1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

Media contact:

USDL 07-0112

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

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

 Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Mass Layoff Data

Seasonally adjusted mass layoff data have been revised using updated seasonal

adjustment factors that incorporate 2006 data. Seasonally adjusted estimates back

to January 2002 were subject to revision. Revised seasonally adjusted data from

January 2003 forward are shown in table 1. The originally published and revised

figures for January 2002-December 2006 are available at http://www.bls.gov/mls/

home.htm, along with additional information about the revisions.

691-5902

MASS LAYOFFS IN DECEMBER 2006 AND ANNUAL TOTALS FOR 2006

In December, employers took 1,201 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, and the number of workers involved totaled 133,818, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events

decreased by 19 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 2,522. During December, 390 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting

Chart 1. Mass-layoff events, seasonally 

adjusted, January 2002-December 2006

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 

Private nonfarm

Total

Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass-layoff initial claims, seasonally 

adjusted, January 2002-December 2006

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

Manufacturing
2

Highway, street, and bridge construction ............... 19,021 2005 20,088

School and employee bus transportion .................. 14,747 2006 14,747

Food service contractors ...................................... 13,903 2006 13,903

Temporary help services ....................................... 12,647 2005 16,656

Heavy duty truck manufacturing ............................ 7,443 2006 7,443

Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing ........... 6,888 2000 7,338

Motion picture and video production .................... 6,541 1998 16,192

Motor home manufacturing ................................... 4,257 2006 4,257

Automobile manufacturing ..................................... 4,123 2005 9,021

Discount department stores ................................... 3,255 2006 3,255

Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in December 2006

Industry Initial claims

December peak

Year

Initial claims

in 53,828 initial claims. Both the number of events and the number of initial claims in manufacturing were

lower in December than a month earlier. (See table 1.)

The national unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in December, seasonally adjusted, unchanged from the

prior month and down from 4.9 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 167,000 over the month and by 1.8 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 36 percent of the total initial claims in December. The industry with the highest number of initial

claims was highway, street, and bridge construction with 19,021, followed by school and employee bus

transportation with 14,747, and food service contractors with 13,903. Together, these three industries accounted for 19 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs during the month. (See table A.)

The manufacturing sector accounted for 33 percent of all mass layoff events and 41 percent of all related

initial claims filed in December; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 30 percent of events and 38 percent of

initial claims. In December 2006, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (38,811, mostly in motor vehicle manufacturing), followed by food manufacturing (8,557),

and wood products manufacturing (6,359). (See table 3.)

Construction accounted for 19 percent of mass layoff events and 14 percent of initial claims in December,

mostly from heavy and civil engineering construction. Administrative and waste services comprised 11 percent of events and 9 percent of initial claims filed over the month, with the majority of layoffs in temporary

help services. Accommodation and food services made up 8 percent of events and associated initial claims,

mainly from food service contractors. Seven percent of all mass layoff events and 8 percent of related initial

claims filed were from transportation and warehousing, primarily from the school and employee bus transportation industry. Government establishments accounted for 3 percent of events and 2 percent of initial claims

filed, largely from educational services.

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of mass layoff events in December, at 2,249, was down

by 74 from a year earlier, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 245 to 254,503. (See
3

1996 ............... 1,437,628

1997 ............... 14,960 1,542,543

1998 ............... 15,904 1,771,069

1999 ............... 14,909 1,572,399

2000 ............... 15,738 1,835,592

2001 ............... 21,467 2,514,862

2002 ............... 20,277 2,245,051

2003 ............... 18,963 1,888,926

2004 ............... 15,980 1,607,158

2005 ............... 16,466 1,795,341

2006 ............... 13,998 1,484,391

Table B. Number of mass layoff events and initial claimants

for unemployment insurance, 1996-2006

Year

 Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance Layoff events

 14,111

table 2.) The largest over-the-year increases in initial claims were reported in transportation equipment manufacturing (+4,303), machinery manufacturing (+2,585), and electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing

(+1,985). For transportation equipment manufacturing, states with the largest over-the-year increases in initial

claims were Kentucky (+3,826), Iowa (+2,561), Minnesota (+2,423), Virginia (+2,109), and Ohio

(+2,065). The largest over-the-year decreases in mass layoff initial claims were reported in administrative

and support services (-5,409), food manufacturing (-2,124), and heavy and civil engineering construction

(-1,709).

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

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

in the Midwest, 109,495. Transportation equipment manufacturing and heavy and civil engineering construction together accounted for 34 percent of all mass layoff initial claims in that region during the month. The

South had the second largest number of initial claims among the regions, 54,023, followed by the West,

50,247, and the Northeast, 40,738. (See table 5.)

The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs decreased over the year in three of the four regions—the

West (-3,149), the Midwest (-2,167), and the Northeast (-2,159). The South experienced the only regional

increase (+7,720). Five geographic divisions had over-the-year decreases in the numbers of initial claims

associated with mass layoffs, with the largest decrease in the East North Central division (-7,215), followed

by the Pacific division (-2,989). Of the four divisions with over-the-year increases, the largest were in the

East South Central (+7,523) and West North Central (+5,048).

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

in December (34,848), followed by Michigan (22,842), Illinois (17,195), Kentucky (15,975), and Ohio

(15,848). These five states accounted for 40 percent of all mass layoff events and 42 percent of all associated

initial claims for unemployment insurance. (See table 6.)
4

Temporary help services........................................ 93,740 1 111,110 1

School and employee bus transportation............... 2 73,797 2

Automobile manufacturing...................................... 59,711 3 54,800 3

Food service contractors....................................... 52,428 4 49,942 5

Motion picture and video production..................... 50,553 5 54,769 4

Highway, street, and bridge construction............... 36,264 6 45,581 6

Professional employer organizations....................... 25,291 7 30,882 9

Heavy duty truck manufacturing............................ 8 18,142 16

Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing........... 24,181 9 34,378 8

Discount department stores................................... 22,372 10 20,896 12

Table C. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in 2006

Industry Initial claims

2005

Initial claims Rank

 10

2006

Rank

Kentucky had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial claims (+6,109), mostly due to

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

were Iowa (+2,981), Maryland (+2,825), New York (+2,824), and Ohio (+2,789). The largest over-theyear decreases in claims occurred in Michigan (-7,614), Georgia (-4,553), and California (-4,078).

Review of 2006

During 2006, 13,998 mass layoff events occurred in the nation, resulting in 1,484,391 initial claims filings

for unemployment insurance. In 2005, there were 16,466 events and 1,795,341 initial claimants. The total

number of initial claims for 2006 was the lowest reported for any January-December period since 1996.

(See table B.)

The 10 industries with the highest number of mass layoff initial claims accounted for 31 percent of the

total in 2006. (See table C.) Temporary help services and school and employee bus transportation ranked

1 and 2 among these 10 industries in both 2006 and 2005. Heavy duty truck manufacturing and discount

department stores entered the top 10 industries in terms of initial claims. These industries replaced motor

vehicle seating and trim manufacturing and elementary and secondary schools.

Manufacturing accounted for 31 percent of all mass layoff events and 39 percent of initial claims filed

during 2006. A year earlier, manufacturing accounted for 29 percent of events and 37 percent of initial

claims. Initial claim filings were most numerous in transportation equipment (221,383) followed by food

manufacturing (62,927) and machinery manufacturing, (40,069). During 2006, the largest declines in initial

claims occurred in transportation equipment manufacturing (-32,351) and food manufacturing (-13,999).

The largest over-the-year increase in initial claims occurred in machinery manufacturing (+6,356).

The number of initial claims filed in 2006 due to mass layoffs was higher in the Midwest (508,798) than

in any other region. Layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing accounted for 31 percent of the

claims in the Midwest. Administrative and support services, machinery manufacturing, and heavy and civil

engineering construction accounted for an additional 16 percent of layoffs in that region in 2006. The fewest

number of mass layoff initial claims was reported in the Northeast region (254,684). In 2006, mass layoff

initial claims decreased in all four of the regions. The largest declines were in the South (-172,613) and

25,280

74,116
5

Midwest (-63,152). In 2005, the South experienced a substantial increase of initial claimants in Louisiana

and Mississippi as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California recorded the largest number of initial claims

filed in mass layoff events in 2006 (317,907), 21 percent of the national total. The states with the next highest numbers of initial claims were Michigan (127,964), Pennsylvania (89,559), Ohio (80,291), and New

York (76,638). Fifty percent of events and 47 percent of all initial claims were from these five states.

Louisiana reported the largest over-the-year decrease in initial claims (-107,685), followed by California

(-42,231) and Ohio (-32,874). The largest over-the-year increases were reported in Maryland (+6,773)

and Kentucky (+6,168).

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 Extended Mass Layoffs in the Fourth Quarter of 2006 is scheduled to be released on

Tuesday, February 13. The report on Mass Layoffs in January 2007 is scheduled to be released on

Friday, February 23.
Technical Note

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

program 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, January 2003 to December 2006,

seasonally adjusted

2003

January ................................................................... 1,347 133,398 1,166 119,292 382 45,042 

February ................................................................. 1,848 192,197 1,664 178,963 650 81,370 

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 

 NOTE: Data have been revised to reflect updated seasonal adjustment factors.

Date

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, January 2003 to December 2006,

not seasonally adjusted

2003

January ................................................................... 2,315 225,430 2,130 210,918 822 90,244 

February ................................................................. 1,363 124,965 1,222 116,264 435 48,161 

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 

Date

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

claimants Events Initial

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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

December October November December December October November December

2005 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ...................................................................... 1,253 1,186 1,220 1,201 135,721 119,914 136,340 133,818 

 Total, private nonfarm ............................................... 1,125 1,069 1,111 1,099 124,632 111,036 127,286 124,526 

 Manufacturing ......................................................... 372 401 411 390 48,592 55,795 60,599 53,828 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total1

 ..................................................................... 2,323 964 1,315 2,249 254,258 98,804 136,186 254,503 

Total, private ............................................................... 2,237 913 1,273 2,176 246,748 93,939 132,337 248,383 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ................. 69 93 101 50 3,995 5,806 7,328 3,600 

 Total, private nonfarm ............................................... 2,168 820 1,172 2,126 242,753 88,133 125,009 244,783 

 Mining ...................................................................... 33 ( 2 ) 7 28 2,802 ( 2 ) 648 3,048 

 Utilities ..................................................................... ( 2 ) – 3 3 ( 2 ) – 161 154 

 Construction ............................................................ 478 100 212 423 40,395 6,445 17,364 36,426 

 Manufacturing ......................................................... 706 311 455 735 96,382 46,737 58,473 105,462 

 Food .................................................................... 88 56 59 80 10,681 5,246 7,222 8,557 

 Beverage and tobacco products ......................... 11 9 8 6 800 711 502 468 

 Textile mills ......................................................... 23 11 14 18 3,823 1,388 2,247 2,480 

 Textile product mills ............................................ 7 ( 2 ) 9 9 743 ( 2 ) 1,325 758 

 Apparel ................................................................ 19 9 6 21 2,297 667 820 2,323 

 Leather and allied products ................................. 9 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 1,032 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 493 

 Wood products .................................................... 54 35 53 59 5,319 3,548 5,044 6,359 

 Paper ................................................................... 8 6 9 13 943 456 854 1,415 

 Printing and related support activities ................. 16 5 ( 2 ) 12 1,870 315 ( 2 ) 1,178 

 Petroleum and coal products .............................. 14 ( 2 ) 8 14 1,478 ( 2 ) 635 1,396 

 Chemicals ........................................................... 10 4 6 7 862 332 489 608 

 Plastics and rubber products ............................... 60 13 24 48 5,605 1,295 2,716 5,674 

 Nonmetallic mineral products .............................. 58 11 17 56 5,756 787 1,991 5,824 

 Primary metals .................................................... 40 15 28 38 4,265 1,349 3,154 4,714 

 Fabricated metal products ................................... 38 16 35 57 3,815 1,395 3,710 5,346 

 Machinery ............................................................ 31 24 34 38 3,091 5,167 6,563 5,676 

 Computer and electronic products ...................... 16 8 21 24 1,290 631 1,711 2,085 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ................... 18 9 11 25 3,716 1,879 2,588 5,701 

 Transportation equipment ................................... 144 55 79 159 34,508 19,224 13,352 38,811 

 Furniture and related products ............................ 27 11 21 34 2,769 1,040 2,075 4,510 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing .............................. 15 6 9 12 1,719 629 1,145 1,086 

 Wholesale trade ...................................................... 37 13 17 26 3,214 829 1,328 2,119 

 Retail trade .............................................................. 113 75 54 109 10,856 6,557 4,681 13,055 

 Transportation and warehousing ............................. 161 31 48 165 19,173 3,053 3,583 19,172 

 Information .............................................................. 36 23 20 33 6,572 2,516 6,096 7,949 

 Finance and insurance ............................................ 20 26 23 34 1,284 2,123 1,376 2,687 

 Real estate and rental and leasing .......................... 9 3 5 8 1,203 416 270 442 

 Professional and technical services ........................ 64 17 27 50 6,663 1,325 3,137 5,572 

 Management of companies and enterprises ........... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 387 130 

 Administrative and waste services .......................... 259 140 158 258 27,527 12,596 12,907 22,076 

 Educational services ............................................... 5 ( 2 ) 3 4 353 ( 2 ) 200 288 

 Health care and social assistance ........................... 35 9 21 31 2,731 546 1,696 2,450 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......................... 26 22 27 26 1,869 1,475 2,266 1,760 

 Accommodation and food services ......................... 158 40 81 175 19,293 2,583 9,883 20,735 

 Other services, except public administration ........... 19 5 6 14 1,527 287 553 1,198 

 Unclassified ............................................................ 4 – – 1 295 – – 60 

Government ................................................................ 86 51 42 73 7,510 4,865 3,849 6,120 

 Federal .................................................................... 18 16 10 12 1,568 1,721 970 1,215 

 State ........................................................................ 16 17 12 16 1,750 1,489 1,057 1,517 

 Local ........................................................................ 52 18 20 45 4,192 1,655 1,822 3,388 

 1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Seasonally adjusted data have

 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. been revised to reflect updated seasonal adjustment factors.

Industry
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2004 to December 2006,

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

2004

October .............................................. 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 

November .......................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 

December .......................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 

Fourth Quarter ................................... 4,255 419,612 3,789 385,016 1,427 262,049 37.7 68.1 

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 1,400 246,181 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 2,637 277,086 963 192,793 36.5 69.6 

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 1,353 263,787 44.3 79.4 

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 2,p 836 2,p 104,458 p

 30.1 p 34.3 

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 

 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.

Date

Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

Mass layoffs
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

December October November December December October November December

2005 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006

 United States1

 ..................................................... 2,323 964 1,315 2,249 254,258 98,804 136,186 254,503 

Northeast .................................................................... 445 143 207 412 42,897 13,504 20,723 40,738 

 New England .......................................................... 83 14 25 60 9,110 966 2,090 6,612 

 Middle Atlantic ........................................................ 362 129 182 352 33,787 12,538 18,633 34,126 

South .......................................................................... 371 183 227 416 46,303 23,687 27,536 54,023 

 South Atlantic ......................................................... 180 111 113 202 23,506 9,228 12,800 22,765 

 East South Central ................................................. 113 46 54 126 14,562 11,517 6,109 22,085 

 West South Central ................................................ 78 26 60 88 8,235 2,942 8,627 9,173 

Midwest ...................................................................... 942 223 429 898 111,662 28,833 49,067 109,495 

 East North Central .................................................. 708 177 333 674 85,681 22,646 39,291 78,466 

 West North Central ................................................. 234 46 96 224 25,981 6,187 9,776 31,029 

West ........................................................................... 565 415 452 523 53,396 32,780 38,860 50,247 

 Mountain ................................................................. 88 35 49 82 7,995 3,180 4,457 7,835 

 Pacific ..................................................................... 477 380 403 441 45,401 29,600 34,403 42,412 

 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

December October November December December October November December

2005 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006

 Total1

 ........................................................................ 2,323 964 1,315 2,249 254,258 98,804 136,186 254,503 

Alabama ...................................................................... 24 5 12 30 2,119 467 1,512 3,438 

Alaska ......................................................................... – 4 6 ( 2 ) – 266 716 ( 2 )

Arizona ........................................................................ 4 3 ( 2 ) 5 387 295 ( 2 ) 406 

Arkansas ..................................................................... 6 – 5 7 989 – 1,014 836 

California ..................................................................... 415 336 327 374 38,926 25,931 27,433 34,848 

Colorado ...................................................................... 16 6 9 15 1,536 517 691 1,483 

Connecticut ................................................................. 9 ( 2 ) 3 4 897 ( 2 ) 318 452 

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

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

Florida ......................................................................... 61 56 35 57 5,288 3,289 2,207 4,697 

Georgia ....................................................................... 42 16 28 42 8,974 2,207 3,904 4,421 

Hawaii ......................................................................... 6 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 510 422 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Idaho ........................................................................... 17 6 12 11 1,240 664 963 1,191 

Illinois .......................................................................... 144 39 55 149 16,869 5,508 5,849 17,195 

Indiana ........................................................................ 98 19 44 82 12,226 4,281 7,285 10,123 

Iowa ............................................................................. 61 15 19 62 7,058 2,664 2,352 10,039 

Kansas ........................................................................ 18 3 7 23 1,779 176 822 2,626 

Kentucky ..................................................................... 62 24 24 64 9,866 9,645 3,341 15,975 

Louisiana ..................................................................... 13 4 13 9 868 365 1,229 901 

Maine .......................................................................... 7 ( 2 ) 4 6 449 ( 2 ) 322 452 

Maryland ..................................................................... – 6 9 28 – 574 1,236 2,825 

Massachusetts ............................................................ 29 10 9 22 3,229 707 665 2,256 

Michigan ...................................................................... 222 43 82 184 30,456 6,432 10,636 22,842 

Minnesota .................................................................... 64 10 39 52 6,016 880 3,360 7,545 

Mississippi ................................................................... ( 2 ) 3 8 6 ( 2 ) 202 443 569 

Missouri ....................................................................... 63 13 26 75 7,912 901 2,448 9,687 

Montana ...................................................................... 9 5 7 6 682 672 789 513 

Nebraska ..................................................................... 20 4 ( 2 ) 8 2,605 345 ( 2 ) 815 

Nevada ........................................................................ 24 4 15 26 2,315 274 1,704 2,076 

New Hampshire ........................................................... 12 – ( 2 ) 8 1,386 – ( 2 ) 793 

New Jersey ................................................................. 96 15 47 91 8,631 1,043 7,197 7,948 

New Mexico ................................................................. 7 6 5 10 766 465 258 1,180 

New York ..................................................................... 91 39 33 106 8,907 4,575 2,918 11,731 

North Carolina ............................................................. 19 7 13 16 1,999 592 1,423 1,511 

North Dakota ............................................................... 4 ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) 320 ( 2 ) 406 ( 2 )

Ohio ............................................................................. 133 35 48 137 13,059 2,890 4,998 15,848 

Oklahoma .................................................................... 9 4 5 11 780 691 890 1,152 

Oregon ........................................................................ 32 19 32 41 3,830 1,818 2,668 4,862 

Pennsylvania ............................................................... 175 75 102 155 16,249 6,920 8,518 14,447 

Rhode Island ............................................................... 17 – ( 2

 ) 11 2,441 – ( 2 ) 1,885 

South Carolina ............................................................ 20 16 16 17 3,376 1,837 1,994 2,836 

South Dakota .............................................................. 4 – – ( 2 ) 291 – – ( 2 )

Tennessee .................................................................. 25 14 10 26 2,408 1,203 813 2,103 

Texas .......................................................................... 50 18 37 61 5,598 1,886 5,494 6,284 

Utah ............................................................................. 11 ( 2 ) – 9 1,069 ( 2 ) – 986 

Vermont ....................................................................... 9 ( 2 ) 6 9 708 ( 2 ) 582 774 

Virginia ........................................................................ 35 9 11 35 3,638 598 1,979 5,969 

Washington ................................................................. 24 16 36 21 2,135 1,163 3,390 2,350 

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

Wisconsin .................................................................... 111 41 104 122 13,071 3,535 10,523 12,458 

Wyoming ..................................................................... – 3 – – – 179 – –

Puerto Rico ................................................................. 10 6 7 17 1,698 729 626 1,977 

 1 See footnote 1, table 3. NOTE: Dash represents zero. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State