1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 06-1858

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

MASS LAYOFFS IN SEPTEMBER 2006

In September 2006, employers took 1,132 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 116,773, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of layoff events decreased by 61 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by

11,171. During September 2006, 381 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 45,040 initial claims. The number of events in manufacturing was higher than a

month earlier, while the number of initial claims decreased. (See table 1.)

Compared with September 2005, which included the effects of Hurricane Katrina, September 2006

shows a sharp decrease in the number of events and associated initial claims. In September 2005, 2,219

layoff events and 283,772 associated initial claims, seasonally adjusted, were reported.

In September 2006, the national unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, essentially unchanged from 4.7 percent in August 2006 and down from 5.1 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm payroll

employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 51,000 over the month and by about 1.8 million over the

year.

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally 

adjusted, October 2001-September 2006

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

2006 

Note: Shaded area represents recession period.

2002 2003 2004 2005 

Private nonfarm

Total

Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally 

adjusted, October 2001-September 2006

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Manufacturing

Total

Private nonfarm

Note: Shaded area represents recession period.
2

Table A. Industries with the largest mass layoff initial claims in September 2006

Industry Initial claims

 September peak

Year

Initial claims

Temporary help services ........................................ 4,543 2001 12,752

Professional employer organizations ....................... 2,623 2006 2,623

Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing ............ 2,532 2000 3,688

AC, refrigeration, and forced air heating ................ 2,381 2006 2,381

Motion picture and video production ..................... 2,226 1997 11,176

Motor vehicle seating and interior trim

 manufacturing ..................................................... 1,920 2006 1,920

General medical and surgical hospitals ................... 1,876 2005 11,533

Supermarkets and other grocery stores .................. 1,456 2005 4,873

Discount department stores .................................... 1,247 2005 3,550

Warehouse clubs and supercenters ........................ 1,124 2002 1,218

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass layoff initial claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 21,928 initial claims in September, 25 percent of the total. The three industries with the highest

number of initial claims were temporary help services with 4,543, professional employer organizations with

2,623, and light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing with 2,532. Together, these three industries accounted

for 11 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs in September. (See table A.)

The manufacturing sector accounted for 34 percent of all mass layoff events and 45 percent of all initial

claims filed in September; a year earlier, manufacturing comprised 19 percent of events and 22 percent of

initial claims. Manufacturing accounted for a smaller percentage of events and initial claims in September

2005 because of the significant impact of Hurricane Katrina on all industries located in the affected areas.

In September 2006, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (13,330, mostly automotive-related), followed by machinery manufacturing (4,772). (See table 3.)

Administrative and waste services accounted for 13 percent of events and 11 percent of initial claims filed

in September, with layoffs mostly in temporary help services and professional employer organizations. Construction accounted for 11 percent of events and 8 percent of initial claims during the month, with the majority from specialty trade contractors. Retail trade accounted for 8 percent of both events and initial claims

in September, primarily from general merchandise stores.

Government establishments accounted for 5 percent of both events and initial claims filed in September,

mostly from educational services and executive, legislative, and general government.

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of layoff events in September 2006, at 865, was down

by 797 from a year earlier, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 125,582 to 87,699.

(See table 2.) The largest over-the-year decreases in initial claims were reported in industries that were

particularly affected by Hurricane Katrina including: educational services (-18,180), accommodation (-13,898),

and food services and drinking places (-12,948). The largest over-the-year increases in initial claims were

reported in furniture and related product manufacturing (+1,320) and fabricated metal product manufacturing

(+925).
3

From January through September 2006, the total number of initial claims, at 994,898, was the lowest reported for any January-September period since 1996.

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

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

in the West, 25,910. Administrative and support services and specialty trade contractors accounted for 27

percent of all mass layoff initial claims in that region during the month. The Midwest had the second largest

number of initial claims, 25,348, followed by the South, 23,990, and the Northeast, 12,451. (See table 5.)

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

Midwest (+4,324) and the Northeast (+2,461). The regional decreases were in the South (-130,009) and

the West (-2,358). In September 2005, the South had experienced a substantial increase of initial claimants

in Louisiana and Mississippi as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Six geographic divisions had over-the-year increases in the number of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest increases in East North

Central (+2,162) and West North Central (+2,162). Of the three divisions with over-the-year decreases,

the largest were in West South Central (-104,453) and East South Central (-26,116).

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

in September (21,642), followed by Ohio (5,276), Kentucky (5,133), Pennsylvania (4,895), and Michigan

(4,072). These five states accounted for 51 percent of all mass layoff events and 47 percent of all initial

claims for unemployment insurance. (See table 6.)

Ohio had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial claims (+2,868), largely due to layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing. Minnesota had the next largest increase in initial claims

(+1,636), followed by Pennsylvania (+1,432). The largest over-the-year decreases in claims occurred in

Louisiana (-102,347) and Mississippi (-25,970).

From January to September, California reported 229,695 mass layoff initial claims, 23 percent of the

national total. The states with the next largest number of claims over this period were Michigan (88,054),

Pennsylvania (59,674), New York (57,414), and Ohio (56,555).

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 Third Quarter of 2006 is scheduled to be released on

Wednesday, November 15, 2006. The report on Mass Layoffs in October 2006 is scheduled to be

released on Friday, November 24, 2006.
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, October 2002 to September 2006,

seasonally adjusted

2002

October ................................................................... 1,774 186,940 1,582 169,660 625 73,904 

November ............................................................... 1,652 178,402 1,507 167,335 613 71,693 

December ............................................................... 1,841 198,678 1,659 184,368 661 84,048 

2003

January ................................................................... 1,358 131,963 1,168 117,636 387 48,685 

February ................................................................. 1,825 190,928 1,647 178,363 646 78,819 

March ...................................................................... 1,782 175,671 1,595 160,170 617 72,409 

April ......................................................................... 1,722 174,608 1,564 163,607 640 83,303 

May ......................................................................... 1,719 184,003 1,542 170,961 625 86,535 

June ........................................................................ 1,716 164,299 1,524 148,542 636 68,143 

July ......................................................................... 1,642 163,179 1,442 148,299 580 74,070 

August ..................................................................... 1,517 171,861 1,367 158,049 551 74,602 

September .............................................................. 1,562 147,383 1,374 133,383 484 56,472 

October ................................................................... 1,558 156,814 1,336 138,691 427 52,009 

November ............................................................... 1,393 141,383 1,244 129,231 401 50,460 

December ............................................................... 1,426 144,456 1,265 132,324 434 50,994 

2004

January ................................................................... 1,421 142,704 1,223 124,192 395 48,519 

February ................................................................. 1,293 132,640 1,145 120,811 362 39,360 

March ...................................................................... 1,364 140,957 1,234 132,152 407 60,296 

April ......................................................................... 1,381 141,909 1,207 126,106 341 37,686 

May ......................................................................... 1,189 111,173 1,030 98,230 314 37,405 

June ........................................................................ 1,390 141,948 1,226 129,344 360 45,398 

July ......................................................................... 1,329 137,724 1,185 126,945 371 53,248 

August ..................................................................... 1,436 131,807 1,243 116,672 342 38,192 

September .............................................................. 1,283 125,344 1,155 115,499 344 45,691 

October ................................................................... 1,302 129,237 1,181 119,653 369 47,888 

November ............................................................... 1,350 135,036 1,202 122,954 407 47,517 

December ............................................................... 1,188 120,602 1,038 109,508 293 33,123 

2005

January ................................................................... 1,465 153,676 1,330 143,295 380 58,778 

February ................................................................. 1,135 120,190 1,010 109,964 350 43,966 

March ...................................................................... 1,204 133,935 1,071 124,273 384 56,253 

April ......................................................................... 1,278 139,575 1,145 128,478 390 60,726 

May ......................................................................... 1,194 129,214 1,059 117,660 359 52,055 

June ........................................................................ 1,184 128,430 1,065 119,271 349 53,930 

July ......................................................................... 1,248 131,136 1,107 118,994 356 49,070 

August ..................................................................... 1,145 127,592 1,006 116,011 334 48,904 

September .............................................................. 2,219 283,772 1,975 237,831 438 53,399 

October ................................................................... 1,114 104,584 986 94,798 328 45,475 

November ............................................................... 1,205 120,783 1,074 109,680 359 45,069 

December ............................................................... 1,308 149,565 1,185 138,234 365 49,641 

2006

January ................................................................... 1,113 108,378 985 97,832 274 29,541 

February ................................................................. 1,073 111,468 973 103,268 321 45,073 

March ...................................................................... 1,082 118,555 984 110,275 328 49,023 

April ......................................................................... 1,148 118,504 1,023 109,150 358 48,086 

May ......................................................................... 1,074 109,858 963 101,080 293 42,006 

June ........................................................................ 1,097 119,662 974 109,041 311 37,570 

July ......................................................................... 1,125 114,895 1,009 105,829 363 47,287 

August ..................................................................... 1,193 127,944 1,060 117,993 357 59,256 

September .............................................................. 1,132 116,773 1,008 107,431 381 45,040 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants
Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2002 to September 2006,

not seasonally adjusted

2002

October ................................................................... 1,497 171,100 1,270 149,327 493 64,655 

November ............................................................... 2,153 240,171 1,860 216,237 719 92,712 

December ............................................................... 2,474 264,158 2,324 252,807 984 126,826 

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 

Total Private nonfarm Manufacturing

Date

Events Events Events Initial

claimants

Initial

claimants

Initial

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

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

September July August September September July August September

2005 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ..................................................................... 2,219 1,125 1,193 1,132 283,772 114,895 127,944 116,773 

 Total, private nonfarm .............................................. 1,975 1,009 1,060 1,008 237,831 105,829 117,993 107,431 

 Manufacturing ........................................................ 438 363 357 381 53,399 47,287 59,256 45,040 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total1

 ................................................................... 1,662 1,511 708 865 213,281 166,857 72,844 87,699 

Total, private .............................................................. 1,528 1,414 675 819 180,425 160,148 70,352 83,317 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ............... 23 79 19 34 1,383 5,806 1,298 2,043 

 Total, private nonfarm .............................................. 1,505 1,335 656 785 179,042 154,342 69,054 81,274 

 Mining .................................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

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

 Construction ........................................................... 116 69 50 99 8,885 4,457 3,473 6,643 

 Manufacturing ........................................................ 318 648 203 296 47,497 96,152 28,494 39,076 

 Food ................................................................... 59 60 26 32 5,907 5,607 1,559 2,763 

 Beverage and tobacco products ........................ 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 6 274 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 581 

 Textile mills ........................................................ 20 16 11 12 2,636 2,217 1,302 1,751 

 Textile product mills ........................................... 6 9 4 5 958 663 328 465 

 Apparel .............................................................. 10 19 4 9 2,183 2,009 264 1,073 

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

 Wood products ................................................... 22 35 19 28 2,253 3,480 2,240 2,645 

 Paper ................................................................. 10 7 6 6 1,218 522 425 741 

 Printing and related support activities ................ 5 5 5 ( 2 ) 318 418 325 ( 2 )

 Petroleum and coal products ............................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 235 

 Chemicals .......................................................... 6 11 4 4 822 1,503 373 284 

 Plastics and rubber products ............................. 13 57 9 16 1,833 6,842 645 1,786 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ............................ 9 19 ( 2 ) 6 657 2,070 ( 2 ) 835 

 Primary metals ................................................... 11 32 9 7 1,112 3,645 816 876 

 Fabricated metal products ................................. 17 54 10 22 1,224 5,549 673 2,149 

 Machinery .......................................................... 30 33 14 24 4,967 4,716 2,210 4,772 

 Computer and electronic products ..................... 18 20 16 8 1,438 1,979 1,590 451 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ................. 11 19 8 11 2,959 1,943 1,517 1,395 

 Transportation equipment .................................. 52 233 44 69 15,584 51,048 12,428 13,330 

 Furniture and related products ........................... 9 7 6 15 599 490 935 1,919 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ............................ 3 7 ( 2 ) 7 242 508 ( 2 ) 571 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................... 33 17 17 12 2,351 1,218 1,076 908 

 Retail trade ............................................................ 203 85 69 72 22,358 7,540 5,975 6,619 

 Transportation and warehousing ........................... 51 88 61 24 6,218 8,327 5,513 1,965 

 Information ............................................................. 41 37 29 31 6,046 4,274 4,477 3,337 

 Finance and insurance .......................................... 32 26 15 26 2,580 1,695 1,007 1,937 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ........................ 19 8 ( 2 ) 4 1,125 895 ( 2 ) 311 

 Professional and technical services ....................... 31 40 24 22 2,655 4,530 2,202 3,222 

 Management of companies and enterprises .......... ( 2 ) 3 – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 204 – ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services ......................... 206 190 113 110 20,616 16,115 10,961 9,950 

 Educational services .............................................. 12 8 ( 2 ) 6 1,667 533 ( 2 ) 436 

 Health care and social assistance ......................... 150 40 17 21 17,259 3,068 1,133 2,383 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ....................... 37 18 12 15 7,164 1,018 649 944 

 Accommodation and food services ........................ 220 46 33 36 29,522 3,419 2,281 2,728 

 Other services, except public administration ......... 29 8 7 6 2,352 442 854 453 

 Unclassified .......................................................... – 1 1 – – 192 54 –

Government ............................................................... 134 97 33 46 32,856 6,709 2,492 4,382 

 Federal ................................................................... 10 7 8 8 966 685 839 852 

 State ...................................................................... 37 12 6 10 5,905 826 339 1,272 

 Local ...................................................................... 87 78 19 28 25,985 5,198 1,314 2,258 

 1

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

 2

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

 

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

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2004

July ..................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 

August ................................................ 809 69,033 745 63,876 

September ......................................... 708 68,972 637 63,102 

Third Quarter ...................................... 3,611 391,934 3,242 361,855 886 148,575 27.3 41.1 

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 1,136 190,180 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 1,400 246,169 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 2,637 277,086 963 189,634 36.5 68.4 

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 2,p 1,213 2,p 184,534 p 39.7 p 55.5 

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 

 1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards

mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The initial claimant realization by less than 10 percent and the number of initial claimants associated

rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants with such events increases by 25-40 percent.

associated with layoffs lasting more than 30 days. p = preliminary.

 2

 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more

data on these layoffs become available. Experience suggests that the

Mass layoffs Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

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

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

September July August September September July August September

2005 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006

 United States1

 .................................................... 1,662 1,511 708 865 213,281 166,857 72,844 87,699 

Northeast .................................................................... 118 218 150 126 9,990 17,043 14,506 12,451 

 New England .......................................................... 13 23 10 20 1,204 1,618 783 2,532 

 Middle Atlantic ........................................................ 105 195 140 106 8,786 15,425 13,723 9,919 

South .......................................................................... 1,086 313 163 209 153,999 30,866 21,113 23,990 

 South Atlantic ......................................................... 81 178 96 98 10,247 15,176 10,808 10,807 

 East South Central ................................................. 161 82 31 50 33,946 8,541 7,226 7,830 

 West South Central ................................................ 844 53 36 61 109,806 7,149 3,079 5,353 

Midwest ...................................................................... 161 569 117 208 21,024 86,786 13,084 25,348 

 East North Central .................................................. 133 487 94 167 17,107 77,161 10,974 19,269 

 West North Central ................................................. 28 82 23 41 3,917 9,625 2,110 6,079 

West ........................................................................... 297 411 278 322 28,268 32,162 24,141 25,910 

 Mountain ................................................................. 22 32 16 18 1,901 2,324 1,018 2,092 

 Pacific ..................................................................... 275 379 262 304 26,367 29,838 23,123 23,818 

 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

September July August September September July August September

2005 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006

 Total1

 ....................................................................... 1,662 1,511 708 865 213,281 166,857 72,844 87,699 

Alabama ..................................................................... 20 12 6 13 1,968 1,510 762 1,015 

Alaska ......................................................................... 3 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 280 217 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Arizona ....................................................................... ( 2 ) 14 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1,101 196 ( 2 )

Arkansas .................................................................... – 4 3 ( 2 ) – 414 577 ( 2 )

California .................................................................... 256 341 227 281 24,616 26,385 20,339 21,642 

Colorado ..................................................................... 3 5 – 3 185 375 – 294 

Connecticut ................................................................ 3 5 3 4 258 297 232 414 

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

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

Florida ........................................................................ 40 81 40 46 3,314 5,371 2,497 3,627 

Georgia ....................................................................... 14 39 11 20 3,230 4,104 1,255 1,555 

Hawaii ......................................................................... 3 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 249 183 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Idaho .......................................................................... 3 3 4 ( 2 ) 239 262 237 ( 2 )

Illinois ......................................................................... 46 46 23 38 5,793 7,333 2,128 3,578 

Indiana ........................................................................ 13 66 14 25 2,339 10,104 2,227 3,166 

Iowa ............................................................................ 3 22 4 8 996 2,846 306 817 

Kansas ....................................................................... 3 8 5 8 259 1,757 279 986 

Kentucky ..................................................................... 21 53 15 23 4,473 5,767 5,785 5,133 

Louisiana .................................................................... 791 12 4 26 104,388 2,629 282 2,041 

Maine .......................................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

Maryland ..................................................................... – 13 5 4 – 1,421 547 433 

Massachusetts ........................................................... 4 7 4 10 503 441 277 937 

Michigan ..................................................................... 23 228 14 34 3,235 41,722 1,274 4,072 

Minnesota ................................................................... 7 11 ( 2 ) 9 741 922 ( 2 ) 2,377 

Mississippi .................................................................. 113 6 ( 2 ) 7 26,817 364 ( 2 ) 847 

Missouri ...................................................................... 10 32 11 12 981 2,979 930 1,254 

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

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

Nebraska .................................................................... 4 5 ( 2 ) 4 811 685 ( 2 ) 645 

Nevada ....................................................................... 12 7 6 7 997 439 392 1,018 

New Hampshire .......................................................... 3 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 217 ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

New Jersey ................................................................. 20 42 24 12 2,013 3,662 1,866 1,898 

New Mexico ................................................................ ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 175 

New York .................................................................... 40 62 63 33 3,310 4,837 7,042 3,126 

North Carolina ............................................................ 6 11 14 7 601 1,233 1,712 842 

North Dakota .............................................................. ( 2 ) 4 – – ( 2 ) 436 – –

Ohio ............................................................................ 21 79 23 39 2,408 10,108 3,772 5,276 

Oklahoma ................................................................... 3 8 ( 2 ) 3 360 1,290 ( 2 ) 269 

Oregon ....................................................................... 3 20 15 9 342 2,186 1,130 958 

Pennsylvania .............................................................. 45 91 53 61 3,463 6,926 4,815 4,895 

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

 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 272 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

South Carolina ............................................................ 14 13 12 9 1,907 1,143 1,267 1,645 

South Dakota .............................................................. ––––––––

Tennessee .................................................................. 7 11 8 7 688 900 501 835 

Texas .......................................................................... 50 29 28 30 5,058 2,816 2,127 2,916 

Utah ............................................................................ – – ( 2 ) ––– ( 2 ) –

Vermont ...................................................................... – 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 235 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Virginia ....................................................................... 6 18 12 8 1,086 1,666 3,366 1,748 

Washington ................................................................ 10 12 18 10 880 867 1,517 909 

West Virginia .............................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 207 

Wisconsin ................................................................... 30 68 20 31 3,332 7,894 1,573 3,177 

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

Puerto Rico ................................................................. 20 10 14 12 2,268 860 1,555 1,714 

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

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State