Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 08-1669 

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

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Thursday, November 13, 2008 

EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2008 

In the third quarter of 2008, employers initiated 1,330 mass layoff events that resulted in the 

separation of 218,158 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. Layoff events reached their 

highest level for the third quarter since 2001, while separations reached their highest level since 2003. 

The total number of layoff events was 312 higher in the third quarter 2008 than the same period a year 

earlier, and the number of associated separations increased by 58,134. (See table A.) Third quarter 

2008 layoff data are preliminary and are subject to revision. (See the Technical Note.) 

Both events and separations in the construction industry reached third quarter program highs in 

2008. The number of separations in manufacturing rose sharply (+32,175) over the year, largely due to 

increased layoff activity in the transportation equipment sector (+12,930). 

Among the 7 categories of economic reasons for layoff, business demand accounted for the highest 

share of events (43 percent) and number of separations (76,979) in July-September 2008. (See table B.) 

The largest over-the-year increases in the number of separations occurred in layoffs attributed to 

business demand factors (+27,711) and organizational changes (+10,533). Within business demand, the 

number of separations due to slack work nearly doubled to 41,116, while in organizational changes, 

layoffs attributed to business-ownership changes more than doubled to 11,692. Within financial issues, 

the number of workers terminated because of bankruptcies nearly doubled over the year to 12,156. 

Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 15 percent of all extended mass layoff events and 

affected 50,025 workers during the third quarter of 2008. Thirty-one percent of employers reporting a 

layoff indicated they anticipate some type of recall, down from 38 percent a year earlier and the lowest 

third quarter proportion since 2002. Excluding seasonal events, employers anticipated recalling workers 

in 20 percent of the layoffs, matching third quarter 2002 as the lowest proportion for any quarter since 

data collection began in 1995. 

The national unemployment rate averaged 6.0 percent, not seasonally adjusted, in the third quarter 

of 2008, up from 4.7 percent a year earlier. Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally 

adjusted, decreased by 0.6 percent (-672,000) over the year. 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity

Period Layoff events Separations Initial claimants

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 ............................ 1,203 246,099 212,673 

July-September .................... 1,136 201,878 190,186 

October-December ............... 1,400 250,178 246,188 

2006

January-March ..................... 963 183,089 193,510 

April-June ............................ 1,353 295,964 264,927 

July-September .................... 929 160,254 161,764 

October-December ............... 1,640 296,662 330,954 

2007

January-March ..................... 1,110 225,600 199,250 

April-June ............................ 1,421 278,719 259,234 

July-September .................... 1,018 160,024 173,077 

October-December

r

 .............. 1,814 301,592 347,149 

2008

January-Marchr

 .................... 1,340 229,858 258,767 

April-Juner

 ........................... 1,756 354,361 335,854 

July-September

p

 ................... 1,330 218,158 181,386 

 r

 = revised.

 p

 = preliminary.

Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs

Manufacturing industries were responsible for 32 percent of private nonfarm extended layoff events 

and 35 percent of related separations in the third quarter of 2008; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 

26 percent of events and 27 percent of separations. (See table 1.) Manufacturing had 430 extended 

mass layoff events and 75,511 separations, the highest third quarter levels for the industry since 2003. 

The largest numbers of separations were in transportation equipment manufacturing (21,630, mostly 

associated with light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing) and food manufacturing (10,975). 

The construction sector accounted for 16 percent of events and 10 percent of separations, the 

highest third quarter percentages recorded in the program. These job cuts were largely in specialty trade 

contracting. Layoffs in administrative and waste services accounted for 9 percent of all events and 

separations and were concentrated in temporary help services. 
3

Table B. Distribution of extended layoff events and separations by 

economic reason categories, July-September 2008p

Number Percent Number Percent

Total .................................... 1,330 100.0 218,158 100.0

Business demand ................. 577 43.4 76,979 35.3

Organizational changes ....... 107 8.0 28,256 13.0

Financial issues ................... 174 13.1 32,812 15.0

Production specific .............. 23 1.7 3,527 1.6

Disaster/safety ..................... 5 0.4 1,362 0.6

Seasonal .............................. 198 14.9 38,742 17.8

Other/miscellaneous ............ 246 18.5 36,480 16.7 

 p = preliminary.

Category Layoff events Separations

Reasons for Extended Layoffs

Among the seven categories of economic reasons for extended mass layoffs, events related to 

business demand factors (contract cancellation, contract completion, domestic competition, excess 

inventory, import competition, and slack work) accounted for 43 percent of the extended layoffs and 35 

percent of separations during the third quarter of 2008. (See table 2.) Separations in this category 

registered the largest over-the-year increase (+27,711), with those related to slack work/insufficient 

demand/nonseasonal business slowdown nearly doubling. The numbers of workers terminated because 

of business demand reasons were highest in temporary help services, light truck and utility vehicle 

manufacturing, and professional employer organizations. 

Seasonal factors (seasonal and vacation period) made up 15 percent of the extended layoff events 

and resulted in 38,742 separations, primarily in school and employee bus transportation and in food 

service contracting. 

Job losses related to financial issues (bankruptcy, cost control, and financial difficulty) accounted 

for 13 percent of events and resulted in 32,812 separations during the third quarter of 2008, compared 

with 28,461 separations a year earlier. This increase was largely due to bankruptcies in full service 

restaurants. 

Movement of Work

In the third quarter of 2008, 82 extended mass layoffs involved the movement of work and were 

associated with 14,613 separated workers. (See table C.) These movements of work were to other 

domestic locations or to locations outside of the U.S., and they occurred either within the same company 

or to other companies. Movement of work layoffs accounted for 7 percent of nonseasonal layoff events 

in the third quarter of 2008. A year earlier, there were 63 layoff events and 12,367 separations 

associated with the movement of work. (See table 10.) 
4

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

third quarter 2008p

Action Layoff events Separations

 Total, private nonfarm ............................ 1,330 218,158 

 Total, excluding seasonal 

 and vacation events1 ....................... 1,132 179,416 

 Total events with movement

 of work2 ................................... 82 14,613 

 Movement of work actions ................. 104 ( 3 )

 With separations reported .............. 76 9,265 

 With separations unknown ............ 28 ( 3 )

 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. 3

 Data are not available.

 p = preliminary.

Among the 82 extended mass layoff events with reported relocation of work in the third quarter of 

2008, 55 percent were permanent closures of worksites, which affected 9,873 workers. In comparison, 

15 percent of the total extended mass layoff events reported for the quarter involved the permanent 

closure of worksites affecting 50,025 workers. 

Of the layoffs involving the movement of work, 67 percent of the events and 75 percent of the laidoff workers were from manufacturing industries during the third quarter. (See table 7.) Among all 

private nonfarm extended layoffs, manufacturing accounted for 32 percent of the events and 35 percent 

of separations. 

While only 8 percent of the extended mass layoff events in the total private nonfarm economy were 

because of organizational change, such reasons accounted for 56 percent of layoff events associated with 

work relocation and resulted in 8,276 separations during the third quarter. (See table 8.) 

Among the regions, the Midwest accounted for the largest proportion of workers affected by 

extended mass layoffs associated with the movement of work (56 percent), followed by the Northeast 

and the West (15 percent each), and the South (13 percent). (See table 9.) 

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

an extended mass layoff event at an employer 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. The 82 extended layoff events with movement of work for the third 
5

Table D. Movement of work actions by type of separation where the

number of separations is known by employers, third quarter 2008p

Activities Actions1 Separations

 With separations reported ......................... 76 9,265 

By location

 Out-of-country relocations ...................... 19 2,211 

 Within company ................................... 17 2,034 

 Different company ................................ 2 177 

 Domestic relocations ............................... 57 7,054 

 Within company ................................... 48 6,257 

 Different company ................................ 9 797 

By company

 Within company ...................................... 65 8,291 

 Domestic .............................................. 48 6,257 

 Out of country ...................................... 17 2,034 

 Different company ................................... 11 974 

 Domestic .............................................. 9 797 

 Out of country ...................................... 2 177 

 1

 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement of 

 work were reported are shown.

 p = preliminary.

quarter of 2008 involved 104 identifiable relocations of work. (See table C.) 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 104 relocations, employers were able to 

provide information on the specific number of separations associated with the movement of work 

component of the layoff in 76 actions involving 9,265 workers. (See table 10.) 

In the 76 actions where employers were able to provide more complete separations information, 86 

percent of relocations (65 out of 76) occurred within the same company. (See table D.) Seventy-five 

percent of relocations (57 out of 76) were domestic reassignments, while 25 percent (19 out of 76) 

involved out-of-country moves. Domestic relocation of work—both within the company and to other 

companies—affected 7,054 workers. Out-of-country relocations were associated with the separation of 

2,211 workers, 1 percent of all nonseasonal and nonvacation extended mass layoff separations. (See 

table 11.) 

Recall Expectations

Thirty-one percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the third quarter of 2008 indicated 

they anticipated some type of recall, down from 38 percent a year earlier and the lowest third quarter 

proportion since 2002. (See table E.) Of those employers expecting to recall workers, 38 percent 
6

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

layoff third quarter 2007 - third quarter 2008

III IV I II III

2007 2007 2008 2008r 2008p

 Anticipate a recall ...... 37.9 55.8 40.1 51.1 30.5

Timeframe

 Within 6 months...... 83.9 87.9 69.8 84.5 71.9

 Within 3 months ... 62.7 34.2 45.4 59.1 54.9

Size

 At least half ............ 86.0 90.5 73.2 88.3 79.1

 All workers ......... 45.6 50.5 28.5 51.7 37.9

 r

 = revised.

 p = preliminary.

Percentage of events

Nature of the recall

indicated that the offer would be extended to all displaced employees, and 79 percent of employers 

anticipated extending the offer to at least half of the workers. Seventy-two percent of employers 

expecting to recall laid-off employees intend to do so within 6 months. 

Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 93 percent of the 

employers expected a recall), employers anticipated recalling laid-off workers in 20 percent of the 

events, matching third quarter 2002 as the lowest proportion since the program began in 1995. 

Size of Extended Layoffs

The average size of a layoff (as measured by separations per layoff event) in the third quarter of 

2008 was 164, compared to 157 per layoff in third quarter 2007. Layoff events continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 48 percent of events involving 

between 50 and 99 workers and 71 percent of events with less than 150 workers. 

Layoffs involving less than 150 workers accounted for 37 percent of all separations during the 

period, about the same percentage recorded a year earlier (38 percent). Separations involving 500 or 

more workers, while comprising only 4 percent of the events, accounted for 28 percent of all separations 

in the third quarter of 2008, up from 24 percent a year earlier. (See table F.) 

Initial Claimant Characteristics

A total of 181,386 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended 

mass layoffs in the third quarter of 2008. Of these claimants, 16 percent were black, 18 percent were 

Hispanic, 40 percent were women, 34 percent were 30 to 44 years of age, and 18 percent were 55 years 

of age or older. (See table 3.) Among persons in the civilian labor force for the same period, 12 percent 
7

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

third quarter 2008p

Number Percent Number Percent

 Total ........................ 1,330 100.0 218,158 100.0 

 50-99 ..................... 639 48.0 44,934 20.6 

 100-149 .................. 311 23.4 36,314 16.6 

 150-199 .................. 122 9.2 20,675 9.5 

 200-299 .................. 124 9.3 28,034 12.9 

 300-499 .................. 76 5.7 27,640 12.7 

 500-999 .................. 38 2.9 24,955 11.4 

 1,000 or more ............ 20 1.5 35,606 16.3 

 p

 = preliminary.

Layoff events Separations Size

were black, 14 percent were Hispanic, 46 percent were women, 33 percent were age 30 to 44, and 18 

percent were 55 years of age or older. 

Geographic Distribution

Among the 4 census regions, the West recorded the highest number of separations (78,277) due to 

extended mass layoff events in the third quarter of 2008, followed by the Midwest, with 53,265. (See 

table 4.) Separations in the West occurred largely in specialty trade contracting and in food manufacturing. The West accounted for 36 percent of all separations, up from 33 percent in the same period last 

year. 

Among the 9 census divisions, the highest number of separations during the third quarter of 2008 

was in the Pacific division (70,079). The East North Central division had the next-highest level of separations, with 44,284. (See table 4.) 

California recorded the largest number of worker separations (61,375), followed by Florida 

(20,261), Illinois (17,552), and New York (14,310). (See table 5.) After excluding the impact of 

seasonal reasons, California still reported the highest number of job cuts (57,116). 

California accounted for 28 percent of all separations due to extended mass layoffs in the third 

quarter 2008, up from 26 percent in 2007. Florida accounted for 9 percent of the separations, up from 

5 percent last year. In 2008, four states reported third quarter program highs in terms of numbers of 

separations—Indiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Wyoming. 

Fifty percent of extended mass layoff events and 46 percent of separations (101,362) occurred in 

metropolitan areas in the third quarter of 2008, compared with 51 percent of events and 49 percent of 

separations (78,211) during the third quarter of 2007. Among the 369 metropolitan areas, Los AngelesLong Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported the highest number of separations (11,187) in the third quarter 

of 2008. Next were New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., with 11,140 

separations and Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., with 8,923 separations. (See table G.) 

Employers located in nonmetropolitan areas separated 17,564 workers in extended mass layoffs. 
8

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

III III III III

2007r 2008p 2007r 2008p

Total, nonmetropolitan areas ..................................... 109 127 15,319 17,564 

Total, 369 metropolitan areas .................................... 524 670 78,211 101,362 

 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. ......... 81 87 10,304 11,187 

 New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island,

 N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ................................................... 61 49 14,397 11,140 

 Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. .............. 28 46 4,849 8,923 

 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. ................ 11 26 1,106 3,700 

 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif. ................ 20 29 1,913 3,536 

 Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev. ...................................... ( 1 ) 20 (

 1 ) 3,101 

 Elkhart-Goshen, Ind. ............................................. 3 11 243 2,434 

 San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif. ............... 23 19 2,753 2,234 

 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla. ...... 5 12 492 2,022 

 Modesto, Calif. ...................................................... 5 5 436 2,017 

 1

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

 r

 = revised.

 p

 = preliminary.

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

Office of Management and Budget Bulletin 08-01, November 20, 2007.

Metropolitan area

Events Separations

Note

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

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

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

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

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

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

quarters should not be used as an indicator of trend. 

For additional information about the program, see the Technical Note. 

________________ 

The report on Mass Layoffs in October 2008 is scheduled to be released on Friday, November 21. 
Technical Note 

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

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

unemployment insurance database. Employers which have at 

least 50 initial claims filed against them during a consecutive 

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

whether these separations are of at least 31 days duration, 

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

persons separated and the reasons for these separations. 

Employers are identified according to industry classification 

and location, and unemployment insurance claimants are 

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

ethnic group, and place of residence. The program yields 

information on an individual’s entire spell of unemployment, 

to the point when regular unemployment insurance benefits 

are exhausted. 

Definitions 

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include 

those covered by state unemployment insurance laws. 

Information on employers is obtained from the Quarterly 

Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which 

is administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

Extended layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for 

unemployment insurance benefits from an employer during a 

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

than 30 days. 

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 employer beginning in a 

given month, regardless of duration. 

Worksite closure. The complete closure of either multiunit or single-unit employers or the partial closure of a multiunit employer where entire worksites affected by layoffs are 

closed or planned to be closed. 

Revisions to preliminary data 

The latest quarterly data in this news release are 

considered preliminary. After the initial publication of quarterly information, more data are collected as remaining 

employer interviews for the quarter are completed and additional initial claimant information associated with extended 

layoff events is received. 

Movement of work concepts and questions 

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 employers and layoff events in the 

MLS program and associated characteristics of claimants is 

based on administrative data on covered employers and 

unemployment insurance claims, and, therefore, is not subject 

to issues associated with sampling error. Nonsampling errors 

such as typographical errors may occur but are not likely to 

be significant. While the MLS employers and layoff events 

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

asked the 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 third 

quarter of 2008, outright refusal to participate in the employer 

interview accounted for 3.4 percent of all private nonfarm 

events. Although included in the total number of instances 

involving the movement of work, for the third quarter, 

employers in 28 relocations were unable to provide the 

number of separations specifically associated with the 

movement of work, 4 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, 2007 and 2008

Industry

III II III III II III III II III

 2007r 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 .................................. 1,018 1,756 1,330 160,024 354,361 218,158 173,077 335,854 181,386 

 Mining ............................................................. 4 3 ( 2

 ) 677 627 ( 2 ) 530 357 ( 2 ) 

 Utilities ............................................................ – 4 ( 2 ) – 758 ( 2 ) – 738 ( 2 )

 Construction .................................................... 187 243 208 17,315 27,477 21,099 28,059 35,327 21,727 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 269 382 430 43,336 64,998 75,511 54,116 85,757 67,141 

 Food ........................................................... 30 61 41 5,834 11,597 10,975 6,976 8,986 4,327 

 Beverage and tobacco products ................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 520 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 497 

 Textile mills ................................................ 9 ( 2 ) 8 2,730 ( 2 ) 1,839 4,552 ( 2 ) 2,388 

 Textile product mills 3

 ................................. 3 6 ( 2

 ) 908 728 ( 2 ) 918 805 ( 2 ) 

 Apparel 3

 .................................................... 16 11 12 1,706 1,589 1,618 1,836 1,399 1,474 

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

 Wood products ........................................... 21 37 31 2,756 5,003 4,636 3,496 5,518 3,448 

 Paper ......................................................... 5 12 10 893 1,426 2,154 882 1,284 1,932 

 Printing and related support activities ........ ( 2 ) 12 10 ( 2 ) 1,548 1,260 ( 2 ) 1,953 836 

 Petroleum and coal products ..................... – 3 ( 2 ) – 378 ( 2 ) – 218 ( 2 )

 Chemicals ................................................. 6 13 11 463 1,598 931 583 1,352 905 

 Plastics and rubber products 3

 ................... 11 20 20 1,213 3,272 3,202 1,703 3,259 2,896 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................... 8 13 15 919 1,846 1,850 1,074 1,499 1,630 

 Primary metals ........................................... 9 8 12 1,486 728 1,178 2,331 1,360 1,027 

 Fabricated metal products ......................... 21 19 26 3,093 2,178 2,721 3,575 3,294 2,401 

 Machinery 3

 ................................................ 18 25 29 3,608 4,354 6,630 3,546 5,967 7,292 

 Computer and electronic products ............. 27 20 43 5,957 2,783 7,335 4,974 2,692 5,433 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ......... 5 9 11 328 1,739 2,000 441 1,477 1,366 

 Transportation equipment 3

 ........................ 54 84 110 8,700 19,307 21,630 14,641 38,882 24,960 

 Furniture and related products 3

 ................. 14 17 20 1,411 3,366 3,154 1,127 4,021 2,675 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing 3

 .................. 7 8 10 791 895 1,185 1,014 1,084 1,079 

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 19 32 25 2,336 5,047 3,214 1,838 4,034 2,143 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 59 81 76 10,095 15,043 17,199 11,486 19,692 13,669 

 Transportation and warehousing .................... 84 191 107 15,251 44,637 18,438 14,498 43,948 14,552 

 Information ...................................................... 18 50 46 2,415 9,815 8,758 2,713 10,373 6,896 

 Finance and insurance 3

 .................................. 133 89 80 24,757 31,417 13,594 24,199 19,868 10,608 

 Real estate and rental and leasing 3

 ............... 8 8 10 1,194 723 1,153 1,354 883 1,138 

 Professional and technical services 3

 .............. 35 80 41 5,144 38,365 6,289 5,728 21,369 5,535 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 8 6 ( 2 ) 782 658 ( 2 ) 1,100 529 ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services 3

 ................ 60 114 116 8,225 21,408 18,555 9,349 23,486 16,927 

 Educational services ....................................... 9 16 14 1,323 1,644 1,516 1,726 1,985 1,302 

 Health care and social assistance .................. 49 186 62 9,724 23,798 6,846 5,017 21,605 5,183 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 22 57 34 6,118 23,768 7,519 2,734 5,830 2,797 

 Accommodation and food services ................. 40 158 65 8,622 36,841 16,444 6,985 32,966 10,000 

 Other services, except public administration .. 13 54 11 2,560 6,819 1,335 1,572 6,816 1,291 

 Unclassified ..................................................... 1 2 – 150 518 – 73 291 –

 1

 For the third quarter of 2008, data on layoffs were reported by employers due to a change in NAICS versions.

in all states and the District of Columbia. r

 = revised.

 2

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

 3

 Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years 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, 2007 and 2008

Reason for layoff

III II III III II III III II III

 2007r 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ................................................... 1,018 1,756 1,330 160,024 354,361 218,158 173,077 335,854 181,386 

Business demand ............................................................. 421 566 577 49,268 79,925 76,979 73,378 106,297 78,420 

 Contract cancellation ..................................................... 15 22 42 2,320 2,854 6,468 1,809 3,236 5,306 

 Contract completion ....................................................... 201 211 179 20,331 27,716 24,964 31,636 35,481 24,845 

 Domestic competition ..................................................... 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 254 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 208 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Excess inventory/saturated market ................................ 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,551 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,641 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Import competition ......................................................... 16 13 12 3,273 1,831 3,197 3,645 1,624 2,489 

 Slack work/insufficient demand/non-seasonal

 business slowdown ................................................. 180 311 336 21,539 46,145 41,116 34,439 64,595 44,466 

Organizational changes .................................................... 99 122 107 17,723 37,097 28,256 17,299 32,654 15,354 

 Business-ownership change .......................................... 27 20 16 4,990 17,922 11,692 3,475 3,545 2,535 

 Reorganization or restructuring of company .................. 72 102 91 12,733 19,175 16,564 13,824 29,109 12,819 

Financial issues ................................................................ 122 120 174 28,461 27,778 32,812 23,770 21,095 21,090 

 Bankruptcy ..................................................................... 21 23 40 6,819 9,011 12,156 2,904 5,246 6,324 

 Cost control/cost cutting/increase profitability ................ 36 55 82 6,130 10,046 10,458 8,031 7,906 8,483 

 Financial difficulty ........................................................... 65 42 52 15,512 8,721 10,198 12,835 7,943 6,283 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 23 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3,527 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4,018 

 Automation/technological advances .............................. 4 3 4 1,468 264 707 1,293 545 640 

 Energy related ................................................................ – ( 2 ) 6 – ( 2 ) 720 – ( 2 ) 1,866 

 Governmental regulations/intervention .......................... 4 4 3 997 1,067 290 605 436 224 

 Labor dispute/contract negotiations/strike ..................... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,430 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,369 ( 2 )

 Material or supply shortage ............................................ – 5 4 – 624 466 – 614 309 

 Model changeover ......................................................... – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

 Plant or machine repair/maintenance ............................ 4 3 ( 2 ) 865 802 ( 2 ) 579 732 ( 2 )

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

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

 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,362 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 860 

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

 ) – – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

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

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

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

Seasonal ........................................................................... 218 651 198 40,361 156,308 38,742 34,840 121,904 26,150 

 Seasonal ........................................................................ 123 364 105 23,314 107,469 22,185 20,441 70,175 12,146 

 Vacation period–school related or otherwise ................. 95 287 93 17,047 48,839 16,557 14,399 51,729 14,004 

Other/miscellaneous ......................................................... 140 267 246 19,641 47,685 36,480 20,424 47,202 35,494 

 Other .............................................................................. 9 18 20 1,363 3,176 3,274 2,050 3,031 3,449 

 Data not provided: refusal .............................................. 43 54 46 6,019 12,666 8,763 6,016 12,434 8,733 

 Data not provided: does not know ................................. 88 195 180 12,259 31,843 24,443 12,358 31,737 23,312 

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. p

 = preliminary.

 2

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

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

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

private nonfarm sector, second and third quarters, 2008

Total Percent of total

State

Layoff events initial

claimants Black Hispanic

origin Women Persons age 55

and over

II III II III II III II III II III II III

 2008r 2008p 2008r 2008p 2008r 2008p 2008r 2008p 2008r 2008p 2008r 2008p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ............ 1,756 1,330 335,854 181,386 16.6 16.1 16.8 17.7 49.9 40.4 21.5 18.4 

Alabama ....................................... 21 9 3,694 2,461 57.4 46.6 2.8 3.3 58.3 53.4 20.5 13.9 

Alaska .......................................... 6 3 1,207 241 4.9 2.1 16.2 27.8 45.7 28.2 27.8 26.1 

Arizona ......................................... 20 9 2,741 860 3.1 7.2 57.8 29.1 57.4 48.5 18.8 15.5 

Arkansas ...................................... 11 ( 2 ) 1,263 ( 2 ) 42.8 38.4 6.5 – 76.6 72.6 18.8 23.3 

California ...................................... 464 446 81,944 52,748 10.3 10.3 37.0 33.2 42.9 38.5 15.9 15.5 

Colorado ....................................... 12 7 1,576 525 6.5 8.4 30.6 26.1 63.8 40.4 22.8 19.8 

Connecticut .................................. 22 11 3,877 1,026 15.0 17.2 12.7 18.3 60.5 53.4 26.9 19.1 

Delaware ...................................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – 43.2 – 8.6 – 83.3 – 31.8 –

District of Columbia ...................... 4 – 566 – 89.6 – 4.8 – 70.8 – 13.4 –

Florida .......................................... 113 97 20,439 13,744 17.3 17.5 31.2 26.2 45.4 44.1 22.6 20.2 

Georgia ........................................ 14 20 1,612 2,437 48.9 58.1 2.7 2.9 44.0 48.5 18.2 16.0 

Hawaii .......................................... 9 6 2,522 867 3.1 4.3 7.4 15.6 41.9 34.3 18.1 16.7 

Idaho ............................................ 20 6 2,135 623 .5 .8 6.6 12.4 44.8 38.4 24.5 16.4 

Illinois ........................................... 110 97 26,194 12,094 24.2 26.9 10.1 16.3 57.3 45.5 20.9 17.1 

Indiana ......................................... 52 47 13,384 8,699 7.4 8.0 4.8 4.0 38.8 34.4 18.8 14.1 

Iowa .............................................. 14 8 2,280 2,904 11.4 1.3 2.5 2.0 59.2 35.3 23.6 21.8 

Kansas ......................................... 15 8 1,577 586 15.5 11.6 1.7 5.1 61.9 40.6 23.7 20.6 

Kentucky ...................................... 20 18 1,979 1,775 4.7 7.3 – .4 23.0 19.3 22.4 18.0 

Louisiana ...................................... 26 15 3,300 2,662 73.2 45.5 1.5 3.1 74.4 32.6 20.9 21.6 

Maine ........................................... 5 ( 2 ) 788 ( 2 ) 1.9 2.2 .1 – 43.8 40.0 27.9 22.2 

Maryland ...................................... 10 ( 2 ) 1,404 ( 2 ) 56.6 21.4 1.1 1.4 62.3 71.4 21.2 38.6 

Massachusetts ............................. 25 21 4,315 2,499 13.8 11.1 2.0 4.2 59.4 51.9 27.7 26.9 

Michigan ....................................... 75 41 27,887 6,170 19.7 9.0 2.7 6.0 42.1 39.6 17.9 16.4 

Minnesota ..................................... 22 11 2,803 1,493 9.4 7.2 6.2 2.1 46.0 26.9 22.5 15.1 

Mississippi .................................... 12 14 1,548 1,556 57.8 73.5 2.5 1.9 47.9 36.6 15.2 14.3 

Missouri ........................................ 43 31 8,252 3,409 22.6 20.9 .3 .4 69.2 45.8 26.2 20.6 

Montana ....................................... 9 4 683 250 – .4 3.7 2.0 56.1 28.0 31.3 24.4 

Nebraska ...................................... 5 ( 2 ) 715 ( 2 ) 10.9 13.0 6.4 2.3 33.6 16.8 32.3 20.6 

Nevada ......................................... 15 22 2,550 2,904 12.9 9.7 27.7 27.8 47.5 29.9 21.2 16.3 

New Hampshire ............................ 7 ( 2 ) 897 ( 2 ) .2 6.7 .4 11.2 64.7 27.0 32.0 14.6 

New Jersey .................................. 77 43 17,427 4,139 20.6 26.6 7.1 8.4 66.2 61.6 35.1 25.7 

New Mexico .................................. 8 8 853 1,189 3.9 2.7 37.7 42.0 27.7 33.9 19.1 13.1 

New York ...................................... 70 62 12,901 9,848 13.2 17.0 9.8 15.1 48.5 56.9 24.4 31.5 

North Carolina .............................. 10 14 2,697 1,638 35.6 27.5 2.9 6.9 31.6 55.9 15.4 25.3 

North Dakota ................................ – ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – – – – – 23.1 – 9.3 

Ohio .............................................. 83 49 15,110 9,299 14.8 16.3 3.0 3.5 50.3 29.1 20.2 19.2 

Oklahoma ..................................... 5 5 786 846 14.5 10.2 2.0 3.5 48.3 29.7 13.4 20.1 

Oregon ......................................... 27 19 6,775 4,179 1.5 .7 12.9 13.6 54.8 33.3 27.2 17.3 

Pennsylvania ................................ 97 60 20,964 9,392 9.5 4.0 3.5 2.0 52.3 38.5 31.4 24.6 

Rhode Island ................................ 9 ( 2

 ) 1,274 ( 2 ) 5.0 6.7 19.3 24.2 80.5 52.6 36.7 25.8 

South Carolina ............................. 16 11 3,678 3,440 75.4 69.2 .4 .2 59.8 51.5 6.6 2.5 

South Dakota ............................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) – – – 1.0 – 86.0 – 47.0 –

Tennessee ................................... 20 31 3,412 3,152 30.5 24.1 – .1 58.8 49.6 35.6 20.7 

Texas ........................................... 51 30 10,166 5,037 16.0 19.5 48.0 42.7 44.2 35.0 15.4 10.8 

Utah .............................................. 9 ( 2 ) 1,801 ( 2 ) 1.7 2.4 18.0 16.3 45.7 63.9 10.2 12.3 

Vermont ........................................ 5 ( 2 ) 731 ( 2 ) 1.0 .7 .3 .7 37.2 22.8 18.7 22.8 

Virginia ......................................... 14 7 1,860 858 51.6 36.9 5.2 3.7 73.8 21.6 21.1 30.4 

Washington .................................. 26 13 3,797 1,401 4.3 4.9 10.8 17.5 57.0 27.6 27.4 17.1 

West Virginia ................................ 7 ( 2 ) 763 ( 2 ) .7 – – – 34.3 31.4 12.8 –

Wisconsin ..................................... 35 13 6,194 3,148 11.5 3.9 3.2 1.8 59.5 25.1 32.6 29.0 

Wyoming ...................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – – – – 27.0 14.9 2.7 12.2 

Puerto Rico .................................. 13 8 3,468 1,568 .1 .1 98.2 98.9 59.6 64.0 8.7 8.7 

 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, 2007 and 2008

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

III II III III II III III II III

 2007r 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 

 United States1 .................................. 1,018 1,756 1,330 160,024 354,361 218,158 173,077 335,854 181,386 

Northeast ................................................. 271 317 202 46,902 61,910 35,433 47,396 63,174 27,413 

 New England ........................................ 34 73 37 8,696 15,478 4,655 5,815 11,882 4,034 

 Middle Atlantic ...................................... 237 244 165 38,206 46,432 30,778 41,581 51,292 23,379 

South ........................................................ 182 358 274 27,005 62,931 51,183 27,375 59,526 39,819 

 South Atlantic ....................................... 108 192 151 15,451 35,723 29,575 15,312 33,378 22,257 

 East South Central ............................... 35 73 72 5,493 10,748 10,086 4,636 10,633 8,944 

 West South Central .............................. 39 93 51 6,061 16,460 11,522 7,427 15,515 8,618 

Midwest .................................................... 191 455 308 32,557 92,768 53,265 37,620 104,496 48,041 

 East North Central ............................... 152 355 247 26,161 75,631 44,284 32,640 88,769 39,410 

 West North Central .............................. 39 100 61 6,396 17,137 8,981 4,980 15,727 8,631 

West ......................................................... 374 626 546 53,560 136,752 78,277 60,686 108,658 66,113 

 Mountain .............................................. 26 94 59 6,237 30,318 8,198 5,264 12,413 6,677 

 Pacific .................................................. 348 532 487 47,323 106,434 70,079 55,422 96,245 59,436 

 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, 2007 and 2008

State

III II III III II III III II III

 2007r 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ........................ 1,018 1,756 1,330 160,024 354,361 218,158 173,077 335,854 181,386 

Alabama ................................................... 8 21 9 1,714 3,191 2,542 1,411 3,694 2,461 

Alaska ...................................................... ( 2 ) 6 3 ( 2 ) 3,707 3,460 ( 2 ) 1,207 241 

Arizona ..................................................... 8 20 9 2,014 3,484 955 1,578 2,741 860 

Arkansas .................................................. 7 11 ( 2 ) 1,084 1,366 ( 2 ) 1,109 1,263 ( 2 )

California .................................................. 316 464 446 41,235 88,740 61,375 50,591 81,944 52,748 

Colorado .................................................. ( 2 ) 12 7 ( 2 ) 14,369 1,229 ( 2 ) 1,576 525 

Connecticut .............................................. ( 2 ) 22 11 ( 2 ) 5,254 1,516 ( 2 ) 3,877 1,026 

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

District of Columbia .................................. ( 2 ) 4 – ( 2 ) 566 – ( 2 ) 566 –

Florida ...................................................... 50 113 97 8,199 21,648 20,261 5,986 20,439 13,744 

Georgia .................................................... 21 14 20 2,285 1,384 3,228 4,594 1,612 2,437 

Hawaii ...................................................... 3 9 6 503 4,333 504 344 2,522 867 

Idaho ........................................................ 3 20 6 1,280 2,219 669 1,200 2,135 623 

Illinois ....................................................... 70 110 97 13,488 26,735 17,552 12,865 26,194 12,094 

Indiana ..................................................... 14 52 47 2,211 9,504 8,824 3,372 13,384 8,699 

Iowa ......................................................... 4 14 8 491 1,702 1,071 614 2,280 2,904 

Kansas ..................................................... 3 15 8 333 2,086 700 476 1,577 586 

Kentucky .................................................. 13 20 18 1,975 2,320 2,332 1,433 1,979 1,775 

Louisiana .................................................. 4 26 15 813 4,022 3,027 738 3,300 2,662 

Maine ....................................................... 4 5 ( 2 ) 341 1,953 ( 2 ) 310 788 ( 2 )

Maryland .................................................. 12 10 ( 2 ) 1,378 1,444 ( 2 ) 1,395 1,404 ( 2 )

Massachusetts ......................................... 22 25 21 7,348 5,123 2,550 4,697 4,315 2,499 

Michigan ................................................... 29 75 41 5,166 13,357 5,664 8,039 27,887 6,170 

Minnesota ................................................ 8 22 11 1,163 3,399 2,184 1,159 2,803 1,493 

Mississippi ................................................ 5 12 14 796 1,296 2,302 588 1,548 1,556 

Missouri .................................................... 21 43 31 4,174 8,992 4,508 2,526 8,252 3,409 

Montana ................................................... – 9 4 – 671 292 – 683 250 

Nebraska .................................................. ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 750 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 715 ( 2 )

Nevada ..................................................... ( 2 ) 15 22 ( 2 ) 3,359 3,324 ( 2 ) 2,550 2,904 

New Hampshire ....................................... ( 2 ) 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,172 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 897 ( 2 )

New Jersey .............................................. 30 77 43 6,927 21,327 7,480 4,234 17,427 4,139 

New Mexico ............................................. 6 8 8 1,156 853 1,203 1,156 853 1,189 

New York ................................................. 135 70 62 24,583 14,492 14,310 23,233 12,901 9,848 

North Carolina .......................................... 6 10 14 761 4,384 1,373 1,049 2,697 1,638 

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

Ohio ......................................................... 28 83 49 3,882 20,134 10,121 5,577 15,110 9,299 

Oklahoma ................................................. 4 5 5 413 1,134 2,224 363 786 846 

Oregon ..................................................... 12 27 19 1,813 6,541 3,317 1,695 6,775 4,179 

Pennsylvania ............................................ 72 97 60 6,696 10,613 8,988 14,114 20,964 9,392 

Rhode Island ............................................ 4 9 ( 2

 ) 464 1,239 ( 2 ) 411 1,274 ( 2 ) 

South Carolina ......................................... 6 16 11 1,493 3,077 3,571 1,134 3,678 3,440 

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

Tennessee ............................................... 9 20 31 1,008 3,941 2,910 1,204 3,412 3,152 

Texas ....................................................... 24 51 30 3,751 9,938 6,198 5,217 10,166 5,037 

Utah ......................................................... 5 9 ( 2 ) 604 4,563 ( 2 ) 570 1,801 ( 2 )

Vermont ................................................... ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 737 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 731 ( 2 )

Virginia ..................................................... 10 14 7 963 1,997 956 887 1,860 858 

Washington .............................................. 15 26 13 1,387 3,113 1,423 1,979 3,797 1,401 

West Virginia ............................................ ( 2 ) 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 894 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 763 ( 2 )

Wisconsin ................................................. 11 35 13 1,414 5,901 2,123 2,787 6,194 3,148 

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

Puerto Rico .............................................. 11 13 8 938 1,310 657 2,647 3,468 1,568 

 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, 2001-2008

2001

First quarter ............................................ 1,546 304,171 91 20,991 32 5,558 22 4,441 13 3,317 

Second quarter ....................................... 1,828 430,499 161 38,986 69 9,563 36 12,109 15 3,519 

Third quarter ........................................... 1,629 330,391 142 24,813 45 5,724 39 8,200 21 5,350 

Fourth quarter ......................................... 2,372 459,771 109 17,797 50 7,667 43 10,124 38 9,889 

 Total .................................................... 7,375 1,524,832 503 102,587 196 28,512 140 34,874 87 22,075 

2002

First quarter ............................................ 1,611 299,266 84 18,574 34 3,770 32 8,192 28 4,346 

Second quarter ....................................... 1,624 344,606 69 11,764 39 4,326 27 4,870 34 5,643 

Third quarter ........................................... 1,186 255,152 76 15,017 36 4,359 34 6,529 33 5,496 

Fourth quarter ......................................... 1,916 373,307 74 14,298 26 5,709 19 3,645 31 7,643 

 Total .................................................... 6,337 1,272,331 303 59,653 135 18,164 112 23,236 126 23,128 

2003

First quarter ............................................ 1,502 286,947 71 11,900 27 5,097 23 4,402 26 4,513 

Second quarter ....................................... 1,799 368,273 54 9,221 19 2,741 21 3,098 22 4,169 

Third quarter ........................................... 1,190 236,333 46 6,488 24 4,189 9 1,289 8 842 

Fourth quarter ......................................... 1,690 325,333 25 5,080 8 1,167 9 1,619 23 5,774 

 Total .................................................... 6,181 1,216,886 196 32,689 78 13,194 62 10,408 79 15,298 

2004

First quarter ............................................ 1,339 276,503 27 3,222 13 2,786 8 894 14 2,832 

Second quarter ....................................... 1,358 278,831 18 2,959 15 2,775 – – 15 3,250 

Third quarter ........................................... 886 164,608 13 2,288 14 1,467 4 430 11 3,792 

Fourth quarter ......................................... 1,427 273,967 18 3,055 10 1,547 4 563 20 3,143 

 Total .................................................... 5,010 993,909 76 11,524 52 8,575 16 1,887 60 13,017 

2005

First quarter ............................................ 1,142 186,506 13 1,526 9 2,355 4 439 12 2,400 

Second quarter ....................................... 1,203 246,099 20 2,973 13 1,558 4 842 7 1,331 

Third quarter ........................................... 1,136 201,878 23 3,307 7 1,034 ( 6 ) ( 6 ) 3 304 

Fourth quarter ......................................... 1,400 250,178 19 4,122 3 720 ( 6 ) ( 6 ) 5 845 

 Total .................................................... 4,881 884,661 75 11,928 32 5,667 13 3,000 27 4,880 

2006

First quarter ............................................ 963 183,089 12 1,159 6 744 ( 6

 ) ( 6 ) ( 6 ) ( 6 ) 

Second quarter ....................................... 1,353 295,964 10 3,294 7 1,564 8 988 ( 6 ) ( 6 )

Third quarter ........................................... 929 160,254 14 3,544 6 487 ( 6 ) ( 6 ) 8 1,222 

Fourth quarter ......................................... 1,640 296,662 12 4,039 4 708 5 1,482 8 947 

 Total .................................................... 4,885 935,969 48 12,036 23 3,503 19 3,753 23 3,406 

2007

First quarter ............................................ 1,110 225,600 19 3,007 5 875 3 415 5 885 

Second quarter ....................................... 1,421 278,719 22 3,634 4 413 5 433 3 315 

Third quarter ........................................... 1,018 160,024 22 5,279 6 1,030 4 403 3 276 

Fourth quarter ......................................... 1,814 301,592 9 1,459 4 473 3 381 7 870 

 Total .................................................... 5,363 965,935 72 13,379 19 2,791 15 1,632 18 2,346 

2008

First quarterr

 ........................................... 1,340 229,858 19 3,040 9 987 3 330 3 329 

Second quarterr ...................................... 1,756 354,361 25 4,018 7 969 ( 6 ) ( 6 ) 16 2,545 

Third quarterp

 ......................................... 1,330 218,158 33 5,818 19 2,835 6 1,331 8 924 

 1

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

(U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, 2003). services; other computer related services; office equipment rental and leasing;

In the MLS program, however, computer and software merchant wholesalers and and computer and office machine repair.

computer and software stores are only included in the computer hardware industry. 4 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American 

 2 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: telephone apparatus manufacturing;

Classification System (NAICS), are: semiconductor machinery manufacturing; office audio and video equipment manufacturing; broadcast and wireless communications

machinery manufacturing; electronic computer manufacturing; computer storage equip.; fiber optic cable manufacturing; software reproducing; and magnetic and

device manufacturing; computer terminal manufacturing; other computer peripheral optical recording media mfg.

equipment mfg.; electron tube manufacturing; bare printed circuit board manufacturing; 5 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American 

semiconductors and related device mfg.; electronic capacitor manufacturing; electronic Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: wired telecommunications carriers;

resistor manufacturing; electronic coils, transformers, and inductors; electronic cellular and other wireless carriers; telecommunications resellers; cable and other

connector manufacturing; printed circuit assembly manufacturing; other electronic program distribution; satellite telecommunications; other telecommunications;

component manufacturing; industrial process variable instruments; electricity and signal and communication equipment repair.

testing instruments; analytical laboratory instrument mfg.; computer and software 6 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 

merchant wholesalers; and computer and software stores. r

= revised. 

 3 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry p = preliminary. 

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

web search portals; data processing and related services; custom computer programming

Year

Separations Separations Separations

hardware2 computer services3

Layoff

events

Total extended

mass layoffs

Information technology-producing industries 1

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, 2007 and 2008

III II III III II III

2007 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ............................................... 63 71 82 12,367 12,315 14,613 

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

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

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

 Manufacturing .............................................................. 45 49 55 8,955 7,697 10,983 

 Food ........................................................................ ( 2 ) 5 4 ( 2 ) 1,025 1,302 

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

 Textile mills ............................................................. 5 – 3 1,505 – 314 

 Textile product mills 3

 .............................................. ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Apparel 3

 ................................................................. 5 3 ( 2

 ) 660 599 ( 2 ) 

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

 Wood products ........................................................ – – – – – –

 Paper ...................................................................... – 3 3 – 256 391 

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

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

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

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Plastics and rubber products 3

 ................................ 5 ( 2

 ) 3 595 ( 2 ) 292 

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

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

 Fabricated metal products ...................................... 3 3 ( 2 ) 462 338 ( 2 )

 Machinery 3

 ............................................................. 3 4 4 565 539 776 

 Computer and electronic products .......................... 3 4 9 1,924 408 1,527 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ...................... ( 2 ) 5 6 ( 2 ) 1,432 1,282 

 Transportation equipment 3

 ..................................... 6 9 12 1,065 1,125 3,268 

 Furniture and related products 3

 .............................. ( 2

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

 Miscellaneous manufacturing 3

 ............................... 3 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 188 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Wholesale trade ........................................................... 5 4 ( 2

 ) 678 578 ( 2 ) 

 Retail trade .................................................................. ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 454 ( 2 )

 Transportation and warehousing ................................. ( 2 ) 3 4 ( 2 ) 1,589 684 

 Information ................................................................... – ( 2 ) 4 – ( 2 ) 557 

 Finance and insurance 3

 .............................................. 7 ( 2

 ) 8 1,612 ( 2 ) 938 

 Real estate and rental and leasing 3

 ............................ ––––––

 Professional and technical services 3

 .......................... ( 2

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

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

 Administrative and waste services 3 ............................ – 5 3 – 1,206 479 

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

 Health care and social assistance ............................... – – 3 – – 431 

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

 Accommodation and food services .............................. – – – – – –

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

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

 

 1

 See footnote 1, table 1. r = revised.

 2

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

 3

 Data beginning in 2008 are not strictly comparable to prior years NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 due to a change in NAICS versions.

Layoff events Separations

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

selected quarters, 2007 and 2008

Reason for layoff

III II III III II III

2007 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 

 Total, private nonfarm1 ................................................... 63 71 82 12,367 12,315 14,613 

Business demand ............................................................. 17 19 ( 2

 ) 3,303 4,560 ( 2 ) 

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

 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 

 Contract completion ....................................................... ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

 Domestic competition ..................................................... – ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) –

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

 Import competition ......................................................... 10 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 2,269 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 Slack work/insufficient demand/non-seasonal

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

 ) 9 12 ( 2 ) 2,810 3,134 

Organizational changes .................................................... 23 34 46 4,729 5,154 8,276 

 Business-ownership change .......................................... 4 3 6 903 634 1,628 

 Reorganization or restructuring of company .................. 19 31 40 3,826 4,520 6,648 

Financial issues ................................................................ 18 12 18 3,763 1,689 2,509 

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

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

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

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

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

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

 ) – – ( 2 ) – –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 ) – – ( 2 ) –

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 2

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

 r

 = revised.

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

selected quarters, 2007 and 2008

Census region and division

Layoff events Separations

III II III III II III

2007 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p 

 United States1 ...................................... 63 71 82 12,367 12,315 14,613 

Northeast ..................................................... 9 15 14 1,400 1,839 2,236 

 New England ........................................... 3 ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 514 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Middle Atlantic ......................................... 6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 886 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

South ........................................................... 29 20 11 5,298 3,404 1,968 

 South Atlantic ........................................... 14 12 4 2,321 1,899 544 

 East South Central ................................... ( 2 ) 5 3 ( 2 ) 734 362 

 West South Central .................................. ( 2 ) 3 4 ( 2 ) 771 1,062 

Midwest ........................................................ 15 22 42 2,706 3,569 8,177 

 East North Central ................................... 8 17 32 1,355 2,959 6,179 

 West North Central .................................. 7 5 10 1,351 610 1,998 

West ............................................................. 10 14 15 2,963 3,503 2,232 

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

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

 Pacific ...................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 )

 1 See footnote 1, table 1. District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South 

 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, 

 r = revised. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas,

 p = preliminary. Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas: East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, 

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, 

 the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massa- Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: 

chusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and 

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, Wyoming; and Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.
Table 10. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2007 and 2008

III II III III II III

2007r 2008r 2008p 2007r 2008r 2008p

Total, private nonfarm1 ................................................... 1,018 1,756 1,330 160,024 354,361 218,158 

 Total, excluding seasonal

 and vacation events2

 .............................................. 800 1,105 1,132 119,663 198,053 179,416 

 Total, movement of work3

 ....................................... 63 71 82 12,367 12,315 14,613 

 Movement of work actions ................................. 87 100 104 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

 With separations reported ............................ 60 78 76 7,159 7,346 9,265 

 With separations unknown ........................... 27 22 28 ( 4 ) ( 4 ) ( 4 )

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

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

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

 3 Movement of work can involve more than one action.

Layoff events Separations

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

selected quarters, 2007 and 2008

III II III III II III

2007 2008r 2008p 2007 2008r 2008p

With separations reported2 ................................. 60 78 76 7,159 7,346 9,265 

By location

 Out-of-country relocations ................................ 21 25 19 3,187 3,159 2,211 

 Within company ............................................ 11 23 17 1,504 2,935 2,034 

 Different company ........................................ 10 2 2 1,683 224 177 

 Domestic relocations ........................................ 38 52 57 3,793 3,912 7,054 

 Within company ............................................ 34 47 48 3,396 3,694 6,257 

 Different company ........................................ 4 5 9 397 218 797 

 Unable to assign place of 

 relocation ....................................................... 1 1 – 179 275 –

By company

 Within company ................................................ 46 70 65 5,079 6,629 8,291 

 Domestic ....................................................... 34 47 48 3,396 3,694 6,257 

 Out of country ............................................... 11 23 17 1,504 2,935 2,034 

 Unable to assign ........................................... 1 – – 179 – –

 Different company ............................................ 14 8 11 2,080 717 974 

 Domestic ....................................................... 4 5 9 397 218 797 

 Out of country ............................................... 10 2 2 1,683 224 177 

 Unable to assign ........................................... – 1 – – 275 –

 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.

Activities

Actions1 Separations
Extended Mass Layoff Events by Reason Categories1

Third quarters, 2002-08

0

700600500400300200100

2002:3 2003:3 2004:3 2005:3 2006:3 2007:3 2008:3

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

p