1

Technical information: (202) 691-6392

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 07-1924

For release: 10:00 A.M. EST

Friday, December 21, 2007

MASS LAYOFFS IN NOVEMBER 2007

In November, employers took 1,300 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 employer; the number of

workers involved totaled 136,924, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of mass layoff events in November decreased by 20 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims rose by 5,144.

Over the month, 402 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 55,926 initial claims. Compared with October, mass layoff activity in manufacturing decreased by

22 events, and initial claims decreased by 367. (See table 1.)

From January through November 2007, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 13,734, and

initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 1,408,852, were higher than in January-November 2006 when the totals were 12,627 and 1,328,251, respectively.

The national unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in November, unchanged from the prior month and up

from November 2006 (4.5 percent). Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 94,000 in November

2007 and by 1.5 million from a year earlier.

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

Events

2003 2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

Chart 1. Mass layoff events, seasonally adjusted,

December 2002-November 2007

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

Claims

2003 2004 2005 2006 

Total

Private nonfarm

2007

 Manufacturing

Chart 2. Mass layoff initial claims, seasonally adjusted,

December 2002-November 2007

News

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212

United States

Department 

of Labor
2

Industry

Initial claims

November peak

Year

Initial claims

Table A. Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in November 2007

Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

The 10 industries reporting the highest numbers of mass layoff initial claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 32 percent of all such initial claims in November. The industry with the highest number of initial

claims was highway, street, and bridge construction with 13,305, followed by temporary help services

(12,079) and automobile manufacturing (8,416). Together, these three industries accounted for 17 percent

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

The manufacturing sector accounted for 29 percent of all mass layoff events and 38 percent of all related

initial claims filed in November; a year earlier, manufacturing made up 35 percent of events and 43 percent

of initial claims. In November 2007, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation

equipment manufacturing (23,323, largely in automobile manufacturing), followed by wood product

manufacturing (8,094) and food manufacturing (6,642). (See table 3.)

Construction accounted for 18 percent of events and 14 percent of initial claims in November, primarily

from highway, street, and bridge construction. Administrative and waste services made up 12 percent of

mass layoff events and 11 percent of initial claims, primarily from temporary help services and professional

employer organizations. Accommodation and food services comprised 6 percent of all mass layoff events

and 5 percent of related initial claims, mainly from food service contractors. Eight percent of all mass layoff

events and 5 percent of related initial claims filed were from the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting

industry, largely from farm labor contractors and crew leaders.

On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of mass layoff events in November, at 1,799, was up by

484 from a year earlier, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 62,034 to 198,220. (See

Highway, street, and bridge construction ................ 13,305 2001 14,805

Temporary help services......................................... 12,079 2000 19,023

Automobile manufacturing....................................... 8,416 2007 8,416

Food service contractors........................................ 6,163 2007 6,163

Motion picture and video production...................... 4,565 2000 8,664

School and employee bus transportation................. 4,547 2007 4,547

Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ............... 4,062 1999 11,613

Air-conditioning, refrigeration, and forced

 air heating ........................................................... 3,768 2007 3,768

Professional employer organizations ........................ 3,419 2002 4,088

Household refrigerator and home freezer

 manufacturing...................................................... ( 1) 1999 5,602

 1 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
3

table 2.) This is due in part to a calendar effect; November 2007 contained 5 weeks for possible mass layoffs compared with 4 weeks in November last year. (See the Technical Note for an explanation of how the

number of weeks for data collection can vary from month to month. Also, note that adjustments are made

for the calendar effects in the previously mentioned seasonally adjusted series.) The largest over-the-year increases in initial claims were reported in transportation equipment manufacturing (+9,971) and administrative

and support services (+9,145). The largest over-the-year decrease in mass layoff initial claims was reported

in fabricated metal product manufacturing (-1,369). Layoff activity in credit intermediation and related activities registered an over-the-year increase for the ninth consecutive month.

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, with 62,163. Transportation equipment manufacturing and heavy and civil engineering construction together accounted for 45 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 with 59,152, followed by the

South with 42,139 and the Northeast with 34,766. (See table 5.)

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

(+20,292), the South (+14,603), the Northeast (+14,043), and the Midwest (+13,096)—although this may

be due, in part, to the calendar effect. All 9 geographic divisions had over-the-year increases in the numbers

of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest increases in the Pacific (+17,856), East North

Central (+12,661), and Middle Atlantic (+12,379) divisions.

California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in November

(44,127), reflecting layoffs in administrative and support services and in agriculture and forestry support activities. Other states with large numbers of mass layoff related claims were Pennsylvania (17,120), Michigan

(15,578), and Wisconsin (13,663). These four states accounted for 47 percent of all mass layoff events and

46 percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance in November. (See table 6.)

California had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial claims (+16,694); this was partially due to more mass layoff activity in administrative and support services. States having the next largest

increases in initial claims were Pennsylvania (+8,602), Michigan (+4,942), New York (+4,740), and Georgia

(+3,596). The largest over-the-year decreases in claims occurred in North Carolina (-966) and New Jersey

(-963).

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 employers, 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

nature of the layoff and the location of the employer, 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
4

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 2007 is scheduled to be released on Thursday, January 24,

2008. The reference months and release dates for the balance of 2008 are as follows:

With the release of January 2008 data on February 27, 2008, the Mass Layoff Statistics program will revise the basis for industry classification from the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) to the 2007 NAICS. The new classification reflects minor definitional changes within manufacturing, telecommunications, financial

activities, and professional, scientific, and technical services. Several industry titles and

descriptions will also be updated.

For additional information on the 2007 NAICS, see http://www.census.gov/epcd/

www/naics.html.

Upcoming Changes to Mass Layoff Data

Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Mass Layoff Data

In accordance with usual practice, the Mass Layoffs release for December 2007,

scheduled for January 24, 2008, will incorporate annual updating of seasonal

adjustment factors. Seasonally adjusted estimates back to January 2003 are subject

to revision.

Jan. – Feb. 27 April – May 22 July – Aug. 22 Oct. – Nov. 21

Feb. – March 21 May – June 20 Aug. – Sept. 23 Nov. – Dec. 19

March – April 23 June – July 23 Sept. – Oct. 22
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 employers which have

at least 50 initial claims filed against them during a consecutive

5-week period. These employers 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

Employer. Employers in the MLS program include those

covered by state unemployment insurance laws. Information

on employers is obtained from the Quarterly Census of

Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which

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

Initial claimant . A person who files any notice of

unemployment to initiate a request either for a determination

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 employer 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 2003 to November 2007,

seasonally adjusted

2003

December .................................................... 1,412 139,423 1,243 127,356 445 50,923 

2004

January ........................................................ 1,428 146,692 1,232 128,191 394 45,544 

February ...................................................... 1,320 134,626 1,170 122,329 367 40,849 

March ........................................................... 1,372 139,716 1,237 130,737 401 59,987 

April .............................................................. 1,374 140,190 1,202 124,962 349 38,197 

May .............................................................. 1,209 113,091 1,047 99,615 330 38,965 

June ............................................................. 1,403 141,048 1,231 128,137 366 47,015 

July .............................................................. 1,330 137,484 1,180 126,106 372 51,424 

August .......................................................... 1,394 127,671 1,224 113,376 345 36,963 

September ................................................... 1,277 125,351 1,154 115,343 338 46,955 

October ........................................................ 1,288 132,250 1,172 122,831 362 47,571 

November .................................................... 1,314 130,558 1,171 118,904 378 46,276 

December .................................................... 1,170 114,641 1,013 103,434 301 33,022 

2005

January ........................................................ 1,489 160,986 1,353 150,640 383 56,133 

February ...................................................... 1,172 123,377 1,045 112,752 358 45,794 

March ........................................................... 1,219 132,035 1,079 122,013 377 55,061 

April .............................................................. 1,263 137,381 1,132 126,747 398 60,826 

May .............................................................. 1,226 133,221 1,085 120,899 382 54,886 

June ............................................................. 1,194 126,834 1,074 117,712 359 57,018 

July .............................................................. 1,248 131,500 1,101 118,800 353 47,136 

August .......................................................... 1,109 123,125 986 111,879 338 46,915 

September ................................................... 2,217 292,177 1,998 246,227 419 56,289 

October ........................................................ 1,098 108,665 977 99,402 321 44,666 

November .................................................... 1,167 115,803 1,036 104,576 330 43,307 

December .................................................... 1,253 135,721 1,125 124,632 372 48,592 

2006

January ........................................................ 1,112 109,429 984 99,277 282 29,911 

February ...................................................... 1,065 112,742 973 105,055 329 46,548 

March ........................................................... 1,105 120,954 1,003 112,730 335 50,149 

April .............................................................. 1,175 121,376 1,041 111,369 365 48,038 

May .............................................................. 1,098 113,195 982 103,839 297 42,993 

June ............................................................. 1,130 123,558 1,007 113,037 331 40,500 

July .............................................................. 1,160 118,843 1,038 109,509 372 49,069 

August .......................................................... 1,218 131,105 1,083 120,923 367 58,983 

September ................................................... 1,158 120,795 1,043 111,876 392 46,802 

October ........................................................ 1,186 119,914 1,069 111,036 401 55,795 

November .................................................... 1,220 136,340 1,111 127,286 411 60,599 

December .................................................... 1,201 133,818 1,099 124,526 390 53,828 

2007

January ........................................................ 1,237 126,368 1,095 115,615 389 51,141 

February ...................................................... 1,280 143,977 1,166 135,252 419 64,072 

March ........................................................... 1,276 130,687 1,165 122,150 420 54,441 

April .............................................................. 1,239 126,194 1,109 115,870 387 43,939 

May .............................................................. 1,182 118,414 1,079 110,880 365 48,872 

June ............................................................. 1,219 127,897 1,094 117,787 340 39,273 

July .............................................................. 1,221 124,835 1,115 116,744 383 50,036 

August .......................................................... 1,189 118,120 1,092 110,946 325 35,676 

September ................................................... 1,271 123,656 1,173 116,775 428 50,636 

October ........................................................ 1,320 131,780 1,201 123,051 424 56,293 

November .................................................... 1,300 136,924 1,188 128,807 402 55,926 

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 2003 to November 2007,

not seasonally adjusted

2003

December ..................................................... 1,929 192,633 1,793 182,750 648 77,915 

2004

January ......................................................... 2,428 239,454 2,226 220,687 848 89,551 

February ....................................................... 941 84,201 832 76,577 240 23,043 

March ............................................................ 920 92,554 847 87,782 258 34,686 

April ............................................................... 1,458 157,314 1,316 142,657 343 36,172 

May ............................................................... 988 87,501 878 78,786 219 22,141 

June .............................................................. 1,379 134,588 1,077 110,804 222 27,307 

July ............................................................... 2,094 253,929 1,860 234,877 885 145,895 

August ........................................................... 809 69,033 745 63,876 194 17,698 

September .................................................... 708 68,972 637 63,102 189 25,808 

October ......................................................... 1,242 127,918 1,101 117,375 372 48,265 

November ..................................................... 1,399 130,423 1,201 115,549 412 44,243 

December ..................................................... 1,614 161,271 1,487 152,092 436 50,726 

2005

January ......................................................... 2,564 263,952 2,421 253,409 823 108,985 

February ....................................................... 810 74,644 722 68,372 230 24,931 

March ............................................................ 806 88,937 733 83,793 246 33,030 

April ............................................................... 1,373 158,582 1,263 148,133 395 59,129 

May ............................................................... 986 101,358 891 93,332 249 30,424 

June .............................................................. 1,157 120,463 941 103,307 216 32,783 

July ............................................................... 1,981 244,216 1,745 222,377 856 136,210 

August ........................................................... 645 67,582 598 63,484 188 22,531 

September .................................................... 1,662 213,281 1,505 179,042 318 47,497 

October ......................................................... 905 91,941 757 80,694 249 37,276 

November ..................................................... 1,254 116,127 1,079 102,182 363 41,442 

December ..................................................... 2,323 254,258 2,168 242,753 706 96,382 

2006

January ......................................................... 1,245 117,946 1,123 108,701 331 35,097 

February ....................................................... 719 66,555 658 62,208 210 24,892 

March ............................................................ 921 111,838 856 106,177 285 44,688 

April ............................................................... 1,140 121,589 1,038 112,964 296 39,538 

May ............................................................... 872 84,809 794 78,663 192 23,570 

June .............................................................. 1,489 164,761 1,224 140,687 319 41,095 

July ............................................................... 1,511 166,857 1,335 154,342 648 96,152 

August ........................................................... 708 72,844 656 69,054 203 28,494 

September .................................................... 865 87,699 785 81,274 296 39,076 

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

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

December ..................................................... 2,249 254,503 2,126 244,783 735 105,462 

2007

January ......................................................... 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 456 53,615 

February ....................................................... 935 86,696 861 82,097 273 36,170 

March ............................................................ 1,082 123,974 1,015 118,431 367 49,886 

April ............................................................... 1,219 127,444 1,115 118,040 309 35,229 

May ............................................................... 923 85,816 856 81,153 224 26,527 

June .............................................................. 1,599 172,810 1,318 148,669 313 36,571 

July ............................................................... 1,599 175,419 1,450 164,939 684 101,390 

August ........................................................... 963 93,458 908 88,345 220 23,361 

September .................................................... 717 67,385 667 64,026 246 29,381 

October ......................................................... 1,083 108,455 929 97,716 338 50,918 

November ..................................................... 1,799 198,220 1,593 181,184 514 75,413 

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

Industry

Mass layoff events Initial claimants for

unemployment insurance

November September October November November September October November

2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007

Seasonally adjusted

 Total .............................................................. 1,220 1,271 1,320 1,300 136,340 123,656 131,780 136,924 

 Total, private nonfarm ....................................... 1,111 1,173 1,201 1,188 127,286 116,775 123,051 128,807 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 411 428 424 402 60,599 50,636 56,293 55,926 

Not seasonally adjusted

 Total 1

 ............................................................ 1,315 717 1,083 1,799 136,186 67,385 108,455 198,220 

Total, private ....................................................... 1,273 688 1,033 1,729 132,337 65,205 103,897 191,917 

 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ......... 101 21 104 136 7,328 1,179 6,181 10,733 

 Total, private nonfarm ....................................... 1,172 667 929 1,593 125,009 64,026 97,716 181,184 

 Mining ............................................................. 7 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 11 648 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 928 

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

 Construction .................................................... 212 70 114 324 17,364 4,283 7,126 28,277 

 Manufacturing ................................................. 455 246 338 514 58,473 29,381 50,918 75,413 

 Food ............................................................ 59 31 50 62 7,222 2,873 5,264 6,642 

 Beverage and tobacco products ................. 8 ( 2 ) 8 9 502 ( 2 ) 603 746 

 Textile mills ................................................. 14 4 8 27 2,247 448 732 5,381 

 Textile product mills .................................... 9 4 4 5 1,325 410 232 608 

 Apparel ........................................................ 6 12 6 10 820 1,180 408 625 

 Leather and allied products ......................... ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 376 

 Wood products ............................................ 53 27 31 69 5,044 2,461 3,582 8,094 

 Paper .......................................................... 9 5 10 9 854 389 708 696 

 Printing and related support activities ......... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 7 11 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 434 763 

 Petroleum and coal products ...................... 8 – ( 2 ) 8 635 – ( 2 ) 624 

 Chemicals ................................................... 6 3 6 6 489 186 907 668 

 Plastics and rubber products ...................... 24 13 11 27 2,716 1,066 1,133 2,568 

 Nonmetallic mineral products ...................... 17 9 8 24 1,991 941 440 2,493 

 Primary metals ............................................ 28 15 16 27 3,154 1,678 1,579 2,955 

 Fabricated metal products .......................... 35 16 18 24 3,710 1,473 1,367 2,341 

 Machinery ................................................... 34 19 18 40 6,563 3,021 5,459 6,289 

 Computer and electronic products .............. 21 15 10 13 1,711 1,381 674 987 

 Electrical equipment and appliances .......... 11 10 12 15 2,588 2,881 1,516 5,418 

 Transportation equipment ........................... 79 51 88 93 13,352 7,759 23,399 23,323 

 Furniture and related products .................... 21 7 18 23 2,075 791 1,504 3,164 

 Miscellaneous manufacturing ..................... 9 ( 2 ) 5 8 1,145 ( 2 ) 538 652 

 Wholesale trade .............................................. 17 17 13 40 1,328 1,053 1,571 3,095 

 Retail trade ...................................................... 54 67 66 93 4,681 5,657 5,881 8,199 

 Transportation and warehousing .................... 48 17 31 82 3,583 1,415 3,153 7,499 

 Information ...................................................... 20 32 33 28 6,096 5,420 3,645 5,386 

 Finance and insurance .................................... 23 40 60 43 1,376 2,649 4,640 3,898 

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................. 5 3 8 7 270 285 616 539 

 Professional and technical services ................ 27 23 26 51 3,137 2,683 1,968 7,435 

 Management of companies and enterprises ... 5 ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) 387 ( 2 ) 382 ( 2 )

 Administrative and waste services .................. 158 85 140 217 12,907 6,325 10,778 22,050 

 Educational services ....................................... 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – 200 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) –

 Health care and social assistance .................. 21 13 20 24 1,696 998 1,708 2,522 

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................. 27 11 21 36 2,266 716 1,521 3,543 

 Accommodation and food services ................. 81 37 47 107 9,883 2,681 3,346 10,865 

 Other services, except public administration .. 6 ( 2 ) 3 10 553 ( 2 ) 175 1,062 

 Unclassified .................................................... – – 1 1 – – 74 57 

Government ........................................................ 42 29 50 70 3,849 2,180 4,558 6,303 

 Federal ............................................................ 10 5 16 19 970 408 1,412 1,928 

 State ................................................................ 12 7 16 20 1,057 777 1,431 1,786 

 Local ............................................................... 20 17 18 31 1,822 995 1,715 2,589 

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.

 
Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2005 to November 2007,

not seasonally adjusted

Extended mass layoffs 

lasting more than 30 days Realization rates 1

Events Initial

claimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants Events Initialclaimants

2005

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 1,400 246,188 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 2,637 277,086 963 193,510 36.5 69.8 

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 1,353 264,927 44.3 79.7 

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 2,776 304,670 929 161,764 33.5 53.1 

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

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

December ................................... 2,249 254,503 2,126 244,783 

Fourth Quarter ............................ 4,528 489,493 4,118 457,925 1,640 330,887 39.8 72.3 

2007

January ....................................... 1,407 134,984 1,263 124,475 

February ..................................... 935 86,696 861 82,097 

March ......................................... 1,082 123,974 1,015 118,431 

First Quarter ............................... 3,424 345,654 3,139 325,003 1,111 198,991 35.4 61.2 

April ............................................ 1,219 127,444 1,115 118,040 

May ............................................. 923 85,816 856 81,153 

June ............................................ 1,599 172,810 1,318 148,669 

Second Quarter .......................... 3,741 386,070 3,289 347,862 1,421 258,256 43.2 74.2 

July ............................................. 1,599 175,419 1,450 164,939 

August ........................................ 963 93,458 908 88,345 

September .................................. 717 67,385 667 64,026 

Third Quarter .............................. 3,279 336,262 3,025 317,310 2,p 931 2,p 115,742 p

 30.8 p 36.5 

October ....................................... 1,083 108,455 929 97,716 

November ................................... 1,799 198,220 1,593 181,184 

 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

November September October November November September October November

2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007

 United States 1

 ......................................... 1,315 717 1,083 1,799 136,186 67,385 108,455 198,220 

Northeast ......................................................... 207 96 141 355 20,723 8,660 12,152 34,766 

 New England ............................................... 25 10 9 38 2,090 756 614 3,754 

 Middle Atlantic ............................................. 182 86 132 317 18,633 7,904 11,538 31,012 

South ............................................................... 227 160 230 350 27,536 15,913 23,180 42,139 

 South Atlantic .............................................. 113 78 131 180 12,800 6,303 11,952 19,924 

 East South Central ...................................... 54 38 51 91 6,109 5,018 6,791 9,831 

 West South Central ..................................... 60 44 48 79 8,627 4,592 4,437 12,384 

Midwest ........................................................... 429 156 261 483 49,067 17,273 38,853 62,163 

 East North Central ....................................... 333 119 215 389 39,291 13,995 32,840 51,952 

 West North Central ...................................... 96 37 46 94 9,776 3,278 6,013 10,211 

West ................................................................ 452 305 451 611 38,860 25,539 34,270 59,152 

 Mountain ...................................................... 49 23 38 76 4,457 2,166 2,905 6,893 

 Pacific .......................................................... 403 282 413 535 34,403 23,373 31,365 52,259 

1

 See footnote 1, table 3. Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee; West South Central: 

NOTE: The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central: 

the census divisions are: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Mass- Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North 

achusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic: Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North 

New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, Dakota, and South Dakota; Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, 

District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and

Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

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

2006 2007 2007 2007 2006 2007 2007 2007

 Total 1

 ................................................ 1,315 717 1,083 1,799 136,186 67,385 108,455 198,220 

Alabama ............................................... 12 18 10 29 1,512 1,836 1,037 2,917 

Alaska ................................................... 6 ( 2 ) – 8 716 ( 2 ) – 780 

Arizona ................................................. ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 7 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 610 197 

Arkansas ............................................... 5 6 10 12 1,014 565 1,486 2,678 

California .............................................. 327 256 380 455 27,433 21,144 28,004 44,127 

Colorado ............................................... 9 3 4 14 691 261 322 1,244 

Connecticut ........................................... 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 318 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 232 

Delaware .............................................. – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 3 – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 356 

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

Florida ................................................... 35 47 79 73 2,207 2,985 5,082 4,499 

Georgia ................................................. 28 18 21 39 3,904 1,633 2,835 7,500 

Hawaii ................................................... ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 390 

Idaho ..................................................... 12 3 3 21 963 222 192 2,101 

Illinois .................................................... 55 31 39 67 5,849 3,486 7,710 7,704 

Indiana .................................................. 44 11 29 52 7,285 2,826 5,129 7,638 

Iowa ...................................................... 19 8 15 23 2,352 840 1,662 2,503 

Kansas .................................................. 7 4 3 ( 2 ) 822 295 347 ( 2 )

Kentucky ............................................... 24 14 28 34 3,341 2,611 3,449 4,747 

Louisiana .............................................. 13 8 7 6 1,229 563 453 1,672 

Maine .................................................... 4 ( 2 ) – 6 322 ( 2 ) – 467 

Maryland ............................................... 9 6 7 11 1,236 431 702 1,446 

Massachusetts ...................................... 9 3 4 18 665 196 234 1,495 

Michigan ............................................... 82 24 51 92 10,636 2,844 5,187 15,578 

Minnesota ............................................. 39 4 9 41 3,360 524 745 4,315 

Mississippi ............................................ 8 4 ( 2 ) 12 443 471 183 839 

Missouri ................................................ 26 16 18 19 2,448 1,141 3,165 2,312 

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

 ) 5 8 789 ( 2 ) 430 760 

Nebraska .............................................. ( 2 ) 5 ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) 478 ( 2 ) 402 

Nevada ................................................. 15 7 14 18 1,704 529 1,027 1,713 

New Hampshire .................................... ( 2 ) – – ( 2 ) ( 2 ) – – ( 2 )

New Jersey ........................................... 47 19 16 50 7,197 1,985 1,327 6,234 

New Mexico .......................................... 5 3 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 258 644 ( 2 ) ( 2 )

New York .............................................. 33 24 28 82 2,918 1,914 3,202 7,658 

North Carolina ...................................... 13 ( 2 ) 3 4 1,423 ( 2 ) 212 457 

North Dakota ........................................ 4 – – 4 406 – – 444 

Ohio ...................................................... 48 29 53 68 4,998 2,579 10,896 7,369 

Oklahoma ............................................. 5 5 ( 2 ) 6 890 858 ( 2 ) 1,198 

Oregon .................................................. 32 15 17 37 2,668 1,324 2,106 3,866 

Pennsylvania ........................................ 102 43 88 185 8,518 4,005 7,009 17,120 

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

 ) – 3 – ( 2 ) – 249 –

South Carolina ...................................... 16 3 13 28 1,994 242 2,504 3,038 

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

Tennessee ............................................ 10 ( 2 ) 11 16 813 ( 2 ) 2,122 1,328 

Texas .................................................... 37 25 30 55 5,494 2,606 2,414 6,836 

Utah ...................................................... – 3 ( 2 ) 9 – 220 ( 2 ) 658 

Vermont ................................................ 6 4 ( 2 ) 10 582 331 ( 2 ) 1,500 

Virginia .................................................. 11 ( 2 ) 6 18 1,979 ( 2 ) 465 2,384 

Washington ........................................... 36 8 14 30 3,390 616 1,058 3,096 

West Virginia ........................................ ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 4 ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) 244 

Wisconsin ............................................. 104 24 43 110 10,523 2,260 3,918 13,663 

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

Puerto Rico ........................................... 7 8 11 15 626 750 894 1,385 

1

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

 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.

State