Technical information:  (202) 691-6392     USDL 06-1998
               http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                           For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                691-5902     Friday, November 24, 2006

                       MASS LAYOFFS IN OCTOBER 2006
   
   In October 2006, employers took 1,171 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 113,724,
on a seasonally adjusted basis.  The number of layoff events increased by
39 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims de-
creased by 3,049.  During October 2006, 398 mass layoff events were re-
ported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in
54,852 initial claims.  Both the number of events and the number of ini-
tial claims in manufacturing were higher than a month earlier.  (See 
table 1.)
   
   In October 2006, the national unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, sea-
sonally adjusted, down from 4.6 percent the prior month and 4.9 percent
in October 2005.  Total nonfarm payroll employment, seasonally adjusted,
increased by 92,000 over the month and by about 2.0 million over the year.
   
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   The 10 industries reporting the highest numbers of mass layoff initial
claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 36 percent of the total
initial claims in October.  The industry with the highest number of mass
layoff initial claims was temporary help services with 8,283, followed by
heavy duty truck manufacturing and automobile manufacturing.  Together,
these three industries accounted for 21 percent of all initial claims due
to mass layoffs in October.  (See table A.)
   
   The manufacturing sector accounted for 32 percent of all mass layoff
events and 47 percent of all related initial claims filed in October; a
year earlier, manufacturing comprised 28 percent of events and 41 percent
of initial claims.  In the current month, the number of manufacturing
claimants was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (19,224,
mostly in motor vehicle manufacturing), followed by food manufacturing
(5,246) and machinery manufacturing (5,167).  (See table 3.)
   
   Administrative and waste services accounted for 15 percent of events and
13 percent of initial claims filed in October, with the majority of layoffs
in temporary help services and professional employer organizations.  Retail
trade accounted for 8 percent of events and 7 percent of initial claims dur-
ing the month, largely from general merchandise stores.  Construction accounted 
for 10 percent of events and 7 percent of initial claims in October, largely 
from specialty trade contractors.  Ten percent of all layoff events and 6 per-
cent of initial claims filed during the month were from agriculture, forestry, 
fishing and hunting, mostly in the farm labor contractors and crew leaders in-
dustry.

                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims in October 2006
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      |                |       October peak    
                       Industry                       | Initial claims |-----------------------
                                                      |                |  Year  |Initial claims
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      |                |        |              
Temporary help services ..............................|      8,283     |  1998  |    18,760   
Heavy duty truck manufacturing .......................|       (1)      |  2006  |      (1)    
Automobile manufacturing .............................|       (1)      |  2001  |     7,563   
Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ..............|      3,255     |  1998  |     9,617   
Farm machinery and equipment manufacturing ...........|      2,380     |  1999  |     3,986   
Fruit and vegetable canning ..........................|      2,060     |  2002  |     4,500   
Motor vehicle power train components manufacturing....|      1,948     |  2006  |     1,948   
Motion picture and video production ..................|      1,904     |  1997  |     7,692   
Discount department stores ...........................|      1,866     |  2002  |     4,959   
Professional employer organizations ..................|      1,859     |  2001  |     3,523   
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    

   1 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.


                                  
   Government establishments accounted for 5 percent of both mass layoff events 
and initial claims filed in the current month, largely from educational services 
and from executive, legislative, and general government.
   
   On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of layoff events in October 2006, 
at 964, was up 59 from a year earlier, and the number of associated initial claims 
increased by 6,863 to 98,804.  (See table 2.)  The largest over-the-year increases 
in initial claims were reported in machinery manufacturing (+3,879), wood product 
manufacturing (+3,440), and transportation equipment manufacturing (+3,383).  The 
largest over-the-year decreases in initial claims were reported in motion picture 
and sound recording industries (-2,224), apparel manufacturing (-1,922), and pro-
fessional and technical services (-1,642).
   
   From January through October 2006, the total number of initial claims, at 
1,093,702, was the lowest reported for any January-October period in program 
history.  Collection of comparable mass layoff data for the January-October 
period began in 1996.
   
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in
October due to mass layoffs was in the West, 32,780.  Administrative and
support services and agriculture and forestry support activities accounted
for 32 percent of all mass layoff initial claims in that region during the
month.  The Midwest had the second largest number of initial claims, 28,833, 
followed by the South, 23,687.  Transportation equipment manufacturing ac-
counted for 35 percent of initial claims in both the Midwest and the South 
regions.  The Northeast, with 13,504, had the lowest number of initial claims.  
(See table 5.)
   
   The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year
in three of the four regions--the South (+6,071), the West (+1,658), and the
Midwest (+992).  The Northeast experienced the only regional decrease (-1,858).  
Four geographic divisions had over-the-year increases in the numbers of initial 
claims associated with mass layoffs.  The largest increase was in the East South 
Central division (+7,323), followed by the Pacific (+1,763) and East North Central 
(+1,242).  Of the five divisions with over-the-year decreases, the largest declines 
were in the Middle Atlantic (-1,591) and West South Central (-1,577).

                                  - 3 -
   
   Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed 
due to mass layoff events in October (25,931), followed by Kentucky (9,645), Penn-
sylvania (6,920), Michigan (6,432), and Illinois (5,508).  These five states accounted 
for 54 percent of all mass layoff events and 55 percent of all initial claims for unem-
ployment insurance.  (See table 6.)
   
   Kentucky had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial claims 
(+6,935), largely due to layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing.  Indiana 
had the next largest increase in initial claims (+2,341), followed by South Carolina 
(+1,409).  The largest over-the-year decreases in claims occurred in Ohio (-1,930) and 
Delaware (-1,583).
   
   From January to October, California reported 255,626 mass layoff initial claims, 
23 percent of the national total.  The states with the next largest number of claims 
over this period were Michigan (94,486), Pennsylvania (66,594), New York (61,989), and 
Ohio (59,445).
   
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 lay-
offs.  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 November 2006 is scheduled to be released
on Thursday, December 21, 2006.
   
   
   
   
   
                                  - 4 -

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 con-
tacted 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 quart-
erly 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-the-year
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 publish-
ing 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 expan-
sions and contractions.
   
   The MLS data are seasonally adjusted using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjust-
ment method on a concurrent basis.  Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all
available monthly estimates, including those for the current month, in devel-
oping 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, November 2002 to
October 2006, seasonally adjusted

                                       Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing

            Date                                                                              
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants     Events  claimants

            2002                                                                              

November ...................     1,652     178,402     1,507     167,335       613      71,693
December ...................     1,841     198,678     1,659     184,368       661      84,048

            2003                                                                              

January ....................     1,358     131,963     1,168     117,636       387      48,685
February ...................     1,825     190,928     1,647     178,363       646      78,819
March ......................     1,782     175,671     1,595     160,170       617      72,409
April ......................     1,722     174,608     1,564     163,607       640      83,303
May ........................     1,719     184,003     1,542     170,961       625      86,535
June .......................     1,716     164,299     1,524     148,542       636      68,143
July .......................     1,642     163,179     1,442     148,299       580      74,070
August .....................     1,517     171,861     1,367     158,049       551      74,602
September ..................     1,562     147,383     1,374     133,383       484      56,472
October ....................     1,558     156,814     1,336     138,691       427      52,009
November ...................     1,393     141,383     1,244     129,231       401      50,460
December ...................     1,426     144,456     1,265     132,324       434      50,994

            2004                                                                              

January ....................     1,421     142,704     1,223     124,192       395      48,519
February ...................     1,293     132,640     1,145     120,811       362      39,360
March ......................     1,364     140,957     1,234     132,152       407      60,296
April ......................     1,381     141,909     1,207     126,106       341      37,686
May ........................     1,189     111,173     1,030      98,230       314      37,405
June .......................     1,390     141,948     1,226     129,344       360      45,398
July .......................     1,329     137,724     1,185     126,945       371      53,248
August .....................     1,436     131,807     1,243     116,672       342      38,192
September ..................     1,283     125,344     1,155     115,499       344      45,691
October ....................     1,302     129,237     1,181     119,653       369      47,888
November ...................     1,350     135,036     1,202     122,954       407      47,517
December ...................     1,188     120,602     1,038     109,508       293      33,123

            2005                                                                              

January ....................     1,465     153,676     1,330     143,295       380      58,778
February ...................     1,135     120,190     1,010     109,964       350      43,966
March ......................     1,204     133,935     1,071     124,273       384      56,253
April ......................     1,278     139,575     1,145     128,478       390      60,726
May ........................     1,194     129,214     1,059     117,660       359      52,055
June .......................     1,184     128,430     1,065     119,271       349      53,930
July .......................     1,248     131,136     1,107     118,994       356      49,070
August .....................     1,145     127,592     1,006     116,011       334      48,904
September ..................     2,219     283,772     1,975     237,831       438      53,399
October ....................     1,114     104,584       986      94,798       328      45,475
November ...................     1,205     120,783     1,074     109,680       359      45,069
December ...................     1,308     149,565     1,185     138,234       365      49,641

            2006                                                                              

January ....................     1,113     108,378       985      97,832       274      29,541
February ...................     1,073     111,468       973     103,268       321      45,073
March ......................     1,082     118,555       984     110,275       328      49,023
April ......................     1,148     118,504     1,023     109,150       358      48,086
May ........................     1,074     109,858       963     101,080       293      42,006
June .......................     1,097     119,662       974     109,041       311      37,570
July .......................     1,125     114,895     1,009     105,829       363      47,287
August .....................     1,193     127,944     1,060     117,993       357      59,256
September ..................     1,132     116,773     1,008     107,431       381      45,040
October ....................     1,171     113,724     1,045     104,126       398      54,852





Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,  November 2002 to 
October 2006, not seasonally adjusted

                                       Total            Private nonfarm        Manufacturing   

            Date                                                                               
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial 
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants    Events   claimants

            2002                                                                              

November ...................     2,153     240,171     1,860     216,237       719      92,712
December ...................     2,474     264,158     2,324     252,807       984     126,826

            2003                                                                              

January ....................     2,315     225,430     2,130     210,918       822      90,244
February ...................     1,363     124,965     1,222     116,264       435      48,161
March ......................     1,207     113,026     1,099     104,468       390      41,063
April ......................     1,581     161,412     1,470     152,937       499      62,349
May ........................     1,703     174,204     1,538     160,729       499      61,278
June .......................     1,691     157,552     1,336     127,743       389      40,845
July .......................     2,087     226,435     1,815     206,901       946     136,410
August .....................     1,258     133,839     1,163     124,131       405      52,620
September ..................       868      82,647       756      73,914       271      31,428
October ....................     1,523     158,240     1,265     137,706       438      53,741
November ...................     1,438     138,543     1,234     123,524       408      48,419
December ...................     1,929     192,633     1,793     182,750       648      77,915

            2004                                                                              

January ....................     2,428     239,454     2,226     220,687       848      89,551
February ...................       941      84,201       832      76,577       240      23,043
March ......................       920      92,554       847      87,782       258      34,686
April ......................     1,458     157,314     1,316     142,657       343      36,172
May ........................       988      87,501       878      78,786       219      22,141
June .......................     1,379     134,588     1,077     110,804       222      27,307
July .......................     2,094     253,929     1,860     234,877       885     145,895
August .....................       809      69,033       745      63,876       194      17,698
September ..................       708      68,972       637      63,102       189      25,808
October ....................     1,242     127,918     1,101     117,375       372      48,265
November ...................     1,399     130,423     1,201     115,549       412      44,243
December ...................     1,614     161,271     1,487     152,092       436      50,726

            2005                                                                              

January ....................     2,564     263,952     2,421     253,409       823     108,985
February ...................       810      74,644       722      68,372       230      24,931
March ......................       806      88,937       733      83,793       246      33,030
April ......................     1,373     158,582     1,263     148,133       395      59,129
May ........................       986     101,358       891      93,332       249      30,424
June .......................     1,157     120,463       941     103,307       216      32,783
July .......................     1,981     244,216     1,745     222,377       856     136,210
August .....................       645      67,582       598      63,484       188      22,531
September ..................     1,662     213,281     1,505     179,042       318      47,497
October ....................       905      91,941       757      80,694       249      37,276
November ...................     1,254     116,127     1,079     102,182       363      41,442
December ...................     2,323     254,258     2,168     242,753       706      96,382

            2006                                                                              

January ....................     1,245     117,946     1,123     108,701       331      35,097
February ...................       719      66,555       658      62,208       210      24,892
March ......................       921     111,838       856     106,177       285      44,688
April ......................     1,140     121,589     1,038     112,964       296      39,538
May ........................       872      84,809       794      78,663       192      23,570
June .......................     1,489     164,761     1,224     140,687       319      41,095
July .......................     1,511     166,857     1,335     154,342       648      96,152
August .....................       708      72,844       656      69,054       203      28,494
September ..................       865      87,699       785      81,274       296      39,076
October ....................       964      98,804       820      88,133       311      46,737





Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

                                                                                                     Initial claimants for        
                                                             Mass layoff events                     unemployment insurance        
                    Industry                                                                                                      

                                                    October     August September October     October     August September October 
                                                      2005       2006     2006     2006        2005       2006     2006     2006  

               Seasonally adjusted                                                                                               

      Total .....................................     1,114      1,193    1,132    1,171     104,584    127,944  116,773  113,724

  Total, private nonfarm ........................       986      1,060    1,008    1,045      94,798    117,993  107,431  104,126
    Manufacturing ...............................       328        357      381      398      45,475     59,256   45,040   54,852

             Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                             

      Total (1) .................................       905        708      865      964      91,941     72,844   87,699   98,804

Total, private ..................................       850        675      819      913      87,226     70,352   83,317   93,939
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..        93         19       34       93       6,532      1,298    2,043    5,806

  Total, private nonfarm ........................       757        656      785      820      80,694     69,054   81,274   88,133
    Mining ......................................       (2)         -       (2)      (2)        (2)         -       (2)      (2) 
    Utilities ...................................       (2)        (2)      (2)       -         (2)        (2)      (2)       -  
    Construction ................................        88         50       99      100       5,755      3,473    6,643    6,445
    Manufacturing ...............................       249        203      296      311      37,276     28,494   39,076   46,737
        Food ....................................        61         26       32       56       5,666      1,559    2,763    5,246
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........         4        (2)        6        9         261       (2)       581      711
        Textile mills ...........................        11         11       12       11       1,296      1,302    1,751    1,388
        Textile product mills ...................         5          4        5      (2)         531        328      465     (2) 
        Apparel .................................        11          4        9        9       2,589        264    1,073      667
        Leather and allied products .............        -         (2)      (2)      (2)         -         (2)      (2)      (2) 
        Wood products ...........................       (2)         19       28       35        (2)       2,240    2,645    3,548
        Paper ...................................         9          6        6        6         748        425      741      456
        Printing and related support activities .        -           5      (2)        5         -          325     (2)       315
        Petroleum and coal products .............       (2)         -        4       (2)        (2)          -      235      (2) 

        Chemicals ...............................         8          4        4        4         682        373      284      332
        Plastics and rubber products ............        11          9       16       13       1,097        645    1,786    1,295
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............         8        (2)        6       11        (2)         140      835      787
        Primary metals ..........................         9          9        7       15       1,037        816      876    1,349
        Fabricated metal products ...............        12         10       22       16         863        673    2,149    1,395
        Machinery ...............................         9         14       24       24       1,288      2,210    4,772    5,167
        Computer and electronic products ........        20         16        8        8       1,764      1,590      451      631
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....         4          8       11        9       1,061      1,517    1,395    1,879
        Transportation equipment ................        49         44       69       55      15,841     12,428   13,330   19,224
        Furniture and related products ..........         8          6       15       11         762        935    1,919    1,040
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............         6        (2)        7        6         688       (2)       571      629

    Wholesale trade .............................        10         17       12       13         812      1,076      908      829
    Retail trade ................................        72         69       72       75       5,666      5,975    6,619    6,557
    Transportation and warehousing ..............        29         61       24       31       2,697      5,513    1,965    3,053
    Information .................................        26         29       31       23       5,300      4,477    3,337    2,516
    Finance and insurance .......................        24         15       26       26       1,656      1,007    1,937    2,123
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........         4        (2)        4        3         244       (2)       311      416
    Professional and technical services .........        28         24       22       17       2,967      2,202    3,222    1,325
    Management of companies and enterprises .....       (2)         -       (2)      (2)        (2)         -       (2)      (2) 
    Administrative and waste services ...........       132        113      110      140      11,017     10,961    9,950   12,596
    Educational services ........................       (2)        (2)        6      (2)        (2)        (2)       436     (2) 
    Health care and social assistance ...........         7         17       21        9         621      1,133    2,383      546
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........        22         12       15       22       1,568        649      944    1,475
    Accommodation and food services .............        53         33       36       40       4,168      2,281    2,728    2,583
    Other services, except public administration          3          7        6        5         173        854      453      287
    Unclassified  ...............................         5          1        -        -         356         54        -        -

Government ......................................        55         33       46       51       4,715      2,492    4,382    4,865
    Federal .....................................        16          8        8       16       1,551        839      852    1,721
    State .......................................        12          6       10       17         992        339    1,272    1,489
    Local .......................................        27         19       28       18       2,172      1,314    2,258    1,655

    1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
    2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.   
    NOTE:  Dash represents zero.





Table 4. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, October 2004 to October 2006,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                   Private nonfarm                              

                                Total mass layoffs                              Extended mass layoffs                           
           Date                                          Mass layoffs         lasting more than 30 days     Realization rates (1)

                                          Initial               Initial                      Initial                    Initial 
                                Events   claimants    Events   claimants        Events      claimants       Events     claimants

           2004                                                                                                                

October .................         1,242    127,918     1,101     117,375                                                       
November ................         1,399    130,423     1,201     115,549                                                       
December ................         1,614    161,271     1,487     152,092                                                       

Fourth Quarter ..........         4,255    419,612     3,789     385,016         1,427       262,049          37.7         68.1

           2005                                                                                                                

January .................         2,564    263,952     2,421     253,409                                                       
February ................           810     74,644       722      68,372                                                       
March ...................           806     88,937       733      83,793                                                       

First Quarter ...........         4,180    427,533     3,876     405,574         1,142       185,486          29.5         45.7

April ...................         1,373    158,582     1,263     148,133                                                       
May .....................           986    101,358       891      93,332                                                       
June ....................         1,157    120,463       941     103,307                                                       

Second Quarter ..........         3,516    380,403     3,095     344,772         1,203       212,673          38.9         61.7

July ....................         1,981    244,216     1,745     222,377                                                       
August ..................           645     67,582       598      63,484                                                       
September ...............         1,662    213,281     1,505     179,042                                                       

Third Quarter ...........         4,288    525,079     3,848     464,903         1,136    (r)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    (r)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    (r)192,793          36.5      (r)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      (r)1,353    (r)263,787       (r)44.3      (r)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                                                       

    1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff events lasting more than 30 days. The
initial claimant realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm mass layoff initial claimants associated with
layoffs lasting more than 30 days.
    2 These quarterly numbers are provisional and will be revised as more data on these layoffs become available.
Experience suggests that the number of extended mass layoff events is generally revised upwards by less than 10 percent and
the number of initial claimants associated with such events increases by 25-40 percent.
    r = revised.
    p = preliminary.





Table 5. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance by census region and division,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                    Initial claimants for         
                                           Mass layoff events                       unemployment insurance        
 Census region and division                                                                                       

                                October      August September October       October      August September October 
                                  2005        2006     2006     2006          2005        2006     2006     2006  

        United States (1) ..       905         708      865      964        91,941      72,844   87,699   98,804

Northeast ..................       175         150      126      143        15,362      14,506   12,451   13,504

    New England ............        12          10       20       14         1,233         783    2,532      966
    Middle Atlantic ........       163         140      106      129        14,129      13,723    9,919   12,538

South ......................       158         163      209      183        17,616      21,113   23,990   23,687

    South Atlantic .........        85          96       98      111         8,903      10,808   10,807    9,228
    East South Central .....        25          31       50       46         4,194       7,226    7,830   11,517
    West South Central .....        48          36       61       26         4,519       3,079    5,353    2,942

Midwest ....................       199         117      208      223        27,841      13,084   25,348   28,833

    East North Central .....       154          94      167      177        21,404      10,974   19,269   22,646
    West North Central .....        45          23       41       46         6,437       2,110    6,079    6,187

West .......................       373         278      322      415        31,122      24,141   25,910   32,780

    Mountain ...............        32          16       18       35         3,285       1,018    2,092    3,180
    Pacific ................       341         262      304      380        27,837      23,123   23,818   29,600

    1 See footnote 1, table 3.
    NOTE:  The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the census divisions are: New England:
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; Middle Atlantic:  New Jersey, 
New York, and Pennsylvania; South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, 
North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia; East South Central:  Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi,
and Tennessee; West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; East North Central:  Illinois, Indiana,
Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin; West North Central:  Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and 
South Dakota; Mountain:  Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming; and Pacific: 
Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.





Table 6. State distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,
not seasonally adjusted

                                                                                         Initial claimants for         
                                         Mass layoff events                             unemployment insurance         
           State                                                                                                       
                           October      August   September     October      October      August    September   October 
                             2005        2006       2006         2006         2005        2006        2006       2006  

   Total (1) ............     905         708        865          964        91,941      72,844      87,699     98,804

Alabama .................       4           6         13            5           569         762       1,015        467
Alaska ..................       4         (2)        (2)            4           264        (2)         (2)         266
Arizona .................       6           3        (2)            3           606         196        (2)         295
Arkansas ................       4           3        (2)           -            767         577        (2)          - 
California ..............     315         227        281          336        25,317      20,339      21,642     25,931
Colorado ................       6          -           3            6           510         -           294        517
Connecticut .............       -           3          4          (2)           -           232         414       (2) 
Delaware ................      (2)         -         (2)           -           (2)          -          (2)         -  
District of Columbia ....       -         (2)         -            -            -          (2)          -          -  
Florida .................      36          40         46           56         2,706       2,497       3,627      3,289
Georgia .................      16          11         20           16         1,739       1,255       1,555      2,207
Hawaii ..................     (2)         (2)        (2)            5          (2)         (2)         (2)         422
Idaho ...................       5           4        (2)            6           476         237        (2)         664

Illinois ................      35          23         38           39         5,717       2,128       3,578      5,508
Indiana .................      14          14         25           19         1,940       2,227       3,166      4,281
Iowa ....................      13           4          8           15         2,473         306         817      2,664
Kansas ..................     (2)           5          8            3          (2)          279         986        176
Kentucky ................      10          15         23           24         2,710       5,785       5,133      9,645
Louisiana ...............       3           4         26            4           215         282       2,041        365
Maine ...................     (2)           -        (2)          (2)          (2)          -          (2)        (2) 
Maryland ................       5           5          4            6           451         547         433        574
Massachusetts ...........       6           4         10           10           669         277         937        707
Michigan ................      41          14         34           43         6,276       1,274       4,072      6,432
Minnesota ...............      18         (2)          9           10         1,579        (2)        2,377        880
Mississippi .............       4         (2)          7            3           356        (2)          847        202
Missouri ................       8          11         12           13         1,773         930       1,254        901

Montana .................       6          -         (2)            5           695         -          (2)         672
Nebraska ................       4         (2)          4            4           447        (2)          645        345
Nevada ..................       6           6          7            4           764         392       1,018        274
New Hampshire ...........     (2)          -         (2)           -           (2)          -          (2)         -  
New Jersey ..............      30          24         12           15         2,248       1,866       1,898      1,043
New Mexico ..............     (2)         (2)          3            6          (2)         (2)          175        465
New York ................      52          63         33           39         4,806       7,042       3,126      4,575
North Carolina ..........      16          14          7            7         1,423       1,712         842        592
North Dakota ............       -          -          -           (2)           -           -           -         (2) 
Ohio ....................      33          23         39           35         4,820       3,772       5,276      2,890
Oklahoma ................       3         (2)          3            4           500        (2)          269        691
Oregon ..................       5          15          9           19           675       1,130         958      1,818
Pennsylvania ............      81          53         61           75         7,075       4,815       4,895      6,920

Rhode Island ............     (2)         (2)        (2)           -           (2)         (2)         (2)         -  
South Carolina ..........       4          12          9           16           428       1,267       1,645      1,837
South Dakota ............      -           -          -            -            -           -           -          -  
Tennessee ...............       7           8          7           14           559         501         835      1,203
Texas ...................      38          28         30           18         3,037       2,127       2,916      1,886
Utah ....................      -          (2)         -           (2)           -          (2)          -         (2) 
Vermont .................       3         (2)        (2)          (2)           212        (2)         (2)        (2) 
Virginia ................       7          12          8            9           573       3,366       1,748        598
Washington ..............      16          18         10           16         1,527       1,517         909      1,163
West Virginia ...........      -          (2)          3          (2)           -          (2)          207       (2) 
Wisconsin ...............      31          20         31           41         2,651       1,573       3,177      3,535
Wyoming .................     (2)          -          -             3          (2)          -           -          179

Puerto Rico .............      11          14         12            6           854       1,555       1,714        729

    1  See footnote 1, table 3.
    2  Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.  
    NOTE: Dash represents zero.