Technical information:  (202) 691-6392     USDL 06-1858
               http://www.bls.gov/mls/

                                           For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:                691-5902     Wednesday, October 25, 2006


                      MASS LAYOFFS IN SEPTEMBER 2006
   
   In September 2006, employers took 1,132 mass layoff actions, seasonally
adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits
during the month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today.  Each action involved at least 50 persons from a
single establishment, and the number of workers involved totaled 116,773,
on a seasonally adjusted basis.  The number of layoff events decreased by
61 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims de-
creased by 11,171.  During September 2006, 381 mass layoff events were
reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in
45,040 initial claims.  The number of events in manufacturing was higher
than a month earlier, while the number of initial claims decreased.  (See
table 1.)
   
   Compared with September 2005, which included the effects of Hurricane
Katrina, September 2006 shows a sharp decrease in the number of events 
and associated initial claims.  In September 2005, 2,219 layoff events 
and 283,772 associated initial claims, seasonally adjusted, were reported.
   
   In September 2006, the national unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, sea-
sonally adjusted, essentially unchanged from 4.7 percent in August 2006
and down from 5.1 percent a year earlier.  Total nonfarm payroll employ-
ment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 51,000 over the month and by about 
1.8 million over the year.
   
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
   
   The 10 industries reporting the highest number of mass layoff initial
claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 21,928 initial claims in
September, 25 percent of the total.  The three industries with the highest
number of initial claims were temporary help services with 4,543, profes-
sional employer organizations with 2,623, and light truck and utility ve-
hicle manufacturing with 2,532.  Together, these three industries accounted 
for 11 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs in September.  (See 
table A.)
   
   The manufacturing sector accounted for 34 percent of all mass layoff
events and 45 percent of all initial claims filed in September; a year
earlier, manufacturing comprised 19 percent of events and 22 percent of
initial claims.  Manufacturing accounted for a smaller percentage of events
and initial claims in September 2005 because of the significant impact of
Hurricane Katrina on all industries located in the affected areas.  In
September 2006, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in trans-
portation equipment manufacturing (13,330, mostly automotive-related), fol-
lowed by machinery manufacturing (4,772).  (See table 3.)
   
   Administrative and waste services accounted for 13 percent of events
and 11 percent of initial claims filed in September, with layoffs mostly 
in temporary help services and professional employer organizations. Con-
struction accounted for 11 percent of events and 8 percent of initial 
claims during the month, with the majority from specialty trade contrac-
tors.  Retail trade accounted for 8 percent of both events and initial 
claims in September, primarily from general merchandise stores.

                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Industries with the largest mass layoff initial claims in September 2006

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             |                |      September peak     
                   Industry                  | Initial claims |-------------------------
                                             |                |  Year  | Initial claims 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             |                |        |                  
Temporary help services......................|      4,543     |  2001  |     12,752       
Professional employer organizations..........|      2,623     |  2006  |      2,623       
Light truck and utility vehicle manufacturing|      2,532     |  2000  |      3,688       
AC, refrigeration, and forced air heating....|      2,381     |  2006  |      2,381       
Motion picture and video production..........|      2,226     |  1997  |     11,176       
Motor vehicle seating and interion trim      |                |        |
  manufacturing..............................|      1,920     |  2006  |      1,920       
General medical and surgical hospitals.......|      1,876     |  2005  |     11,533       
Supermarkets and other grocery stores........|      1,456     |  2005  |      4,873       
Discount department stores...................|      1,247     |  2005  |      3 550       
Warehouse clubs and supercenters.............|      1,124     |  2002  |      1,218       
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Government establishments accounted for 5 percent of both events and
initial claims filed in September, mostly from educational services and
executive, legislative, and general government.
   
   On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of layoff events in
September 2006, at 865, was down by 797 from a year earlier, and the number 
of associated initial claims decreased by 125,582 to 87,699.  (See table 2.)
The largest over-the-year decreases in initial claims were reported in in-
dustries that were particularly affected by Hurricane Katrina including:
educational services (-18,180), accommodation (-13,898), and food services
and drinking places (-12,948).  The largest over-the-year increases in ini-
tial claims were reported in furniture and related product manufacturing
(+1,320) and fabricated metal product manufacturing (+925).
   
   From January through September 2006, the total number of initial
claims, at 994,898, was the lowest reported for any January-September
period since 1996.

Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

   Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in
September due to mass layoffs was in the West, 25,910.  Administrative and
support services and specialty trade contractors accounted for 27 percent
of all mass layoff initial claims in that region during the month.  The
Midwest had the second largest number of initial claims, 25,348, followed
by the South, 23,990, and the Northeast, 12,451.  (See table 5.)
   
   The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year
in two of the four regions--the Midwest (+4,324) and the Northeast (+2,461).
The regional decreases were in the South (-130,009) and the West (-2,358).
In September 2005, the South had experienced a substantial increase of
initial claimants in Louisiana and Mississippi as a result of Hurricane
Katrina.  Six geographic divisions had over-the-year increases in the
number of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest
increases in East North Central (+2,162) and West North Central (+2,162).
Of the three divisions with over-the-year decreases, the largest were in
West South Central (-104,453) and East South Central (-26,116).
   
   Among the states, California recorded the highest number of initial
claims filed due to mass layoff events in September (21,642), followed by
Ohio (5,276), Kentucky (5,133), Pennsylvania (4,895), and Michigan (4,072).
These five states accounted for 51 percent of all mass layoff events and 47
percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance.  (See table 6.)

   Ohio had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial
claims (+2,868), largely due to layoffs in transportation equipment manu-
facturing.  Minnesota had the next largest increase in initial claims
(+1,636), followed by Pennsylvania (+1,432).  The largest over-the-year
decreases in claims occurred in Louisiana (-102,347) and Mississippi 
(-25,970).
   
   From January to September, California reported 229,695 mass layoff ini-
tial claims, 23 percent of the national total.  The states with the next
largest number of claims over this period were Michigan (88,054), Penn-
sylvania (59,674), New York (57,414), and Ohio (56,555).

                                  - 3 -

Note
   
   The monthly data series in this release cover mass layoffs of 50 or
more workers beginning in a given month, regardless of the duration of the
layoffs.  For private nonfarm establishments, information on the length of
the layoff is obtained later and issued in a quarterly release that reports
on mass layoffs lasting more than 30 days (referred to as "extended mass
layoffs").  The quarterly release provides more information on the industry
classification and location of the establishment and on the demographics of
the laid-off workers.  Because monthly figures include short-term layoffs
of 30 days or less, the sum of the figures for the 3 months in a quarter
will be higher than the quarterly figure for mass layoffs of more than 30
days.  (See table 4.)  See the Technical Note for more detailed
definitions.
   
                       _____________________________
   
   
   The report on Extended Mass Layoffs in the Third Quarter of 2006 is
scheduled to be released on Wednesday, November 15, 2006.  The report on
Mass Layoffs in October 2006 is scheduled to be released on Friday,
November 24, 2006.
   
   
   
   
   
                                  - 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, October 2002 to 
September 2006, seasonally adjusted

                                       Total            Private nonfarm         Manufacturing   

             Date                                                                               
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial  
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants     Events  claimants 

            2002                                                                              

October ....................     1,774     186,940     1,582     169,660       625      73,904
November ...................     1,652     178,402     1,507     167,335       613      71,693
December ...................     1,841     198,678     1,659     184,368       661      84,048

            2003                                                                              

January ....................     1,358     131,963     1,168     117,636       387      48,685
February ...................     1,825     190,928     1,647     178,363       646      78,819
March ......................     1,782     175,671     1,595     160,170       617      72,409
April ......................     1,722     174,608     1,564     163,607       640      83,303
May ........................     1,719     184,003     1,542     170,961       625      86,535
June .......................     1,716     164,299     1,524     148,542       636      68,143
July .......................     1,642     163,179     1,442     148,299       580      74,070
August .....................     1,517     171,861     1,367     158,049       551      74,602
September ..................     1,562     147,383     1,374     133,383       484      56,472
October ....................     1,558     156,814     1,336     138,691       427      52,009
November ...................     1,393     141,383     1,244     129,231       401      50,460
December ...................     1,426     144,456     1,265     132,324       434      50,994

            2004                                                                              

January ....................     1,421     142,704     1,223     124,192       395      48,519
February ...................     1,293     132,640     1,145     120,811       362      39,360
March ......................     1,364     140,957     1,234     132,152       407      60,296
April ......................     1,381     141,909     1,207     126,106       341      37,686
May ........................     1,189     111,173     1,030      98,230       314      37,405
June .......................     1,390     141,948     1,226     129,344       360      45,398
July .......................     1,329     137,724     1,185     126,945       371      53,248
August .....................     1,436     131,807     1,243     116,672       342      38,192
September ..................     1,283     125,344     1,155     115,499       344      45,691
October ....................     1,302     129,237     1,181     119,653       369      47,888
November ...................     1,350     135,036     1,202     122,954       407      47,517
December ...................     1,188     120,602     1,038     109,508       293      33,123

            2005                                                                              

January ....................     1,465     153,676     1,330     143,295       380      58,778
February ...................     1,135     120,190     1,010     109,964       350      43,966
March ......................     1,204     133,935     1,071     124,273       384      56,253
April ......................     1,278     139,575     1,145     128,478       390      60,726
May ........................     1,194     129,214     1,059     117,660       359      52,055
June .......................     1,184     128,430     1,065     119,271       349      53,930
July .......................     1,248     131,136     1,107     118,994       356      49,070
August .....................     1,145     127,592     1,006     116,011       334      48,904
September ..................     2,219     283,772     1,975     237,831       438      53,399
October ....................     1,114     104,584       986      94,798       328      45,475
November ...................     1,205     120,783     1,074     109,680       359      45,069
December ...................     1,308     149,565     1,185     138,234       365      49,641

            2006                                                                              

January ....................     1,113     108,378       985      97,832       274      29,541
February ...................     1,073     111,468       973     103,268       321      45,073
March ......................     1,082     118,555       984     110,275       328      49,023
April ......................     1,148     118,504     1,023     109,150       358      48,086
May ........................     1,074     109,858       963     101,080       293      42,006
June .......................     1,097     119,662       974     109,041       311      37,570
July .......................     1,125     114,895     1,009     105,829       363      47,287
August .....................     1,193     127,944     1,060     117,993       357      59,256
September ..................     1,132     116,773     1,008     107,431       381      45,040





Table 2. Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance,  October 2002 to 
September 2006, not seasonally adjusted

                                       Total            Private nonfarm        Manufacturing   

             Date                                                                              
                                           Initial               Initial               Initial 
                                 Events   claimants    Events   claimants    Events   claimants

            2002                                                                              

October ....................     1,497     171,100     1,270     149,327       493      64,655
November ...................     2,153     240,171     1,860     216,237       719      92,712
December ...................     2,474     264,158     2,324     252,807       984     126,826

            2003                                                                              

January ....................     2,315     225,430     2,130     210,918       822      90,244
February ...................     1,363     124,965     1,222     116,264       435      48,161
March ......................     1,207     113,026     1,099     104,468       390      41,063
April ......................     1,581     161,412     1,470     152,937       499      62,349
May ........................     1,703     174,204     1,538     160,729       499      61,278
June .......................     1,691     157,552     1,336     127,743       389      40,845
July .......................     2,087     226,435     1,815     206,901       946     136,410
August .....................     1,258     133,839     1,163     124,131       405      52,620
September ..................       868      82,647       756      73,914       271      31,428
October ....................     1,523     158,240     1,265     137,706       438      53,741
November ...................     1,438     138,543     1,234     123,524       408      48,419
December ...................     1,929     192,633     1,793     182,750       648      77,915

            2004                                                                              

January ....................     2,428     239,454     2,226     220,687       848      89,551
February ...................       941      84,201       832      76,577       240      23,043
March ......................       920      92,554       847      87,782       258      34,686
April ......................     1,458     157,314     1,316     142,657       343      36,172
May ........................       988      87,501       878      78,786       219      22,141
June .......................     1,379     134,588     1,077     110,804       222      27,307
July .......................     2,094     253,929     1,860     234,877       885     145,895
August .....................       809      69,033       745      63,876       194      17,698
September ..................       708      68,972       637      63,102       189      25,808
October ....................     1,242     127,918     1,101     117,375       372      48,265
November ...................     1,399     130,423     1,201     115,549       412      44,243
December ...................     1,614     161,271     1,487     152,092       436      50,726

            2005                                                                              

January ....................     2,564     263,952     2,421     253,409       823     108,985
February ...................       810      74,644       722      68,372       230      24,931
March ......................       806      88,937       733      83,793       246      33,030
April ......................     1,373     158,582     1,263     148,133       395      59,129
May ........................       986     101,358       891      93,332       249      30,424
June .......................     1,157     120,463       941     103,307       216      32,783
July .......................     1,981     244,216     1,745     222,377       856     136,210
August .....................       645      67,582       598      63,484       188      22,531
September ..................     1,662     213,281     1,505     179,042       318      47,497
October ....................       905      91,941       757      80,694       249      37,276
November ...................     1,254     116,127     1,079     102,182       363      41,442
December ...................     2,323     254,258     2,168     242,753       706      96,382

            2006                                                                              

January ....................     1,245     117,946     1,123     108,701       331      35,097
February ...................       719      66,555       658      62,208       210      24,892
March ......................       921     111,838       856     106,177       285      44,688
April ......................     1,140     121,589     1,038     112,964       296      39,538
May ........................       872      84,809       794      78,663       192      23,570
June .......................     1,489     164,761     1,224     140,687       319      41,095
July .......................     1,511     166,857     1,335     154,342       648      96,152
August .....................       708      72,844       656      69,054       203      28,494
September ..................       865      87,699       785      81,274       296      39,076





Table 3. Industry distribution: Mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance

                                                                                                     Initial claimants for        
                                                             Mass layoff events                     unemployment insurance        
                    Industry                                                                                                      

                                                    September    July    August  September   September    July    August  September
                                                      2005       2006     2006     2006        2005       2006     2006     2006  

               Seasonally adjusted                                                                                               

      Total .....................................     2,219      1,125    1,193    1,132     283,772    114,895  127,944  116,773

  Total, private nonfarm ........................     1,975      1,009    1,060    1,008     237,831    105,829  117,993  107,431
    Manufacturing ...............................       438        363      357      381      53,399     47,287   59,256   45,040

             Not seasonally adjusted                                                                                             

      Total (1) ..................................    1,662      1,511      708      865     213,281    166,857   72,844   87,699

Total, private ..................................     1,528      1,414      675      819     180,425    160,148   70,352   83,317
    Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting ..        23         79       19       34       1,383      5,806    1,298    2,043

  Total, private nonfarm ........................     1,505      1,335      656      785     179,042    154,342   69,054   81,274
    Mining ......................................       (2)        (2)       -       (2)         (2)        (2)       -       (2)
    Utilities ...................................       (2)        (2)      (2)      (2)         (2)        (2)      (2)      (2)
    Construction ................................       116         69       50       99       8,885      4,457    3,473    6,643
    Manufacturing ...............................       318        648      203      296      47,497     96,152   28,494   39,076
        Food ....................................        59         60       26       32       5,907      5,607    1,559    2,763
        Beverage and tobacco products ...........         4        (2)      (2)        6         274        (2)      (2)      581
        Textile mills ...........................        20         16       11       12       2,636      2,217    1,302    1,751
        Textile product mills ...................         6          9        4        5         958        663      328      465
        Apparel .................................        10         19        4        9       2,183      2,009      264    1,073
        Leather and allied products .............       (2)        (2)      (2)      (2)         (2)        (2)      (2)      (2)
        Wood products ...........................        22         35       19       28       2,253      3,480    2,240    2,645
        Paper ...................................        10          7        6        6       1,218        522      425      741
        Printing and related support activities .         5          5        5      (2)         318        418      325      (2)
        Petroleum and coal products .............       (2)        (2)       -         4         (2)        (2)       -       235

        Chemicals ...............................         6         11        4        4         822      1,503      373      284
        Plastics and rubber products ............        13         57        9       16       1,833      6,842      645    1,786
        Nonmetallic mineral products ............         9         19      (2)        6         657      2,070      (2)      835
        Primary metals ..........................        11         32        9        7       1,112      3,645      816      876
        Fabricated metal products ...............        17         54       10       22       1,224      5,549      673    2,149
        Machinery ...............................        30         33       14       24       4,967      4,716    2,210    4,772
        Computer and electronic products ........        18         20       16        8       1,438      1,979    1,590      451
        Electrical equipment and appliances .....        11         19        8       11       2,959      1,943    1,517    1,395
        Transportation equipment ................        52        233       44       69      15,584     51,048   12,428   13,330
        Furniture and related products ..........         9          7        6       15         599        490      935    1,919
        Miscellaneous manufacturing .............         3          7      (2)        7         242        508      (2)      571

    Wholesale trade .............................        33         17       17       12       2,351      1,218    1,076      908
    Retail trade ................................       203         85       69       72      22,358      7,540    5,975    6,619
    Transportation and warehousing ..............        51         88       61       24       6,218      8,327    5,513    1,965
    Information .................................        41         37       29       31       6,046      4,274    4,477    3,337
    Finance and insurance .......................        32         26       15       26       2,580      1,695    1,007    1,937
    Real estate and rental and leasing ..........        19          8      (2)        4       1,125        895      (2)      311
    Professional and technical services .........        31         40       24       22       2,655      4,530    2,202    3,222
    Management of companies and enterprises .....       (2)          3       -       (2)         (2)        204       -       (2)
    Administrative and waste services ...........       206        190      113      110      20,616     16,115   10,961    9,950
    Educational services ........................        12          8      (2)        6       1,667        533      (2)      436
    Health care and social assistance ...........       150         40       17       21      17,259      3,068    1,133    2,383
    Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........        37         18       12       15       7,164      1,018      649      944
    Accommodation and food services .............       220         46       33       36      29,522      3,419    2,281    2,728
    Other services, except public administration         29          8        7        6       2,352        442      854      453
    Unclassified  ...............................        -           1        1       -           -         192       54       - 

Government ......................................       134         97       33       46      32,856      6,709    2,492    4,382
    Federal .....................................        10          7        8        8         966        685      839      852
    State .......................................        37         12        6       10       5,905        826      339    1,272
    Local .......................................        87         78       19       28      25,985      5,198    1,314    2,258

    1 Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
    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, July 2004 to September 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                                                                                                                

July ....................         2,094    253,929     1,860     234,877                                                       
August ..................           809     69,033       745      63,876                                                       
September ...............           708     68,972       637      63,102                                                       

Third Quarter ...........         3,611    391,934     3,242     361,855           886       148,575          27.3         41.1

October .................         1,242    127,918     1,101     117,375                                                       
November ................         1,399    130,423     1,201     115,549                                                       
December ................         1,614    161,271     1,487     152,092                                                       

Fourth Quarter ..........         4,255    419,612     3,789     385,016         1,427       262,049          37.7         68.1

           2005                                                                                                                

January .................         2,564    263,952     2,421     253,409                                                       
February ................           810     74,644       722      68,372                                                       
March ...................           806     88,937       733      83,793                                                       

First Quarter ...........         4,180    427,533     3,876     405,574         1,142       185,486          29.5         45.7

April ...................         1,373    158,582     1,263     148,133                                                       
May .....................           986    101,358       891      93,332                                                       
June ....................         1,157    120,463       941     103,307                                                       

Second Quarter ..........         3,516    380,403     3,095     344,772         1,203       212,673          38.9         61.7

July ....................         1,981    244,216     1,745     222,377                                                       
August ..................           645     67,582       598      63,484                                                       
September ...............         1,662    213,281     1,505     179,042                                                       

Third Quarter ...........         4,288    525,079     3,848     464,903         1,136       190,180          29.5         40.9

October .................           905     91,941       757      80,694                                                       
November ................         1,254    116,127     1,079     102,182                                                       
December ................         2,323    254,258     2,168     242,753                                                       

Fourth Quarter ..........         4,482    462,326     4,004     425,629         1,400       246,169          35.0         57.8

           2006                                                                                                                

January .................         1,245    117,946     1,123     108,701                                                       
February ................           719     66,555       658      62,208                                                       
March ...................           921    111,838       856     106,177                                                       

First Quarter ...........         2,885    296,339     2,637     277,086           963       189,634          36.5         68.4

April ...................         1,140    121,589     1,038     112,964                                                       
May .....................           872     84,809       794      78,663                                                       
June ....................         1,489    164,761     1,224     140,687                                                       

Second Quarter ..........         3,501    371,159     3,056     332,314   (2)(p)1,213 (2)(p)184,534       (p)39.7      (p)55.5

July ....................         1,511    166,857     1,335     154,342                                                       
August ..................           708     72,844       656      69,054                                                       
September ...............           865     87,699       785      81,274                                                       

Third Quarter ...........         3,084    327,400     2,776     304,670                                                       

    1 The event realization rate is the percentage of all private nonfarm 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                                                                                       

                                September    July    August    September    September     July    August     September
                                   2005      2006     2006        2006         2005       2006     2006         2006  

        United States (1) ...     1,662     1,511      708         865      213,281     166,857   72,844      87,699

Northeast ..................        118       218      150         126        9,990      17,043   14,506      12,451

    New England ............         13        23       10          20        1,204       1,618      783       2,532
    Middle Atlantic ........        105       195      140         106        8,786      15,425   13,723       9,919

South ......................      1,086       313      163         209      153,999      30,866   21,113      23,990

    South Atlantic .........         81       178       96          98       10,247      15,176   10,808      10,807
    East South Central .....        161        82       31          50       33,946       8,541    7,226       7,830
    West South Central .....        844        53       36          61      109,806       7,149    3,079       5,353

Midwest ....................        161       569      117         208       21,024      86,786   13,084      25,348

    East North Central .....        133       487       94         167       17,107      77,161   10,974      19,269
    West North Central .....         28        82       23          41        3,917       9,625    2,110       6,079

West .......................        297       411      278         322       28,268      32,162   24,141      25,910

    Mountain ...............         22        32       16          18        1,901       2,324    1,018       2,092
    Pacific ................        275       379      262         304       26,367      29,838   23,123      23,818

    1 See footnote 1, table 3.
    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                                                                                                         
                          September      July      August     September     September     July       August   September
                             2005        2006       2006         2006          2005       2006        2006       2006  

   Total (1) .............  1,662       1,511        708          865       213,281     166,857      72,844     87,699

Alabama .................      20          12          6           13         1,968       1,510         762      1,015
Alaska ..................       3           3        (2)          (2)           280         217         (2)        (2)
Arizona .................     (2)          14          3          (2)           (2)       1,101         196        (2)
Arkansas ................      -            4          3          (2)            -          414         577        (2)
California ..............     256         341        227          281        24,616      26,385      20,339     21,642
Colorado ................       3           5         -             3           185         375          -         294
Connecticut .............       3           5          3            4           258         297         232        414
Delaware ................      -          (2)         -           (2)            -          (2)          -         (2)
District of Columbia ....      -           -         (2)           -             -           -          (2)         - 
Florida .................      40          81         40           46         3,314       5,371       2,497      3,627
Georgia .................      14          39         11           20         3,230       4,104       1,255      1,555
Hawaii ..................       3           3        (2)          (2)           249         183         (2)        (2)
Idaho ...................       3           3          4          (2)           239         262         237        (2)

Illinois ................      46          46         23           38         5,793       7,333       2,128      3,578
Indiana .................      13          66         14           25         2,339      10,104       2,227      3,166
Iowa ....................       3          22          4            8           996       2,846         306        817
Kansas ..................       3           8          5            8           259       1,757         279        986
Kentucky ................      21          53         15           23         4,473       5,767       5,785      5,133
Louisiana ...............     791          12          4           26       104,388       2,629         282      2,041
Maine ...................     (2)         (2)         -           (2)           (2)         (2)          -         (2)
Maryland ................      -           13          5            4            -        1,421         547        433
Massachusetts ...........       4           7          4           10          503          441         277        937
Michigan ................      23         228         14           34        3,235       41,722       1,274      4,072
Minnesota ...............       7          11        (2)            9          741          922         (2)      2,377
Mississippi .............     113           6        (2)            7       26,817          364         (2)        847
Missouri ................      10          32         11           12          981        2,979         930      1,254

Montana .................     (2)         (2)         -           (2)          (2)          (2)          -         (2)
Nebraska ................       4           5        (2)            4          811          685         (2)        645
Nevada ..................      12           7          6            7          997          439         392      1,018
New Hampshire ...........       3         (2)         -           (2)          217          (2)          -         (2)
New Jersey ..............      20          42         24           12        2,013        3,662       1,866      1,898
New Mexico ..............     (2)         (2)        (2)            3          (2)          (2)         (2)        175
New York ................      40          62         63           33        3,310        4,837       7,042      3,126
North Carolina ..........       6          11         14            7          601        1,233       1,712        842
North Dakota ............     (2)           4         -            -           (2)          436          -          - 
Ohio ....................      21          79         23           39        2,408       10,108       3,772      5,276
Oklahoma ................       3           8        (2)            3          360        1,290         (2)        269
Oregon ..................       3          20         15            9          342        2,186       1,130        958
Pennsylvania ............      45          91         53           61        3,463        6,926       4,815      4,895

Rhode Island ............     (2)           4        (2)          (2)          (2)          272         (2)        (2)
South Carolina ..........      14          13         12            9        1,907        1,143       1,267      1,645
South Dakota ............      -           -          -            -            -            -           -          - 
Tennessee ...............       7          11          8            7          688          900         501        835
Texas ...................      50          29         28           30        5,058        2,816       2,127      2,916
Utah ....................      -           -         (2)           -            -            -          (2)         - 
Vermont .................      -            3        (2)          (2)           -           235         (2)        (2)
Virginia ................       6          18         12            8        1,086        1,666       3,366      1,748
Washington ..............      10          12         18           10          880          867       1,517        909
West Virginia ...........     (2)         (2)        (2)            3          (2)          (2)         (2)        207
Wisconsin ...............      30          68         20           31        3,332        7,894       1,573      3,177
Wyoming .................      -           -          -            -            -            -           -          - 

Puerto Rico .............      20          10         14           12         2,268         860       1,555      1,714

    1  See footnote 1, table 3.
    2  Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.  
    NOTE:  Dash represents zero.