Technical information:  (202) 691-6392     USDL 07-0421
               http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                           For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902     Thursday, March 22, 2007


                       MASS LAYOFFS IN FEBRUARY 2007
   
   In February, employers took 1,280 mass layoff actions, seasonally ad-
justed, 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; the number of workers involved totaled 143,977, 
on a seasonally adjusted basis.  The number of mass layoff events in-
creased by 43 from January, and the number of associated initial claims 
rose by 17,609.  During February, 419 mass layoff events were reported in 
the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 64,072 initial
claims.  Compared with the prior month, mass layoff activity in manufac-
turing increased by 30 events and by 12,931 initial claims.  (See table 1.)
   
   The national unemployment rate was 4.5 percent in February, essentially
unchanged from 4.6 percent the prior month and down from 4.8 percent a year
earlier.  Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 97,000 over the month 
and by 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 33 percent of the total ini-
tial claims in February.  The industry with the highest number of initial 
claims was temporary help services (with 5,581), followed by automobile manu-
facturing (5,561), and motorcycle, bicycle, and parts manufacturing (3,043).  
Together, these three industries accounted for 16 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 42 percent of all related initial claims filed in February; a
year earlier, manufacturing made up 29 percent of events and 37 percent of
initial claims.  In February 2007, the number of manufacturing claimants
was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (14,510, mostly in
motor vehicle manufacturing), followed by wood product manufacturing
(4,497) and food manufacturing (4,188).  (See table 3.)
   
   Construction accounted for 22 percent of mass layoff events and 15
percent of initial claims in February, largely from specialty trade
contractors.  Administrative and waste services comprised 12 percent of
events and 11 percent of initial claims filed over the month, with the
majority of layoffs in temporary help services.  Eight percent of all 
mass layoff events and 7 percent of related initial claims filed were 
from retail trade, primarily from general merchandise stores.  Transpor-
tation and warehousing made up 4 percent of events and 5 percent of as-
sociated initial claims, primarily from the school and employee bus 
transportation industry.

                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Industries with the largest number of mass layoff initial claims
in February 2007
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          |       |     February peak
                 Industry                 |Initial|------------------------
                                          | claims|      |
                                          |       | Year |  Initial claims
------------------------------------------|-------|------|-----------------
Temporary help services ..................| 5,581 | 2001 |      18,893
Automobile manufacturing .................| 5,561 | 2001 |      13,977
Motorcycle, bicycle, and parts            |       |      |
  manufacturing ..........................| 3,043 | 2007 |       3,043
School and employee bus transportation ...| 2,618 | 2004 |       2,997
Heavy duty truck manufacturing ...........| 2,602 | 2005 |       2,627
Commercial building construction .........| 2,137 | 2007 |       2,137
Professional employer organizations ......| 2,008 | 2001 |       3,241
Highway, street, and bridge construction .| 1,841 | 2003 |       3,316
Farm labor contractors and crew leaders ..| 1,813 | 2000 |      12,516
Food service contractors .................| 1,792 | 2007 |       1,792
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
   
   On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of mass layoff events 
in February, at 935, was up by 216 from a year earlier, and the number of
associated initial claims increased by 20,141 to 86,696.  (See table 2.)
The February level of all mass layoff initial claims, on a not seasonally
adjusted basis, was the highest for that month since 2003.  The largest
over-the-year increases in initial claims were reported in transportation
equipment manufacturing (+5,397), wood product manufacturing (+3,267), and
specialty trade contractors (+3,198).  The largest over-the-year decreases
in mass layoff initial claims were reported in apparel manufacturing (-1,358) 
and motion picture and sound recording industries (-1,268).

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in
February due to mass layoffs was in the Midwest, 26,603.  Transportation
equipment manufacturing and specialty trade contractors industries together
accounted for 37 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, 23,971, followed by the Northeast, 18,272, and the South, 
17,850.  (See table 5.)
   
   The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year
in all four regions--the Midwest (+9,981), the Northeast (+6,020), the South
(+2,909), and the West (+1,231).  Six geographic divisions had over-the-year 
increases in the numbers of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with 
the largest increases in the East North Central (+10,662), the Middle Atlantic 
(+7,402), and the South Atlantic (+2,745).  The division with the largest over-
the-year decrease was New England (-1,382).

                                  - 3 -
   
   Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial claims 
filed due to mass layoff events in February (19,809), followed by Pennsylvania 
(10,928), Michigan (6,507), Wisconsin (6,035), and Illinois (4,684).  These five 
states accounted for 58 percent of all mass layoff events and 55 percent of all 
associated initial claims for unemployment insurance.  (See table 6.)

   Pennsylvania had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial 
claims (+7,919), mostly due to layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing.  
States having the next largest increases in initial claims were Michigan (+4,219), 
Wisconsin (+3,514), Ohio (+1,403), and Illinois (+1,299).  The largest over-the-
year decreases in claims occurred in Minnesota (-1,685) and Kentucky (-1,320).
   
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 March 2007 is scheduled to be released on
Friday, April 20.
   
   
   
    ------------------------------------------------------------------
   |          Upcoming Changes to Extended Mass Layoff Data           |
   |                                                                  |
   |    As previously published in the Extended Mass Layoffs news re- |
   | lease issued on February 13, the collection and presentation of  |
   | data on economic reasons for extended mass layoffs will be im-   |
   | proved.  Clearer definitions and titles for many of the current  |
   | reasons will be introduced, and four new reasons will be added.  |
   | Moreover, seven higher-level categories--business demand, disas- |
   | ter/safety, financial, organizational, production, seasonal, and |
   | other/miscellaneous--will be used to aggregate and report the    |
   | detailed economic reasons for layoff.                            |
   |                                                                  |
   |    For additional information on the changes to the MLS reasons, |
   | including detailed definitions of each reason and a crosswalk of |
   | the old to the new reasons, please see http://www.bls.gov/mls/   |
   | home.htm or call (202) 691-6392.                                 |
    ------------------------------------------------------------------ 
   
   
   
    
    
                                  - 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, March 2003 to 
February 2007, seasonally adjusted

                                       Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing  

             Date                                                                              
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial 
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants     Events  claimants

            2003                                                                               

March ......................     1,787     174,936     1,592     159,242       610      73,015
April ......................     1,707     172,348     1,557     162,117       634      82,756
May ........................     1,731     184,479     1,550     170,984       635      87,049
June .......................     1,733     164,442     1,523     147,609       638      68,976
July .......................     1,649     164,146     1,443     148,650       567      72,023
August .....................     1,498     169,799     1,362     156,687       546      74,509
September ..................     1,562     147,054     1,370     132,262       479      57,332
October ....................     1,536     158,137     1,328     140,298       420      52,105
November ...................     1,366     138,079     1,223     126,597       377      49,716
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





Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, March 2003 to 
February 2007, not seasonally adjusted

                                       Total            Private nonfarm        Manufacturing   

             Date                                                                              
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial 
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants    Events   claimants

            2003                                                                               

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
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





Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

                                                                                                     Initial claimants for        
                                                             Mass layoff events                     unemployment insurance        
                    Industry                                                                                                      

                                                    February   December January  February    February   December January  February
                                                      2006       2006     2007     2007        2006       2006     2007     2007  

               Seasonally adjusted                                                                                               

      Total .....................................     1,065      1,201    1,237    1,280     112,742    133,818  126,368  143,977

  Total, private nonfarm ........................       973      1,099    1,095    1,166     105,055    124,526  115,615  135,252
    Manufacturing ...............................       329        390      389      419      46,548     53,828   51,141   64,072

             Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                             

      Total (1)..................................       719      2,249    1,407      935      66,555    254,503  134,984   86,696

Total, private ..................................       689      2,176    1,344      913      64,296    248,383  129,715   85,170
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..        31         50       81       52       2,088      3,600    5,240    3,073

  Total, private nonfarm ........................       658      2,126    1,263      861      62,208    244,783  124,475   82,097
    Mining ......................................        -          28       10     (2)          -        3,048      769     (2) 
    Utilities ...................................      (2)           3     (2)      (2)         (2)         154     (2)      (2) 
    Construction ................................        82        423      194      203       5,997     36,426   12,426   13,191
    Manufacturing ...............................       210        735      456      273      24,892    105,462   53,615   36,170
        Food ....................................        42         80       59       40       4,255      8,557    4,525    4,188
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........      (2)           6        6        4        (2)         468      456      280
        Textile mills ...........................         6         18       16        6         373      2,480    1,703      998
        Textile product mills ...................         4          9        9        4         301        758    1,132      383
        Apparel .................................        10         21       12        5       1,644      2,323    1,020      286
        Leather and allied products .............      (2)           5     (2)      (2)         (2)         493     (2)      (2) 
        Wood products ...........................        12         59       46       47       1,230      6,359    4,342    4,497
        Paper ...................................         4         13        7        7         397      1,415      572      397
        Printing and related support activities .         6         12       13        4         519      1,178    1,110      358
        Petroleum and coal products .............      (2)          14     (2)      (2)         (2)       1,396     (2)      (2) 

        Chemicals ...............................         4          7        9        4         315        608      771      348
        Plastics and rubber products ............         9         48       22        9         564      5,674    1,513      469
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............         9         56       28       24         694      5,824    2,059    1,624
        Primary metals ..........................         7         38       13       13         523      4,714    1,687    1,411
        Fabricated metal products ...............        12         57       32       14         972      5,346    2,581    1,315
        Machinery ...............................        14         38       24       17       1,029      5,676    2,309    2,946
        Computer and electronic products ........         6         24       15        9         623      2,085    1,351      667
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....         9         25        8        4         773      5,701      514      281
        Transportation equipment ................        39        159      104       43       9,113     38,811   22,315   14,510
        Furniture and related products ..........         7         34       23       15         681      4,510    2,948      994
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............         4         12        6     (2)          457      1,086      454     (2) 

    Wholesale trade .............................         8         26       22        5         416      2,119    1,603      278
    Retail trade ................................        79        109      112       71       6,781     13,055    9,587    5,869
    Transportation and warehousing ..............        31        165       88       40       3,274     19,172    9,275    4,254
    Information .................................        28         33       32       24       3,611      7,949    6,296    2,966
    Finance and insurance .......................        26         34       29       21       1,752      2,687    2,197    1,511
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........         3          8        6        4         194        442      307      275
    Professional and technical services .........        24         50       28       25       2,124      5,572    3,088    2,403
    Management of companies and enterprises .....         4          3     (2)      (2)          274        130     (2)      (2) 
    Administrative and waste services ...........       106        258      172      114       8,492     22,076   16,699    9,156
    Educational services ........................      (2)           4        5        4        (2)         288      647      322
    Health care and social assistance ...........        15         31       14       18         938      2,450      776    1,099
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........         7         26       26        5         457      1,760    1,897      289
    Accommodation and food services .............        26        175       56       42       2,486     20,735    4,124    3,555
    Other services, except public administration          3         14        8        5         197      1,198      772      310
    Unclassified  ...............................         3          1        2        1         162         60      104       71

Government ......................................        30         73       63       22       2,259      6,120    5,269    1,526
    Federal .....................................         4         12       21        5         238      1,215    2,311      339
    State .......................................         7         16       15        6         764      1,517    1,272      482
    Local .......................................        19         45       27       11       1,257      3,388    1,686      705

    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, January 2005 to February 2007,
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 

           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       246,188          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       193,102          36.5         69.7

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       264,494          44.3         79.6

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       160,813          33.5         52.8

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   (2)(p)1,444 (2)(p)217,742       (p)35.1      (p)47.5

           2007                                                                                                                

January .................         1,407    134,984     1,263     124,475                                                       
February ................           935     86,696       861      82,097                                                       

   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.
   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                                                                                      

                                 February    December January  February    February    December January  February
                                   2006        2006     2007     2007        2006        2006     2007     2007  

        United States (1) ..       719       2,249    1,407      935        66,555     254,503  134,984   86,696
Northeast ..................       115         412      299      179        12,252      40,738   25,463   18,272

    New England ............        23          60       41       25         3,984       6,612    3,349    2,602
    Middle Atlantic ........        92         352      258      154         8,268      34,126   22,114   15,670

South ......................       149         416      283      168        14,941      54,023   29,870   17,850

    South Atlantic .........        66         202      163       84         7,193      22,765   14,996    9,938
    East South Central .....        38         126       71       42         4,136      22,085    9,489    4,336
    West South Central .....        45          88       49       42         3,612       9,173    5,385    3,576

Midwest ....................       168         898      373      239        16,622     109,495   38,412   26,603

    East North Central .....       136         674      295      198        12,702      78,466   31,681   23,364
    West North Central .....        32         224       78       41         3,920      31,029    6,731    3,239

West .......................       287         523      452      349        22,740      50,247   41,239   23,971

    Mountain ...............        16          82       46       25         1,271       7,835    3,508    1,833
    Pacific ................       271         441      406      324        21,469      42,412   37,731   22,138

   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                                                                                                       
                            February    December   January      February    February    December    January    February
                              2006        2006       2007         2007        2006        2006        2007       2007  

   Total (1) ............     719       2,249      1,407          935        66,555     254,503     134,984     86,696

Alabama .................       7          30         19           16           621       3,438       1,792      1,757
Alaska ..................     (2)        (2)        (2)            -           (2)         (2)         (2)         -  
Arizona .................      -            5          4          (2)           -           406         409       (2) 
Arkansas ................     (2)           7       (2)           (2)          (2)          836        (2)        (2) 
California ..............     246         374        366          299        19,455      34,848      33,560     19,809
Colorado ................     (2)          15         11          (2)          (2)        1,483         818       (2) 
Connecticut .............       3           4          8          (2)         1,353         452         819       (2) 
Delaware ................      -          -         (2)           (2)           -           -          (2)        (2) 
District of Columbia ....      -         (2)        (2)            -            -          (2)         (2)         -  
Florida .................      30          57         60           39         2,055       4,697       3,537      2,616
Georgia .................      10          42         48           15         1,081       4,421       4,802      1,831
Hawaii ..................       3        (2)           5           -            199        (2)          562        -  
Idaho ...................     (2)          11         10           10          (2)        1,191         646        615

Illinois ................      36         149         48           44         3,385      17,195       5,524      4,684
Indiana .................      16          82         38           21         1,736      10,123       3,388      1,963
Iowa ....................       8          62         15           14           620      10,039       1,772      1,469
Kansas ..................     (2)          23         11          (2)          (2)        2,626         689       (2) 
Kentucky ................      20          64         27           16         2,653      15,975       6,086      1,333
Louisiana ...............      10           9          7            8           624         901       1,891        492
Maine ...................       3           6          7          (2)           338         452         495       (2) 
Maryland ................       3          28         11            8           233       2,825       1,000        747
Massachusetts ...........       3          22         16            7           163       2,256       1,235        442
Michigan ................      29         184         88           38         2,288      22,842       7,914      6,507
Minnesota ...............      11          52         15            9         2,300       7,545       1,474        615
Mississippi .............       5           6          3            4           364         569         236        254
Missouri ................       7          75         34           14           541       9,687       2,593        801

Montana .................       3           6          5          (2)           173         513         452       (2) 
Nebraska ................       4           8       (2)            -            280         815        (2)         -  
Nevada ..................       6          26          7            6           487       2,076         547        638
New Hampshire ...........       3           8       (2)           (2)           265         793        (2)        (2) 
New Jersey ..............      24          91         38           27         2,115       7,948       2,737      2,558
New Mexico ..............     (2)          10       (2)             4          (2)        1,180        (2)         229
New York ................      30         106        113           20         3,144      11,731      10,678      2,184
North Carolina ..........      10          16         10            5           786       1,511       1,013        518
North Dakota ............      -         (2)        (2)           (2)           -          (2)         (2)        (2) 
Ohio ....................      23         137         61           41         2,772      15,848       8,883      4,175
Oklahoma ................       4          11          7           13           437       1,152         436      1,377
Oregon ..................       9          41         20           12           802       4,862       2,006      1,264
Pennsylvania ............      38         155        107          107         3,009      14,447       8,699     10,928

Rhode Island ............       9          11          7            7         1,746       1,885         489      1,249
South Carolina ..........       6          17         14            7           514       2,836       1,466        641
South Dakota ............     (2)        (2)        (2)            -           (2)         (2)         (2)         -  
Tennessee ...............       6          26         22            6           498       2,103       1,375        992
Texas ...................      29          61         33           20         2,375       6,284       2,845      1,656
Utah ....................     (2)           9          7           -           (2)          986         494        -  
Vermont .................     (2)           9       (2)             4          (2)          774        (2)         240
Virginia ................       7          35         17            8         2,524       5,969       1,706      3,476
Washington ..............      12          21         14           13           951       2,350       1,528      1,065
West Virginia ...........      -            4         -           (2)           -           318         -         (2) 
Wisconsin ...............      32         122         60           54         2,521      12,458       5,972      6,035
Wyoming .................      -           -          -            -            -           -           -          -  

Puerto Rico .............      19          17         12            8         1,962       1,977       1,257        535

   1  See footnote 1, table 3.
   2  Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.  
   NOTE:  Dash represents zero.