1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 06-2100

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Thursday, December 21, 2006

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

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally 

adjusted, December 2001-November 2006

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 

Private nonfarm

Total

Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally 

adjusted, December 2001-November 2006

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Manufacturing

Total

Private nonfarm

MASS LAYOFFS IN NOVEMBER 2006

In November, employers took 1,208 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 136,415, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff

events increased by 37 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims increased by

22,691. During November, 415 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally

adjusted, resulting in 60,827 initial claims. Both the number of events and the number of initial claims in

manufacturing were higher in November than a month earlier. (See table 1.)

The national unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in November, seasonally adjusted, essentially

unchanged from 4.4 percent the prior month and down from 5.0 percent a year earlier. Total nonfarm

payroll employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 132,000 over the month and by about 1.8 million

over the year.

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The 10 industries reporting the highest numbers of mass layoff initial claims, not seasonally adjusted,

accounted for 30 percent of the total initial claims in November. The industry with the highest number of

initial claims was highway, street, and bridge construction with 7,362, followed by temporary help services
2

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

Industry

Initial claims

November peak

Year

Initial claims

with 6,511, and motion picture and video production with 5,379. Together, these three industries accounted

for 14 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs during the month. (See table A.)

The manufacturing sector accounted for 35 percent of all mass layoff events and 43 percent of all initial

claims filed in November; a year earlier, manufacturing comprised 29 percent of events and 36 percent of

initial claims. In November 2006, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation

equipment manufacturing (13,352, mostly in motor vehicle manufacturing), followed by food manufacturing

(7,222) and machinery manufacturing (6,563). (See table 3.)

Construction accounted for 16 percent of events and 13 percent of initial claims in November, mostly

from heavy and civil engineering construction. Administrative and waste services comprised 12 percent of

events and 9 percent of initial claims filed over the month, with the majority of layoffs in temporary help

services and professional employer organizations. Accommodation and food services reported 6 percent of

events and 7 percent of initial claims, mainly from food service contractors. Eight percent of all layoff events

and 5 percent of initial claims filed were from agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, primarily from the farm

labor contractors and crew leaders industry.

Government establishments accounted for 3 percent of both events and initial claims filed, largely from

executive, legislative, and general government and administration of economic programs.

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of mass layoff events in November, at 1,315, was

up by 61 from a year earlier, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 20,059 to 136,186.

(See table 2.) The largest over-the-year increases in initial claims were reported in machinery manufacturing

(+3,653), motion picture and sound recording industries (+3,487), and wood products manufacturing

(+2,691). The largest over-the-year decreases in mass layoff initial claims were reported in apparel

manufacturing (-1,305), general merchandise stores (-1,176), and amusements, gambling, and recreation

(-1,118).

From January through November 2006, the total number of initial claims due to mass layoffs, at

1,229,888, was the lowest reported for any January-November period in program history. Collection

of comparable mass layoff data for the January-November period began in 1996.

Highway, street, and bridge construction ............... 7,362 2001 14,805

Temporary help services........................................ 6,511 2000 19,023

Motion picture and video production..................... 5,379 2000 8,664

Food service contractors....................................... 4,483 2006 4,483

Travel trailer and camper manufacturing................. 3,548 2006 3,548

AC, refrigeration, and forced air heating ................ 3,333 2006 3,333

Automobile manufacturing...................................... 3,031 2001 7,202

Casino hotels......................................................... 2,706 2006 2,706

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders .............. 2,475 1999 11,613

Professional employer organizations ....................... 2,099 2002 4,088
3

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

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

in the Midwest, 49,067. Transportation equipment manufacturing and administrative and support services

together accounted for 33 percent of all mass layoff initial claims in that region during the month. The West

had the second largest number of initial claims among the regions, 38,860, followed by the South, 27,536,

and the Northeast 20,723. (See table 5.)

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

Midwest (+14,166), the West (+8,196), and the Northeast (+1,598). The South experienced the only

regional decrease (-3,901). Five geographic divisions had over-the-year increases in the numbers of initial

claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest increase in the East North Central division (+12,111),

followed by the Pacific division (+8,291). Of the four divisions with over-the-year decreases, the largest

were in the West South Central (-2,918) and South Atlantic (-1,796).

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

in November (27,433), followed by Michigan (10,636), Wisconsin (10,523), Pennsylvania (8,518), and

Indiana (7,285). These five states accounted for 50 percent of all mass layoff events and 47 percent of all

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

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

to layoffs in motion picture and sound recording industries. Michigan had the next largest increase in initial

claims (+5,650), followed by Indiana (+4,474). The largest over-the-year decreases in claims occurred in

Florida (-4,931) and Louisiana (-2,801).

From January to November, California reported 283,059 mass layoff initial claims, 23 percent of the

national total. The states with the next largest number of claims over this period were Michigan (105,122),

Pennsylvania (75,112), New York (64,907), and Ohio (64,443).

Note

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

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

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

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

industry classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of the laid-off workers.

Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months

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

See the Technical Note for more detailed definitions.

______________________________

The report on Mass Layoffs in December 2006 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, January 24,

2007. Monthly release dates for the balance of 2007 are as follows:

February 23 May 23 August 23 November 21

March 22 June 22 September 21 December 21

April 20 July 20 October 23
Technical Note

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

program that uses a standardized, automated approach to

identifying, describing, and tracking the effects of major job

cutbacks, using data from each state’s unemployment insurance

database. Each month, states report on establishments which

have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during a

consecutive 5-week period. These establishments then are

contacted by the state agency to determine whether these

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

information concerning the layoff is collected. States report on

layoffs lasting more than 1 month on a quarterly basis.

A given month contains an aggregation of the weekly

unemployment insurance claims filings for the Sunday through

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

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

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

tabulations. This means that some months will contain 4 weeks

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

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

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

calendar effect into consideration.

The MLS program resumed operations in April 1995 after it

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

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

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

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

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

Definitions

Initial claimant . A person who files any notice of

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination of

entitlement to and eligibility for compensation, or for a

subsequent period of unemployment within a benefit year or

period of eligibility.

Mass layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for

unemployment insurance benefits filed against an

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

Seasonal adjustment

Effective with the release of data for January 2005, BLS

began publishing six seasonally adjusted monthly MLS series.

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

layoff initial claims for the total, private nonfarm, and

manufacturing sectors.

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and

removing the effect on time series data of regularly recurring

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

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

seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental

changes in time series, particularly those associated with

general economic expansions and contractions.

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

ARIMA seasonal adjustment method on a concurrent basis.

Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available monthly

estimates, including those for the current month, in developing

seasonal adjustment factors. Revisions to the most recent

5 years of seasonally adjusted data will be made once a

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

seasonally adjusted, prior adjustments are made to the

original data to adjust them for differences in the number of

weeks used to calculate the monthly data. Because weekly

unemployment insurance claims are aggregated to form

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

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

the seasonal factors if they were ignored in the seasonal

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

ARIMA program and are permanently removed from the final

seasonally adjusted series.
Table 1. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, December 2002 to November 2006,

seasonally adjusted

2002

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 

October ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,171 113,724 1,045 104,126 398 54,852 

November ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,208 136,415 1,099 127,657 415 60,827 

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, December 2002 to November 2006,

not seasonally adjusted

2002

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 

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

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

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

November September October November November September October November

2005 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006

Seasonally adjusted

 Total ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,205 1,132 1,171 1,208 120,783 116,773 113,724 136,415 

 Total, private nonfarm ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,074 1,008 1,045 1,099 109,680 107,431 104,126 127,657 

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 359 381 398 415 45,069 45,040 54,852 60,827 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,254 865 964 1,315 116,127 87,699 98,804 136,186 

Total, private ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,187 819 913 1,273 109,395 83,317 93,939 132,337 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 108 34 93 101 7,213 2,043 5,806 7,328 

 Total, private nonfarm ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,079 785 820 1,172 102,182 81,274 88,133 125,009 

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

 ) ( 2 ) 7 509 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 648 

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

 ) ( 2 ) – 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 161 

 Construction ..................................................................................................................................................................... 192 99 100 212 15,824 6,643 6,445 17,364 

 Manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 363 296 311 455 41,442 39,076 46,737 58,473 

 Food ..................................................................................................................................................................... 66 32 56 59 7,092 2,763 5,246 7,222 

 Beverage and tobacco products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 6 9 8 416 581 711 502 

 Textile mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 12 11 14 2,734 1,751 1,388 2,247 

 Textile product mills ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 5 ( 2

 ) 9 444 465 ( 2 ) 1,325 

 Apparel ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 9 9 6 2,125 1,073 667 820 

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

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

 Wood products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 28 35 53 2,353 2,645 3,548 5,044 

 Paper ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 6 6 9 479 741 456 854 

 Printing and related support activities ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 ( 2

 ) 5 ( 2 ) 574 ( 2 ) 315 ( 2 )

 Petroleum and coal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 ( 2 ) 8 ( 2 ) 235 ( 2 ) 635 

 Chemicals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 4 4 6 510 284 332 489 

 Plastics and rubber products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 16 13 24 1,469 1,786 1,295 2,716 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 6 11 17 1,005 835 787 1,991 

 Primary metals ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17 7 15 28 1,475 876 1,349 3,154 

 Fabricated metal products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 22 16 35 1,751 2,149 1,395 3,710 

 Machinery ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 24 24 34 2,910 4,772 5,167 6,563 

 Computer and electronic products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 8 8 21 1,001 451 631 1,711 

 Electrical equipment and appliances ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 11 9 11 554 1,395 1,879 2,588 

 Transportation equipment ..................................................................................................................................................................... 76 69 55 79 11,665 13,330 19,224 13,352 

 Furniture and related products ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 15 11 21 1,804 1,919 1,040 2,075 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 7 6 9 676 571 629 1,145 

 Wholesale trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 12 13 17 1,687 908 829 1,328 

 Retail trade ..................................................................................................................................................................... 61 72 75 54 5,176 6,619 6,557 4,681 

 Transportation and warehousing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45 24 31 48 3,479 1,965 3,053 3,583 

 Information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 21 31 23 20 2,395 3,337 2,516 6,096 

 Finance and insurance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 26 26 23 1,307 1,937 2,123 1,376 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 3 5 122 311 416 270 

 Professional and technical services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 22 17 27 3,056 3,222 1,325 3,137 

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

 Administrative and waste services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 138 110 140 158 11,350 9,950 12,596 12,907 

 Educational services ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2 ) 6 ( 2 ) 3 ( 2 ) 436 ( 2 ) 200 

 Health care and social assistance ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 21 9 21 2,555 2,383 546 1,696 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ..................................................................................................................................................................... 40 15 22 27 3,623 944 1,475 2,266 

 Accommodation and food services ..................................................................................................................................................................... 88 36 40 81 8,204 2,728 2,583 9,883 

 Other services, except public administration ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 6 5 6 668 453 287 553 

 Unclassified ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 – – – 436 – – –

Government ..................................................................................................................................................................... 67 46 51 42 6,732 4,382 4,865 3,849 

 Federal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 8 16 10 1,608 852 1,721 970 

 State ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 10 17 12 2,527 1,272 1,489 1,057 

 Local ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 28 18 20 2,597 2,258 1,655 1,822 

 

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, October 2004 to November 2006,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2004

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

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

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

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

2005

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fourth Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4,482 462,326 4,004 425,629 1,400 246,181 35.0 57.8 

2006

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

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

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

First Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2,885 296,339 2,637 277,086 963 192,793 36.5 69.6 

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

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

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

Second Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3,501 371,159 3,056 332,314 1,353 263,787 44.3 79.4 

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

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

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

Third Quarter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3,084 327,400 2,776 304,670 2,p 836 2,p 104,458 p

 30.1 p 34.3 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mass layoffs

Total mass layoffs

Private nonfarm

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

not seasonally adjusted

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

November September October November November September October November

2005 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006

 United States 1

 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,254 865 964 1,315 116,127 87,699 98,804 136,186 

Northeast ..................................................................................................................................................................... 218 126 143 207 19,125 12,451 13,504 20,723 

 New England ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 20 14 25 2,703 2,532 966 2,090 

 Middle Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 194 106 129 182 16,422 9,919 12,538 18,633 

South ..................................................................................................................................................................... 279 209 183 227 31,437 23,990 23,687 27,536 

 South Atlantic ..................................................................................................................................................................... 165 98 111 113 14,596 10,807 9,228 12,800 

 East South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 42 50 46 54 5,296 7,830 11,517 6,109 

 West South Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 72 61 26 60 11,545 5,353 2,942 8,627 

Midwest ..................................................................................................................................................................... 355 208 223 429 34,901 25,348 28,833 49,067 

 East North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 279 167 177 333 27,180 19,269 22,646 39,291 

 West North Central ..................................................................................................................................................................... 76 41 46 96 7,721 6,079 6,187 9,776 

West ..................................................................................................................................................................... 402 322 415 452 30,664 25,910 32,780 38,860 

 Mountain ..................................................................................................................................................................... 50 18 35 49 4,552 2,092 3,180 4,457 

 Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................................... 352 304 380 403 26,112 23,818 29,600 34,403 

 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

November September October November November September October November

2005 2006 2006 2006 2005 2006 2006 2006

 Total 1 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1,254 865 964 1,315 116,127 87,699 98,804 136,186 

Alabama ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 13 5 12 783 1,015 467 1,512 

Alaska ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) 4 6 401 ( 2 ) 266 716 

Arizona ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 ( 2

 ) 3 ( 2 ) 350 ( 2 ) 295 ( 2 )

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

 ) – 5 1,866 ( 2 ) – 1,014 

California ..................................................................................................................................................................... 302 281 336 327 21,324 21,642 25,931 27,433 

Colorado ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7 3 6 9 758 294 517 691 

Connecticut ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 4 ( 2

 ) 3 235 414 ( 2 ) 318 

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

 ) – – – ( 2 ) – –

District of Columbia ..................................................................................................................................................................... – – – – – – – –

Florida ..................................................................................................................................................................... 100 46 56 35 7,138 3,627 3,289 2,207 

Georgia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 20 16 28 2,511 1,555 2,207 3,904 

Hawaii ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 422 ( 2 )

Idaho ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 ( 2

 ) 6 12 976 ( 2 ) 664 963 

Illinois ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34 38 39 55 3,600 3,578 5,508 5,849 

Indiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 25 19 44 2,811 3,166 4,281 7,285 

Iowa ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20 8 15 19 1,636 817 2,664 2,352 

Kansas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 8 3 7 647 986 176 822 

Kentucky ..................................................................................................................................................................... 23 23 24 24 3,521 5,133 9,645 3,341 

Louisiana ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 26 4 13 4,030 2,041 365 1,229 

Maine ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 322 

Maryland ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 6 9 ( 2 ) 433 574 1,236 

Massachusetts ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 10 10 9 650 937 707 665 

Michigan ..................................................................................................................................................................... 62 34 43 82 4,986 4,072 6,432 10,636 

Minnesota ..................................................................................................................................................................... 27 9 10 39 2,503 2,377 880 3,360 

Mississippi ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 7 3 8 ( 2 ) 847 202 443 

Missouri ..................................................................................................................................................................... 19 12 13 26 2,640 1,254 901 2,448 

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

 ) 5 7 770 ( 2 ) 672 789 

Nebraska ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 4 4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 645 345 ( 2 )

Nevada ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 7 4 15 1,144 1,018 274 1,704 

New Hampshire ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

New Jersey ..................................................................................................................................................................... 32 12 15 47 3,239 1,898 1,043 7,197 

New Mexico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 3 6 5 201 175 465 258 

New York ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 33 39 33 3,197 3,126 4,575 2,918 

North Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 7 7 13 841 842 592 1,423 

North Dakota ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) – ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 406 

Ohio ..................................................................................................................................................................... 52 39 35 48 5,607 5,276 2,890 4,998 

Oklahoma ..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 3 4 5 596 269 691 890 

Oregon ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 9 19 32 1,610 958 1,818 2,668 

Pennsylvania ..................................................................................................................................................................... 126 61 75 102 9,986 4,895 6,920 8,518 

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

 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – ( 2 )

South Carolina ..................................................................................................................................................................... 18 9 16 16 2,251 1,645 1,837 1,994 

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

Tennessee ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 7 14 10 905 835 1,203 813 

Texas ..................................................................................................................................................................... 25 30 18 37 5,053 2,916 1,886 5,494 

Utah ..................................................................................................................................................................... 3 – ( 2

 ) – 218 – ( 2 ) –

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

 ) ( 2 ) 6 1,285 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 582 

Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... 10 8 9 11 1,570 1,748 598 1,979 

Washington ..................................................................................................................................................................... 29 10 16 36 2,695 909 1,163 3,390 

West Virginia ..................................................................................................................................................................... ( 2

 ) 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 207 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

Wisconsin ..................................................................................................................................................................... 102 31 41 104 10,176 3,177 3,535 10,523 

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

 ) – 3 – ( 2 ) – 179 –

Puerto Rico ..................................................................................................................................................................... 12 12 6 7 1,202 1,714 729 626 

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

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

State