

New Mexico ................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) .3 – 90.0 100.0 42.9 89.1 22.1 17.4 

New York ..................................... 118 85 20,078 11,946 8.1 10.3 7.7 6.7 22.6 36.6 17.2 15.1 

North Carolina ............................. 25 15 4,021 1,321 42.6 40.1 4.2 7.1 52.3 43.1 23.6 17.3 

North Dakota ............................... 6 – 926 – .2 – 3.2 – 7.1 – 18.8 –

Ohio ............................................. 105 45 16,916 7,300 9.0 12.4 2.9 2.5 21.5 25.1 13.9 14.9 

Oklahoma .................................... 3 4 678 301 7.4 14.6 14.7 7.0 40.6 46.8 31.0 12.3 

Oregon ........................................ 10 5 3,951 517 .6 2.3 32.9 5.2 54.4 35.6 18.7 14.5 

Pennsylvania ............................... 73 59 15,694 10,143 8.3 8.4 2.5 3.6 37.9 40.2 20.1 21.5 

Rhode Island ............................... 8 5 1,018 401 1.1 4.0 26.9 14.7 39.2 52.4 16.3 31.9 

South Carolina ............................. 11 7 2,543 937 54.9 62.9 .3 – 51.4 67.0 8.6 3.6 

South Dakota ............................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1.7 .6 .8 9.9 5.8 28.6 18.2 18.0 

Tennessee ................................... 11 14 1,445 1,581 23.9 16.0 – .1 36.4 57.0 27.8 27.5 

Texas ........................................... 22 17 4,337 2,395 19.9 19.8 32.9 34.4 32.8 53.3 15.2 15.2 

Utah ............................................. 9 3 1,301 207 1.4 .5 14.0 23.7 22.2 83.1 11.1 13.0 

Vermont ....................................... 5 ( 2 ) 486 ( 2 ) – – .4 – 18.5 15.1 20.2 14.5 

Virginia ........................................ 21 12 3,601 4,098 43.2 32.2 3.2 3.0 52.6 34.4 18.8 17.9 

Washington ................................. 36 13 6,096 1,814 3.9 5.4 31.2 20.5 34.4 35.0 17.0 16.2 

West Virginia ............................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3.3 .3 – – 47.4 23.8 18.3 33.6 

Wisconsin .................................... 74 10 13,334 1,269 3.4 2.2 11.9 16.5 22.8 31.1 15.7 22.8 

Wyoming ..................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) .8 – – 6.8 40.3 30.1 51.7 20.5 

Puerto Rico .................................. 11 10 1,964 1,686 ( 3

 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) ( 3 ) 53.2 57.2 10.0 9.2 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r

 = revised.

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

 = preliminary.

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

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

I IV I I IV I I IV I

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

 United States1 ................................... 1,142 1,400 892 186,506 250,094 161,686 185,486 244,943 129,607 

Northeast .................................................. 289 278 198 38,354 40,981 27,189 45,749 49,005 28,973 

 New England ........................................ 47 47 39 5,390 9,229 9,194 6,142 8,169 5,162 

 Middle Atlantic ...................................... 242 231 159 32,964 31,752 17,995 39,607 40,836 23,811 

South ........................................................ 222 248 190 38,263 47,891 33,214 39,421 41,450 25,260 

 South Atlantic ....................................... 141 158 108 26,254 28,407 18,929 26,401 27,128 15,731 

 East South Central ............................... 35 44 49 4,949 6,902 8,410 5,167 5,540 5,490 

 West South Central .............................. 46 46 33 7,060 12,582 5,875 7,853 8,782 4,039 

Midwest .................................................... 429 671 272 66,008 120,664 60,180 63,724 118,408 48,395 

 East North Central ................................ 355 495 227 56,776 89,425 54,127 54,591 89,549 43,784 

 West North Central ............................... 74 176 45 9,232 31,239 6,053 9,133 28,859 4,611 

West ......................................................... 202 203 232 43,881 40,558 41,103 36,592 36,080 26,979 

 Mountain ............................................... 29 69 25 4,615 13,086 5,878 3,227 9,225 2,479 

 Pacific ................................................... 173 134 207 39,266 27,472 35,225 33,365 26,855 24,500 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

State

I IV I I IV I I IV I

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

 Total, private nonfarm1 ........................ 1,142 1,400 892 186,506 250,094 161,686 185,486 244,943 129,607 

Alabama ................................................... ( 2

 ) 7 7 ( 2 ) 903 907 ( 2 ) 1,227 946 

Alaska ...................................................... ( 2 ) 8 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,217 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,413 ( 2 )

Arizona ..................................................... 3 3 3 605 407 1,096 585 411 420 

Arkansas .................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

California .................................................. 132 77 184 23,618 14,280 31,072 26,756 15,045 21,706 

Colorado .................................................. 8 18 8 1,844 3,431 2,346 1,003 2,595 891 

Connecticut .............................................. 6 8 9 1,098 1,780 5,276 858 1,531 2,093 

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

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

Florida ...................................................... 70 83 50 14,571 17,259 7,850 12,994 14,402 6,165 

Georgia .................................................... 18 15 17 2,269 1,893 2,348 3,387 2,164 2,288 

Hawaii ...................................................... ( 2 ) 3 4 ( 2 ) 308 464 ( 2 ) 350 387 

Idaho ........................................................ 6 18 4 782 2,645 330 572 2,616 261 

Illinois ....................................................... 112 164 76 23,287 32,967 17,245 17,708 27,660 10,337 

Indiana ..................................................... 29 44 25 3,815 6,525 3,691 4,896 7,709 3,652 

Iowa ......................................................... 8 37 ( 2 ) 644 6,335 ( 2 ) 1,159 6,581 ( 2 )

Kansas ..................................................... 10 4 3 1,014 875 550 968 686 418 

Kentucky .................................................. 18 24 25 2,509 4,063 3,798 2,723 2,700 2,685 

Louisiana .................................................. 16 19 12 2,509 8,385 2,614 1,754 3,327 1,343 

Maine ....................................................... 7 5 3 1,468 2,762 1,066 911 1,092 583 

Maryland .................................................. – ( 2 ) 5 – ( 2 ) 553 – ( 2 ) 544 

Massachusetts ......................................... 29 16 17 2,360 2,077 1,833 3,904 3,034 1,647 

Michigan ................................................... 76 108 71 9,550 15,353 18,392 11,050 23,930 21,226 

Minnesota ................................................ 29 84 23 3,155 12,646 2,811 2,768 12,290 2,303 

Mississippi ................................................ 5 ( 2 ) 3 512 ( 2 ) 324 509 ( 2 ) 278 

Missouri .................................................... 23 32 12 4,031 9,246 1,709 3,991 7,191 1,133 

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

 ) 12 3 ( 2 ) 1,256 255 ( 2 ) 1,106 255 

Nebraska .................................................. ( 2 ) 11 3 ( 2 ) 1,086 566 ( 2 ) 1,064 445 

Nevada ..................................................... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 624 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 578 ( 2 )

New Hampshire ....................................... ( 2 ) 5 3 ( 2 ) 981 286 ( 2 ) 1,008 286 

New Jersey .............................................. 35 40 15 4,911 5,261 3,223 4,383 5,064 1,722 

New Mexico ............................................. 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 242 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 232 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

New York ................................................. 138 118 85 20,281 17,543 8,336 22,234 20,078 11,946 

North Carolina .......................................... 22 25 15 3,680 2,932 1,323 3,073 4,021 1,321 

North Dakota ............................................ – 6 – – 926 – – 926 –

Ohio ......................................................... 87 105 45 9,663 21,402 13,471 9,952 16,916 7,300 

Oklahoma ................................................. 5 3 4 397 361 339 574 678 301 

Oregon ..................................................... 14 10 5 8,875 5,785 2,074 2,713 3,951 517 

Pennsylvania ............................................ 69 73 59 7,772 8,948 6,436 12,990 15,694 10,143 

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

 ) 8 5 ( 2 ) 1,143 472 ( 2 ) 1,018 401 

South Carolina ......................................... 7 11 7 1,173 2,405 884 1,307 2,543 937 

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

Tennessee ............................................... 11 11 14 1,868 1,761 3,381 1,812 1,445 1,581 

Texas ....................................................... 24 22 17 3,939 3,310 2,922 5,405 4,337 2,395 

Utah ......................................................... 3 9 3 404 1,638 430 393 1,301 207 

Vermont ................................................... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 486 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 486 ( 2 )

Virginia ..................................................... 23 21 12 4,499 3,488 5,018 5,578 3,601 4,098 

Washington .............................................. 24 36 13 6,403 4,882 1,539 3,526 6,096 1,814 

West Virginia ............................................ – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Wisconsin ................................................. 51 74 10 10,461 13,178 1,328 10,985 13,334 1,269 

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

Puerto Rico .............................................. 9 11 10 999 1,411 814 2,547 1,964 1,686 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. p

 = preliminary.

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

 r = revised.

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

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

1999

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

Second quarter ....................................... 1,194 246,251 28 3,891 7 1,731 8 1,097 4 1,201 

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

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

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

2000

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

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

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

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

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

2001

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

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

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

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

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

2002

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

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

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

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

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

2003

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

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

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

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

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

2004

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

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

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

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

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

2005

First quarter ............................................ 1,142 r

186,506 13 1,526 13 2,679 4 439 17 3,569 

Second quarter ....................................... 1,203 r

245,878 20 2,973 17 2,106 4 842 11 1,904 

Third quarter ........................................... 1,136 r

201,878 23 r3,307 12 1,742 ( 6 ) ( 6 ) 11 1,127 

Fourth quarter .........................................

 r

1,400 r250,094 19 r4,122 7 1,331 ( 6 ) ( 6 ) r8 r1,125

 Total ................................................... r4,881 r884,356 75 r11,928 49 7,858 13 3,000 r47 r7,725

2006

First quarterp

 ........................................... 892 161,686 11 1,048 6 744 4 911 6 708 

 1

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

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

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

Classification System (NAICS), are: semiconductor machinery manufacturing; office 4 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American

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

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

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

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

resistor manufacturing; electronic coils, transformers, and inductors; electronic 5 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American

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

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

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

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

 3

 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry 6 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

Classification System (NAICS), are: software publishers; internet service providers; NOTE: Dash represents zero.

web search portals; data processing and related services; computer and software r = revised. 

merchant wholesalers; computer and software stores; custom computer programming p = preliminary. 

Year

Separations Separations Separations

hardware2 computer services3

Layoff

events

Total extended

mass layoffs

Information technology-producing industries1

Computer Software and Communications Communications

Separations Layoff

events Separations Layoffevents

equipment4 services5

Layoff

events

Layoff

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

selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

I IV I I IV I

2005 2005r 2006p 2005r 2005r 2006p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ............................................... 71 65 52 13,980 12,046 10,206 

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

 Utilities ......................................................................... – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

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

 Manufacturing .............................................................. 44 47 38 9,070 9,549 7,333 

 Food ........................................................................ 4 5 3 1,122 918 1,230 

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

 Textile mills ............................................................. ( 2 ) 4 – ( 2 ) 442 –

 Textile product mills ................................................ 4 – – 745 – –

 Apparel ................................................................... 3 4 4 549 647 636 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Plastics and rubber products .................................. 5 ( 2 ) 4 1,243 ( 2 ) 508 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ................................. – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 )

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

 Fabricated metal products ...................................... 5 ( 2 ) – 1,330 ( 2 ) –

 Machinery ............................................................... – 4 ( 2 ) – 1,112 ( 2 )

 Computer and electronic products .......................... ( 2 ) 7 5 ( 2 ) 1,478 511 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ...................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 756 

 Transportation equipment ....................................... 5 6 3 789 2,028 417 

 Furniture and related products ................................ 4 5 ( 2 ) 697 637 ( 2 )

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 502 

 Wholesale trade ........................................................... 7 ( 2

 ) 3 577 ( 2 ) 432 

 Retail trade .................................................................. 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 769 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Transportation and warehousing ................................. ( 2 ) – 4 ( 2 ) – 581 

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

 Finance and insurance ................................................ 4 4 ( 2 ) 613 746 ( 2 )

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

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

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

 Administrative and waste services ............................... ( 2 ) 4 – ( 2 ) 440 –

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

 r = revised.

Layoff events Separations

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

selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

I IV I I IV I

2005 2005r 2006p 2005r 2005r 2006p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 .................................. 71 65 52 13,980 12,046 10,206 

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

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

Business ownership change ............................ 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,719 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Contract cancellation ........................................ 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 580 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Contract completed .......................................... – – 3 – – 419 

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

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

Financial difficulty ............................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 732 

Import competition ............................................ 7 11 3 1,187 1,828 496 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Product line discontinued ................................. 4 – 3 470 – 450 

Reorganization within company ....................... 40 43 29 7,696 8,674 6,480 

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

Slack work ........................................................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 809 

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

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

Other ................................................................ 7 6 ( 2 ) 1,718 848 ( 2 )

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

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

 2

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

 3

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

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

Layoff events Separations

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

selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations

I IV I I IV I

2005 2005r 2006p 2005r 2005r 2006p 

 United States1 ...................................... 71 65 52 13,980 12,046 10,206 

Northeast ...................................................... 7 15 12 1,751 2,927 2,821 

 New England ............................................ 4 3 5 1,124 610 1,259 

 Middle Atlantic .......................................... 3 12 7 627 2,317 1,562 

South ............................................................ 29 23 19 5,540 3,733 3,965 

 South Atlantic ........................................... 15 17 ( 2

 ) 2,671 2,388 ( 2 ) 

 East South Central ................................... 9 3 12 2,216 282 2,821 

 West South Central .................................. 5 3 ( 2 ) 653 1,063 ( 2 )

Midwest ........................................................ 16 15 13 2,742 3,594 2,299 

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

 ) 12 9 ( 2 ) 2,651 1,539 

 West North Central ................................... ( 2 ) 3 4 ( 2 ) 943 760 

West ............................................................. 19 12 8 3,947 1,792 1,121 

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

 ) 3 – ( 2 ) 356 

 Pacific ....................................................... 19 ( 2 ) 5 3,947 ( 2 ) 765 

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

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas,

 r = revised. Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas: East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, 

 p = preliminary. Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, 

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain:

 the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massa- Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and 

chusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, Dash represents zero.
Table 10. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

I IV I I IV I

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

Total, private nonfarm1 ................................................... 1,142 1,400 892 186,506 250,094 161,686 

 Total, excluding seasonal

 and vacation events2

 .............................................. 769 619 668 129,261 111,734 123,804 

 Total, movement of work3

 ....................................... 71 65 52 13,980 12,046 10,206 

 Movement of work actions ................................. 90 92 79 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

 With separations reported ............................ 66 57 50 9,422 7,210 6,980 

 With separations unknown ........................... 24 35 29 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

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

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

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

 3 Movement of work can involve more than one action.

Layoff events Separations

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

selected quarters, 2005 and 2006

I IV I I IV I

2005 2005r 2006p 2005 2005r 2006p

With separations reported2 ................................. 66 57 50 9,422 7,210 6,980 

By location

 Out-of-country relocations ................................ 21 22 22 3,811 2,702 2,682 

 Within company ............................................ 17 17 17 3,353 2,010 2,408 

 Different company ........................................ 4 5 5 458 692 274 

 Domestic relocations ........................................ 45 35 28 5,611 4,508 4,298 

 Within company ............................................ 37 28 23 4,626 4,104 3,773 

 Different company ........................................ 8 7 5 985 404 525 

 Unable to assign place of 

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

By company

 Within company ................................................ 54 45 40 7,979 6,114 6,181 

 Domestic ....................................................... 37 28 23 4,626 4,104 3,773 

 Out of country ............................................... 17 17 17 3,353 2,010 2,408 

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

 Different company ............................................ 12 12 10 1,443 1,096 799 

 Domestic ....................................................... 8 7 5 985 404 525 

 Out of country ............................................... 4 5 5 458 692 274 

 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.

Actions

Layoff events1 Separations