Table 2. Business processes involved in extended mass layoff events, by reason for layoff, fourth quarters 2009 and 2010 (1)
Reason Extended mass layoff events Total business process Core processes Support processes
Strat. Mgmt. Procurement, logistics, distribution Ops. Product development Marketing, sales, account management Customer and after-sales service General managment and firm infra-structure Human resource management Technology and process development
Fourth quarter 2010(p)

Total business process

 1,910 2,325 16 170 1,579 96 80 97 220 49 18

Business demand

 643 837 6 42 611 36 20 33 65 18 6

Contract cancellation

 24 33 - 1 19 - 3 5 3 2 -

Contract
completion

 371 441 - 16 362 11 9 10 25 7 1

Domestic competition

 (2) 8 - 1 3 - 1 1 1 1 -

Excess inventory/
saturated market

 - - - - - - - - - - -

Import
competition

 (2) 5 - 1 2 2 - - - - -

Slack work/
insufficient
demand/non-seasonal business slowdown

 243 350 6 23 225 23 7 17 36 8 5

Organizational changes

 72 171 6 18 62 6 13 14 30 14 8

Business-
ownership
change

 17 46 2 4 15 - 2 6 9 6 2

Reorgan-
ization
or
restructuring
of company

 55 125 4 14 47 6 11 8 21 8 6

Financial issues

 105 228 4 27 97 14 19 15 38 11 3

Bankruptcy

 13 30 1 3 13 1 1 2 6 3 -

Cost control/cost cutting/
increase
profitability

 63 135 3 15 56 11 13 11 20 3 3

Financial difficulty

 29 63 - 9 28 2 5 2 12 5 -

Production
specific

 8 15 - 2 6 1 - 1 4 1 -

Disaster/Safety

 5 6 - - 4 - - 1 1 - -

Seasonal

 804 1,036 - 81 778 38 26 31 77 4 1

Other/
Miscellaneous

 273 32 - - 21 1 2 2 5 1 -
Fourth quarter 2009(r)

Total business process

 2,416 2,880 (3) 233 1,900 56 102 94 336 96 63

Business demand

 845 1,158 (3) 68 810 23 33 27 128 43 26

Contract cancellation

 37 60 (3) 6 32 1 1 4 11 3 2

Contract
completion

 290 349 (3) 12 285 4 6 5 20 9 8

Domestic competition

 (2) 5 (3) 1 2 - 1 1 - - -

Excess inventory/
saturated market

 10 20 (3) 6 8 - 1 2 3 - -

Import
competition

 (2) 20 (3) 3 5 1 2 1 3 3 2

Slack work/
insufficient
demand/non-seasonal business slowdown

 501 704 (3) 40 478 17 22 14 91 28 14

Organizational changes

 89 209 (3) 21 76 5 15 15 48 17 12

Business-
ownership
change

 29 64 (3) 5 24 1 5 4 16 6 3

Reorgan-
ization
or
restructuring
of company

 60 145 (3) 16 52 4 10 11 32 11 9

Financial issues

 179 401 (3) 43 164 12 33 20 83 26 20

Bankruptcy

 21 54 (3) 7 17 1 8 4 11 5 1

Cost control/cost cutting/
increase
profitability

 113 246 (3) 27 103 4 19 13 53 14 13

Financial difficulty

 45 101 (3) 9 44 7 6 3 19 7 6

Production
specific

 16 26 (3) 3 15 2 - - 4 1 1

Disaster/Safety

 6 7 (3) 1 6 - - - - - -

Seasonal

 828 1,038 (3) 96 805 12 20 30 66 6 3

Other/
Miscellaneous

 453 41 (3) 1 24 2 1 2 7 3 1

Footnotes:
(1) Data were reported by all states and the District of Columbia.
(2) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
(3) Identification of data by this business process began with first quarter 2010 data.
(r) = revised.
(p) = preliminary.

NOTE: Dash represents zero.

 

Last Modified Date: February 23, 2011