Technical information: (202) 691-6392 USDL 07-0244 http://www.bls.gov/mls/ For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Media contact: 691-5902 Tuesday, February 13, 2007 (Separations figure in table G for 1999 was corrected on Friday, February 16, 2007.) EXTENDED MASS LAYOFFS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER OF 2006 AND ANNUAL TOTALS FOR 2006 In the fourth quarter of 2006, there were 1,444 mass layoff events that resulted in the separation of 255,886 workers from their jobs for at least 31 days, according to preliminary figures released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both the total number of layoff events and the number of separations were higher than during the October- December 2005 time period. (See table A.) The over-the-year increases in layoffs were most notable in transportation equipment manufacturing, insurance carriers and related activities, and food and beverage stores. Fifty-seven percent of all employers reporting an extended layoff in the fourth quarter of 2006 indicated they would recall some number of workers. This was the lowest proportion of employers expecting to recall workers for any fourth quarter since 2002. Extended mass layoffs that involve the movement of work within the same company or to a different company, either domestically or outside the U.S., occurred in 7 percent of the nonseasonal layoff events, accounting for 10 percent of worker separations related to nonseasonal events. (See table B.) The completion of seasonal work accounted for 42 percent of all events and resulted in 114,978 separations during the period--the lowest level of private nonfarm seasonal separations for any fourth quarter since 1999. Layoffs due to internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business owner- ship change, financial difficulty, and reorganization) represented 13 per- cent of events and resulted in 45,954 separations; a year earlier, separa- tions totaled 33,251. Permanent closure of worksites occurred in 10 per- cent of all events and affected 40,391 workers, the highest number of separations due to permanent closures for any fourth quarter since 2002. In the fourth quarter of 2006, the national unemployment rate was 4.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted; a year earlier it was 4.7 percent. Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by 1.8 percent, or about 2 million jobs, from the October-December 2005 period to the October-December 2006 period. ------------------------------------------------------------------ | Upcoming Changes to Mass Layoff Data | | | | Beginning with data published for the first quarter of 2007, | | the collection and presentation of data on economic reasons | | for extended mass layoffs will be improved. 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, disaster/safety, financial, | | organizational, production, seasonal, and other/miscellaneous-- | | will be used to aggregate and report the detailed economic rea- | | sons for layoff. | | | | For additional information on the changes to the MLS rea- | | sons, including detailed definitions of each reason and a cross- | | walk of the old to the new reasons, please see http://www.bls. | | gov/mls/home.htm or call (202) 691-6392. | ------------------------------------------------------------------ - 2 - Table A. Selected measures of extended mass layoff activity ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Period | Layoff events | Separations | Initial claimants | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 2002 | | | | | | January-March ........| 1,611 | 299,266 | 292,998 April-June ...........| 1,624 | 344,606 | 299,598 July-September .......| 1,186 | 255,152 | 254,955 October-December .....| 1,916 | 373,307 | 370,592 | | | 2003 | | | | | | January-March ........| 1,502 | 286,947 | 297,608 April-June ...........| 1,799 | 368,273 | 348,966 July-September .......| 1,190 | 236,333 | 227,909 October-December .....| 1,690 | 325,333 | 326,328 | | | 2004 | | | | | | January-March ........| 1,339 | 276,503 | 238,392 April-June ...........| 1,358 | 278,831 | 254,063 July-September .......| 886 | 164,608 | 148,575 October-December .....| 1,427 | 273,967 | 262,049 | | | 2005 | | | | | | January-March ........| 1,142 | 186,506 | 185,486 April-June ...........| 1,203 | 246,099 | 212,673 July-September........| 1,136 | 201,878 | 190,186 October-December (r)..| 1,400 | 250,178 | 246,188 | | | 2006 | | | | | | January-March (r).....| 963 | 183,089 | 193,102 April-June (r) .......| 1,353 | 295,623 | 264,494 July-September (r)....| 929 | 160,141 | 160,813 October-December (p)..| 1,444 | 255,886 | 217,742 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- r = revised. p = preliminary. For all of 2006, the total number of extended mass layoff events was 4,689, and the total number of worker separations was 894,739. While the annual total of layoff events was lower in 2006 than in 2005, the number of separations was slightly higher. Additional information on the annual data is available starting on page 7 of this release. Industry Distribution of Extended Layoffs In the fourth quarter of 2006, extended mass layoff separations occurred in 351 of the 1,105 detailed industries for which data are available. Manu- facturing industries accounted for 29 percent of private nonfarm layoff events and 32 percent of separations during October-December 2006. (See table 1.) The proportion of manufacturing events and separations were slightly higher when compared with fourth quarter 2005. In the fourth quarter of 2006, the highest number of separations in the manufacturing sector was in transportation equipment manufacturing (22,040, mostly associated with motor vehicles). The next highest number of separations was in food manufacturing (16,827). The construction sector had 36 percent of the extended layoff events and 25 percent of the separations, mostly in heavy and civil engineering construction and in specialty trade contractors. Layoffs in the adminis- trative and waste services sector comprised 10 percent of events and 9 per- cent of separations, mostly in landscaping services and in temporary help services. Retail trade accounted for 5 percent of private nonfarm layoff events and 9 percent of separations, primarily in nonstore retailers. Cut- backs in the accommodation and food services industry accounted for 4 per- cent of events and 7 percent of separations and were concentrated in hotels and motels, except casino hotels. Information technology-producing industries (communications equipment, communications services, computer hardware, and software and computer services) accounted for 2 percent of layoff events and 6,437 worker separations in the fourth quarter of 2006. (See table 6.) A year earlier, these industries accounted for 3 percent of layoff events and 7,222 separations. Layoffs in the information technology-producing industries in the fourth quarter of 2006 were most numerous in computer hardware, with 3,703 separations, followed by communications equipment, with 1,467 separations. - 3 - Table B. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, fourth quarter 2006 (p) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Action | Layoff events | Separations | | -----------------------------------|-----------------|----------------- | | Total, private nonfarm ............| 1,444 | 255,886 | | Total, excluding seasonal | | and vacation events (1) ......| 827 | 140,096 | | Total events with movement | | of work (2) ................| 59 | 14,197 | | Movement of work actions ...| 79 | (3) With separations reported.| 61 | 9,692 With separations unknown .| 18 | (3) | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 The questions on movement of work were not asked of employers when the reason for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period. 2 A layoff event can involve more than one movement of work action. 3 Data not available. p = preliminary. Reasons for Extended Layoff Layoffs due to the completion of seasonal work accounted for 42 percent of the extended layoff events and resulted in 114,978 separations in the fourth quarter of 2006. (See table 2.) Seasonal layoffs were most numer- ous among workers in heavy and civil engineering construction (highway, street, and bridge construction) and in food manufacturing (fruit and vegetable canning). Contract completion accounted for 20 percent of events and resulted in 34,880 separations during the fourth quarter. These layoffs were primarily in administrative and support services, followed by specialty trade contractors. Internal company restructuring (due to bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and reorganization) accounted for 13 percent of layoff events and resulted in 45,954 separations. These layoffs were mostly among workers in food and beverage stores, transportation equipment manufacturing, and insurance carriers and related activities. Over half of both the internal company restructuring layoff events and separations were due to reorganization within the company. Movement of Work Between October and December of 2006, 59 extended mass layoff events involved the movement of work; this was about 7 percent of total extended mass layoff events, excluding those for seasonal and vacation reasons. (See table B.) These movements of work were to other U.S. locations or to locations outside of the U.S., and they occurred either within the same company or to other companies. The extended mass layoff events involving movement of work were associated with the separation of 14,197 workers, about 10 percent of all separations resulting from nonseasonal/nonvacation mass layoff events. A year earlier, there were 65 layoff events and 12,051 separations associated with the movement of work. (See table 10.) Among the 59 extended mass layoff events with reported relocation of work, just over two-thirds (68 percent) were permanent closures of worksites, which affected 10,029 workers. In comparison, 10 percent of the total extended mass layoff events reported for the fourth quarter of 2006 involved the permanent closure of worksites. - 4 - Table C. Movement of work actions by type of separation where the number of separations is known by employers, fourth quarter 2006 (p) -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Activities | Actions (1) | Separations | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | With separations reported ......| 61 | 9,692 | | By location | | | | Out-of-country relocations .....| 25 | 5,281 Within company ...............| 22 | 5,126 Different company ............| 3 | 155 | | Domestic relocations ...........| 36 | 4,411 Within company ...............| 32 | 4,024 Different company ............| 4 | 387 | | By company | | | | Within company .................| 54 | 9,150 Domestic .....................| 32 | 4,024 Out of country ...............| 22 | 5,126 | | Different company ..............| 7 | 542 Domestic .....................| 4 | 387 Out of country ...............| 3 | 155 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement of work were reported are shown. p = preliminary. Of the layoffs involving the movement of work, 71 percent of the events and 81 percent of the laid-off workers were from manufacturing industries during the fourth quarter. (See table 7.) Among all private nonfarm ex- tended layoffs, manufacturing accounted for 29 percent of the events and 32 percent of separations. Internal company restructuring (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and reorganization) accounted for 73 percent of layoff events associated with work relocation and resulted in 8,759 separations during the fourth quarter. (See table 8.) Most of these were due to reorganization within the company. Thirteen percent of the extended mass layoff events in the total private nonfarm economy were due to internal company restructuring. Among the regions, the Midwest accounted for the largest proportion of workers affected by extended mass layoffs associated with the movement of work (37 percent), followed by the South (35 percent), the West (18 per- cent), and the Northeast (10 percent). (See table 9.) Some extended mass layoff events involve more than one relocation of work action. For example, an extended mass layoff event at an establish- ment may involve job loss due to movement of work to both another domestic location of the company and a location out of the country. This would be counted as two movement of work actions. The 59 extended layoff events with movement of work for the fourth quarter of 2006 involved 79 identi- fiable relocations of work. (See table B.) An identifiable relocation of work occurs when the employer provides sufficient information on the new location of work and/or the number of workers affected by the move- ment. Of the 79 relocations, employers were able to provide information on the specific number of separations associated with the movement of work component of the layoff in 61 actions involving 9,692 workers. Thus, a range of 9,692 (separations in movement of work actions where the em- ployer was able to provide specific detail) to 14,197 (total separations in all layoff events that included movement of work) is established for separations due to the movement of work in the fourth quarter. (See table 10.) In the 61 actions where employers were able to provide more complete separations information, 89 percent of relocations (54 out of 61) oc- curred among establishments within the same company. (See table C.) In 59 percent of these relocations (32 out of 54), the work activities were reassigned to places elsewhere in the U.S. Forty-one percent of the movement-of-work relocations involved out- of-country moves (25 out of 61). The separation of 5,281 workers was associated with out-of-country relocations, 4 percent of all nonsea- sonal/nonvacation extended mass layoff separations. Domestic reloca- tion of work--both within the company and to other companies--affected 4,411 workers. (See table 11.) - 5 - Table D. Summary of employer expectations of a recall from extended layoff, fourth quarter 2005-fourth quarter 2006 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Percentage of events Nature of the recall |__________________________________________ | | | | | | IV | I | II | III | IV | 2005 | 2006 | 2006 | 2006(r)| 2006(p) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | Anticipate a recall .......| 68.9 | 43.1 | 59.6 | 42.4 | 56.7 | | | | | Timeframe | | | | | | | | | | Within 6 months ...........| 90.0 | 83.9 | 90.1 | 88.3 | 89.3 Within 3 months .........| 37.1 | 55.2 | 62.0 | 68.8 | 36.8 | | | | | Size | | | | | | | | | | At least half .............| 92.6 | 88.0 | 93.7 | 90.6 | 93.4 All workers .............| 50.5 | 38.1 | 52.2 | 45.7 | 53.1 | | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- r = revised. p = preliminary. Recall Expectations Fifty-seven percent of employers reporting an extended layoff in the fourth quarter of 2006 indicated they anticipated some type of recall. This compares with 69 percent of the employers anticipating a recall a year earlier and is the lowest such proportion for the fourth quarter since 2002. (See table D.) The fourth quarter typically has the highest recall expectations for any quarter of the year. Among establishments expecting a recall, most employers expected to recall over one-half of the separated employees and to do so within 6 months. Fifty-three percent of the employers expected to extend the offer to all laid-off workers. Excluding layoff events due to seasonal work and vacation period (in which 96 percent of the employers expected a recall), employers expected to recall laid-off workers in 27 percent of the events. A year earlier, 34 percent of employers expected a recall in nonseasonal and nonvacation events. In layoff events due to internal company restructuring, employers anticipated a recall in only 4 percent of the events. Size of Extended Layoff Layoff events during the fourth quarter continued to be concentrated at the lower end of the extended layoff-size spectrum, with 66 percent involving fewer than 150 workers. These events, however, accounted for only 32 percent of all separations. (See table E.) Separations involving 500 or more workers, while comprising 4 percent of the events, accounted for 29 percent of all separations, up from 22 percent in October-December 2005. The average size of layoffs (as measured by separations per layoff event) differed widely by industry, ranging from a low of 63 separations in motion picture and sound recordings industries to a high of 687 in nonstore retailers. Initial Claimant Characteristics A total of 217,742 initial claimants for unemployment insurance were associated with extended mass layoffs in the fourth quarter of 2006. Of these claimants, 13 percent were black, 16 percent were Hispanic, 29 per- cent were women, 37 percent were 30 to 44 years of age, and 16 percent were 55 years of age or older. (See table 3.) Among persons in the civilian labor force for the same period, 11 percent were black, 14 per- cent were Hispanic, 46 percent were women, 34 percent were age 30 to 44, and 17 percent were 55 years of age or older. - 6 - Table E. Distribution of extended layoff events by size of layoff, October-December 2006(p) ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Layoff events | Separations Size |--------------------------------------- | | | | | Number | Percent | Number | Percent ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Total ..................| 1,444 | 100.0 | 255,886 | 100.0 | | | | 50-99 .....................| 614 | 42.5 | 43,022 | 16.8 100-149 ...................| 340 | 23.5 | 39,961 | 15.6 150-199 ...................| 158 | 10.9 | 26,022 | 10.2 200-299 ...................| 193 | 13.4 | 44,162 | 17.3 300-499 ...................| 80 | 5.5 | 28,872 | 11.3 500-999 ...................| 33 | 2.3 | 22,826 | 8.9 1,000 or more .............| 26 | 1.8 | 51,021 | 19.9 ------------------------------------------------------------------- p = preliminary. Geographic Distribution In the fourth quarter, the number of separations due to extended mass layoff events was highest in the Midwest (123,454), followed by the West (64,929), the South (34,288), and the Northeast (33,215). (See table 4.) Extended mass layoffs in the Midwest were mainly in heavy and civil engineering construction and in transportation equipment manufacturing. Two of the four regions reported over-the-year increases in separations, with the largest increase occurring in the West (+24,371), followed by the Midwest (+2,782). The South had the largest over-the-year decline (-13,610) in worker separations. Three of the nine geographic divisions reported over- the-year increases in laid-off workers, with the largest increases occurring in the Pacific (+24,244) and East North Central (+12,434) divisions. The West North Central division reported the largest decrease in separations (-9,652). Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the largest number of worker separations occurred in California (38,938), followed by Illinois (33,328), Michigan (24,403), and Ohio (22,529). These four states accounted for 46 percent of total layoff events and 47 percent of separations during the fourth quarter of 2006. Other states with high numbers of separations were Wisconsin (13,715), Minnesota (12,921), Florida (9,791), and New York (9,298). (See table 5.) After excluding the substantial impact of seasonal work, California reported the most laid-off workers (32,774), largely due to layoffs in insurance carriers and related activities and in specialty trade contractors. Over the year, California reported the greatest increase in workers laid off for all reasons during the fourth quarter (+24,658), followed by Michigan (+9,042) and Maryland (+2,180). The largest decreases occurred in New York (-8,245), Florida (-7,468), and Louisiana (-6,755). Fifty-five percent of events and 57 percent of separations (144,849) oc- curred in metropolitan areas in the fourth quarter of 2006, compared with 57 percent of events and 54 percent of separations (135,460) during the fourth quarter of 2005. Among the 367 metropolitan areas, Chicago- Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., reported the highest number of sepa- rations, 14,916, in the fourth quarter of 2006. Next was Detroit-Warren- Livonia, Mich., with 12,224 separations, and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., with 10,498 separations. (See table F.) Employers located in nonmetropolitan areas separated 30,654 workers in mass layoffs, down from 35,066 workers in the fourth quarter of 2005. - 7 - Table F. Mass layoff events and separations, selected metropolitan areas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Events | Separations Metropolitan area |-----------------|----------------- | | | | | IV | IV | IV | IV | 2005(r)| 2006(p)| 2005(r)| 2005(p) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Total, nonmetropolitan areas ..............| 223 | 215 | 35,066| 30,654 | | | | Total, 367 metropolitan areas .............| 803 | 796 | 135,460| 144,849 Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. | 86 | 91 | 16,034| 14,916 Detriot-Warren-Livonia, Mich. ............| 44 | 45 | 5,850| 12,224 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif. .| 6 | 71 | 883| 10,498 Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, | | | | Minn.-Wis. .............................| 42 | 41 | 6,099| 6,565 St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. ......................| 14 | 13 | 5,514| 4,964 Sandusky, Ohio ...........................| 3 | (1) | 1,385| (1) New York-Northern New Jersey-Long | | | | Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. ..................| 78 | 34 | 10,571| 3,946 Medford, Ore. ............................| (1) | 3 | (1) | 3,680 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. ...| (1) | 14 | (1) | 3,282 Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, | | | | Calif...................................| 4 | 15 | 467| 3,068 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: The geographic boundaries of the metropolitan areas shown in this table are defined in Office of Management and Budget Bulletin 06-01, December 5, 2005. Review of 2006 For all of 2006, employers reported 4,689 extended mass layoff actions, affecting 894,739 workers. Compared to 2005, the number of events was down from 4,881, but the number of separations was up from 884,661. (See table G.) The annual average national unemployment rate decreased from 5.1 per- cent in 2005 to 4.6 percent in 2006, while private nonfarm payroll employ- ment increased by 2 percent, or 2,282,000 jobs. Thirteen percent of extended events in 2006 were permanent closures, accounting for 150,951 worker separations. When compared with 2005, the share of separations due to permanent closures that were associated with extended mass layoffs rose by 5 percentage points. During 2006, permanent closures were most numerous in the manufacturing sector, primarily in trans- portation equipment manufacturing and in food production. Reorganization within the company was most often cited as the reason for closures in manu- facturing during 2006, accounting for 37 percent of the total closures in manufacturing. In 2006, employers expected a recall in 52 percent of the mass layoff events, down from 56 percent of events in 2005. Employers in arts, entertainment, and recreation; health care and social assistance; and other services, except public administration were more likely to expect some type of recall than were those in other industries. The finance and insurance sector had the lowest percentage of employers with an expectation of recall (5 percent). Of the layoff events where employers did not expect to recall laid-off workers, 33 percent were in the manufacturing sector. These occurred primarily in transportation equipment manufacturing and in computer and electronic products manufacturing. Industry. Manufacturing had the largest share of extended events and separations in 2006. Manufacturing accounted for 28 percent of all mass layoff events and 29 percent of all separations. Separations were most numerous in transportation equipment manufacturing (77,256, mainly in motor vehicle manufacturing) and in food manufacturing (48,654, largely fresh and frozen seafood processing and fruit and vegetable canning). Compared to 2005, 11 of the 21 manufacturing subgroups had increases in the number of separations, with the largest increases occurring in transportation equip- ment manufacturing (+34,285) and textile mills (+3,827). Fabricated metal product manufacturing had the largest decrease (-3,309), followed by chemi- cal manufacturing (-2,361). Reason. In 2006, seasonal work continued to be the most-cited reason for layoff, accounting for 33 percent of all layoff events and 36 percent of all separations. A year earlier, seasonal layoffs accounted for 37 percent of events and 40 percent of separations. The seasonal layoffs in 2006 occurred primarily in transit and ground passenger transportation, heavy and civil engineering construction, and food services and drinking places. Layoff activity due to internal company restructuring occurred largely among transportation equipment manufacturing, general merchandise stores, food and beverage stores, and credit intermediation and related services. Internal company restructuring was reported in 795 events (17 percent of the total), resulting in the separation of 195,745 workers (22 percent of the total). - 8 - Table G. Selected measures of mass layoff activity, 1996-2006 ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | Period | Layoff events | Separations | Initial claimants | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | 1996 ...........| 4,760 | 948,122 | 805,810 1997 ...........| 4,671 | 947,843 | 879,831 1998 ...........| 4,859 | 991,245 | 1,056,462 1999 ...........| 4,556 | 901,451 | 796,917 2000 ...........| 4,591 | 915,962 | 846,267 2001 ...........| 7,375 | 1,524,832 | 1,457,512 2002 ...........| 6,337 | 1,272,331 | 1,218,143 2003 ...........| 6,181 | 1,216,886 | 1,200,811 2004 ...........| 5,010 | 993,909 | 903,079 2005 (r) .......| 4,881 | 884,661 | 834,533 2006 (p) .......| 4,689 | 894,739 | 836,151 ----------------------------------------------------------------- r = revised. p = preliminary. Movement of work. In 2006, there were 242 extended mass layoff events that involved work moving within the same company or to a different company, domestically or out of the U.S. The events involving movement of work were associated with the separation of 54,166 workers, about 10 percent of all separations resulting from nonseasonal/nonvacation mass layoff events. Sixty-six percent of events with movement of work involved the permanent closure of a worksite, affecting 38,827 workers. More than two-thirds of the events and separations with movement of work were in manufacturing in- dustries, mostly in transportation equipment manufacturing and in electrical equipment and appliance manufacturing. Employers citing internal company restructuring reasons (bankruptcy, business ownership change, financial difficulty, and reorganization) accounted for over seventy percent of the movement-of-work events and separations. Among the regions, the South ac- counted for the largest proportion of laid-off workers associated with the movement of work (34 percent), followed by the Midwest (31 percent), the West (19 percent), and the Northeast (15 percent). As part of the 242 layoff events, 334 identifiable movement-of-work actions were taken by employers. Employers were able to provide infor- mation on specific separations associated with the movement of work com- ponent of the layoff in 227 actions (out of the 334), which totaled 33,266 laid-off workers. Thus for 2006, the number of separations due to the movement of work ranged between 33,266 (separations in movement-of-work actions where the employer was able to provide specific detail) to 54,166 (total separations in all layoff events that included movement of work). Of the 227 movement-of-work actions for which complete information is available, more than 6 in 10 relocations were to other locations within the U.S., and 84 percent involved moving work within the company. The separation of 13,067 workers was associated with out-of-country reloca- tions, which accounts for 39 percent of the separations related to the movement of work and 2 percent of all separations in nonseasonal/nonva- cation extended mass layoff events. In out-of-country relocations, Mexico and China were cited 62 percent of the time as the destination to which work moved. Domestic relocation of work--both within the company and to other companies--affected 20,199 workers. Geographic distribution. The Midwest reported more workers affected by extended mass layoffs in 2006 than any other region, 303,937. In the Midwest, transportation equipment manufacturing had the largest number of separations, with 51,157, followed by heavy and civil engineering construc- tion, and administrative and support services. The Northeast region con- tinued to report the lowest annual number of separations (164,804). Compared to 2005, three of the four geographic regions reported a decrease in laid-off workers, with the largest decline in the South (-46,629). The West had the only over-the-year increase (+65,393). Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, California reported the largest number of separated workers in 2006 (159,306). After California were Illinois (86,832), Florida (71,096), Michigan (66,062), Ohio (59,252), and New York (51,181). These six states accounted for 55 percent of events and separations in 2006. California recorded the largest over-the-year increase in separations (+78,624); Louisiana had the largest over-the-year decline in the number of separations (-48,863). In 2005, layoffs related to Hurricane Katrina contributed to the large number of separations in Louisiana. Fifty-six percent of layoff events and 49 percent of separations occurred in metropolitan areas in 2006, compared to 60 percent of events and 53 percent of separations in 2005. Among the 367 metropolitan areas, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif., reported the highest number of separations, 39,547. The next highest numbers of separations were in Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis., with 35,757, and New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa., with 32,125. Employers located in nonmetropolitan areas sepa- rated 96,277 workers in mass layoffs during 2006, down from 109,757 workers in 2005. - 9 - Note The quarterly series on extended mass layoffs cover layoffs of at least 31-days duration that involve 50 or more individuals from a single establish- ment filing initial claims for unemployment insurance during a consecutive 5-week period. Approximately 30 days after a mass layoff is triggered at an establishment, the employer is contacted for additional information. Data for the fourth quarter are preliminary and subject to revision. This release also includes revised data for previous quarters. Data are not seasonally adjusted, but survey data suggest that there is a seasonal pattern to layoffs. Thus, comparisons between consecutive quarters should not be used as an indi- cator of trend. For additional information about the Mass Layoff Statistics program, see the Technical Note. ______________________________ The report on Mass Layoffs in January 2007 is scheduled to be released on Friday, February 23. - 8 - Technical Note The Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) program is a federal-state program which identifies, describes, and tracks the effects of major job cutbacks, using data from each state's unemployment insurance database. Establish- ments which have at least 50 initial claims filed against them during a consecutive 5-week period are contacted by the state agency to determine whether these separations are of at least 31 days duration, and, if so, information is obtained on the total number of persons separated and the reasons for these separations. Establishments are identified according to industry classification and location, and unemployment insurance claimants are identified by such demographic factors as age, race, gender, ethnic group, and place of residence. The program yields information on an individual's entire spell of unemployment, to the point when regular unemployment insurance benefits are exhausted. Definitions Establishment. A unit at a single physical location at which predomi- nantly one type of economic activity is conducted. Extended layoff event. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment during a 5-week period, with at least 50 workers separated for more than 30 days. 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. Layoff. The separation of persons from an employer as part of a mass layoff event. (See below.) Such layoffs involve both persons subject to recall and those who are terminated by the establishment. Mass layoff. Fifty or more initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits from an establishment beginning in a given month, regardless of duration. Worksite closure. The complete closure of either multi-unit or single- unit establishments or the partial closure of a multi-unit establishment where entire worksites affected by layoffs are closed or planned to be closed. - 9 - Movement of work concepts and questions Because of the employer interview component, the BLS decided to use the MLS program as a vehicle for collecting additional information on offshoring and outsourcing associated with job loss, by adding questions that address movement of work. The term "moving work" means that the company experiencing the layoff has reassigned work activities that were performed at a worksite by the company's employees (1) to another work- site within the company; (2) to another company under formal arrangements at the same worksite; or (3) to another company under formal arrangements at another worksite. The type of work activities subject to movement can include accounting, customer service, cleaning, warehousing, etc. "Overseas relocation" is the movement of work from within the U.S. to locations outside of the U.S. "Overseas relocation" can occur within the same company and involve movement of work to a different location of that company outside of the U.S., or to a different company altogether. "Domestic relocation" is the movement of work to other locations inside the U.S., either within the same company or to a different company. "Overseas relocation" and "domestic relocation" are no longer used in the same way as they were in earlier extended mass layoff news releases. There- fore, the data presented in this news release are not comparable to those that were presented in earlier news releases. Questions on movement of work and location are asked for all identified layoff events when the reason for separation is other than "seasonal work" or "vacation period." Seasonal and vacation layoff events were excluded because movement of work appears unlikely. Questions on movement of work are asked after the analyst verifies that a layoff in fact occurred and lasted more than 30 days, and obtained the total number of workers separated from jobs, the date the layoff began, and the economic reason for the layoff. If the reason for layoff is other than seasonal or vacation, the employer was asked the following: (1) "Did this layoff include your company moving work from this lo- cation(s) to a different geographic location(s) within your company?" (2) "Did this layoff include your company moving work that was performed in-house by your employees to a different company, through contractual ar- rangements?" A "yes" response to either question is followed by: "Is the location inside or outside of the U.S.?" and "How many of the layoffs were a result of this relocation?" Layoff actions are classified as "overseas relocation" if the employer responds "yes" to questions 1 and/or 2, and indicates that the location(s) was outside of the U.S. Domestic relocation is determined if the employer responds "yes" to questions 1 and/or 2 and indicates that the location(s) was within the U.S. After asking the movement of work questions, the employer interview continues and responses are obtained for questions on recall expectations and open/closed status of the worksite. - 10 - Reliability of the data The identification of establishments and layoff events in the MLS program and associated characteristics of claimants is based on admin- istrative data on covered establishments and unemployment insurance claims, and, therefore, is not subject to issues associated with sampling error. Nonsampling errors such as typographical errors may occur but are not likely to be significant. While the MLS establishments and layoff events are not subject to sampling error, and all such employers are asked the employer interview questions, the employer responses are subject to non- sampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the inability to obtain information for all respondents, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data. For the fourth quarter of 2006, outright refusal to participate in the employer interview accounted for 3.0 percent of all private nonfarm events. Although included in the total number of instances involving the movement of work, for the fourth quarter, employers in 18 relocations were unable to provide the number of separations specifically associated with the movement of work, 6 of which involved out-of-country moves. Other information Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339. Table 1. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance Industry IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p Total, private nonfarm (1) .................. 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 246,188 160,813 217,742 Mining ....................................... 28 4 24 3,456 1,296 3,541 3,361 607 3,056 Utilities .................................... (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 454 (2) (2) 375 Construction ................................. 485 155 513 66,909 16,118 64,611 70,040 23,047 61,873 Manufacturing ................................ 397 302 414 71,710 56,823 81,826 82,527 59,539 83,243 Food .................................... 91 42 69 18,041 7,261 16,827 19,010 7,182 14,511 Beverage and tobacco products ........... 5 3 9 824 720 798 685 453 797 Textile mills ........................... 15 16 13 1,658 2,571 2,504 3,299 3,514 2,730 Textile product mills ................... (2) 6 5 (2) 613 523 (2) 801 653 Apparel ................................. 10 17 7 2,296 2,791 680 1,283 2,065 524 Leather and allied products ............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Wood products ........................... 15 21 41 1,992 2,896 4,876 2,337 3,048 6,521 Paper ................................... 8 9 5 1,143 1,070 519 892 992 473 Printing and related support activities . 8 6 5 1,112 1,057 661 1,427 760 340 Petroleum and coal products ............. 16 (2) 14 2,285 (2) 2,244 2,647 (2) 2,071 Chemicals .............................. 11 7 (2) 1,723 1,160 (2) 1,626 781 (2) Plastics and rubber products ............ 26 16 22 3,045 2,178 3,933 3,582 2,796 3,440 Nonmetallic mineral products ............ 37 6 35 6,472 919 5,546 7,173 979 4,868 Primary metals .......................... 10 9 11 2,292 1,454 1,178 1,289 1,408 1,352 Fabricated metal products ............... 14 12 26 1,928 1,309 3,262 2,021 1,809 3,520 Machinery ............................... 10 17 15 1,746 3,002 1,990 1,598 3,033 2,813 Computer and electronic products ........ 20 21 17 4,401 4,504 5,417 3,489 3,299 2,031 Electrical equipment and appliances ..... 5 9 13 2,020 1,762 4,373 1,739 1,482 4,302 Transportation equipment ................ 64 62 79 14,312 17,850 22,040 23,205 21,226 28,991 Furniture and related products .......... 17 14 18 2,303 2,435 2,757 2,613 2,506 2,236 Miscellaneous manufacturing ............. 10 6 6 1,298 1,076 1,189 1,313 951 769 Wholesale trade .............................. 21 23 26 2,699 4,157 3,005 3,654 2,935 2,733 Retail trade ................................. 68 52 66 20,926 12,992 23,829 17,869 12,530 13,018 Transportation and warehousing ............... 32 72 29 6,384 11,098 3,884 5,597 9,639 3,073 Information .................................. 20 29 15 4,023 6,224 1,781 3,932 3,916 2,669 Finance and insurance ........................ 15 33 47 2,340 6,924 10,087 2,505 7,205 5,130 Real estate and rental and leasing ........... (2) (2) 5 (2) (2) 422 (2) (2) 349 Professional and technical services .......... 33 37 29 5,285 5,712 3,951 6,515 6,489 4,114 Management of companies and enterprises ...... 4 (2) 4 714 (2) 913 770 (2) 792 Administrative and waste services ............ 154 107 142 27,495 20,057 23,105 27,178 19,716 20,479 Educational services ......................... (2) 5 3 (2) 453 266 (2) 522 308 Health care and social assistance ............ 22 40 19 5,031 5,164 3,146 3,276 3,858 2,013 Arts, entertainment, and recreation .......... 45 21 35 13,800 4,505 12,489 6,330 2,464 3,487 Accommodation and food services .............. 59 33 60 14,294 6,735 17,339 9,730 6,369 10,105 Other services, except public administration . 10 8 10 1,728 974 1,237 1,448 985 925 Unclassified ................................. - - - - - - - - - 1 For the fourth quarter of 2006, data on layoffs were reported by employers in all states and the District of Columbia. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 2. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance Reason for layoff IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p Total, private nonfarm (1) .... 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 246,188 160,813 217,742 Automation ....................... - (2) 3 - (2) 271 - (2) 333 Bankruptcy ....................... 26 15 13 5,150 5,304 2,083 4,333 1,723 1,700 Business ownership change ........ 16 29 22 2,475 9,329 10,792 2,410 5,810 3,992 Contract cancellation ............ 17 19 17 2,639 3,614 1,794 1,996 2,914 1,642 Contract completed ............... 158 255 290 28,048 34,151 34,880 31,702 42,115 38,136 Energy-related ................... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Environment-related .............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Financial difficulty ............. 32 42 40 7,508 6,121 9,420 6,867 4,885 5,864 Import competition ............... 19 17 17 3,587 3,546 2,490 3,918 3,920 2,356 Labor dispute .................... 3 4 (2) 309 1,230 (2) 401 827 (2) Material shortage ................ (2) 3 (2) (2) 204 (2) (2) 714 (2) Model changeover ................. 3 4 (2) 767 2,568 (2) 491 2,040 (2) Natural disaster ................. - (2) - - (2) - - (2) - Plant or machine repair .......... 3 (2) 6 269 (2) 1,489 691 (2) 719 Product line discontinued ........ 14 7 10 2,366 1,494 4,209 2,033 1,074 1,562 Reorganization within company .... 101 106 109 18,118 26,678 23,659 21,478 27,680 17,069 Seasonal work .................... 778 166 612 137,885 26,693 114,978 122,922 25,260 81,326 Slack work ....................... 136 155 178 18,913 18,312 29,267 28,321 25,004 43,451 Vacation period .................. 3 11 5 475 998 812 337 957 479 Weather-related .................. 24 - 6 7,705 - 486 4,033 - 604 Other ............................ 19 32 14 2,749 8,283 2,935 3,301 4,581 3,540 Not reported ..................... 44 57 94 10,245 10,530 13,300 10,245 10,630 13,111 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 3. State and selected claimant characteristics: Extended mass layoff events and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, private nonfarm sector, third and fourth quarters, 2006 Total Percent of total initial Hispanic Persons age 55 Layoff events claimants Black origin Women and over State III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV III IV 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p 2006r 2006p Total, private nonfarm (1) . 929 1,444 160,813 217,742 17.0 12.6 16.7 15.9 40.3 29.5 17.5 16.3 Alabama ........................ 14 12 2,188 2,007 39.9 46.4 2.7 2.9 42.0 43.9 19.1 16.0 Alaska ......................... 4 10 731 1,593 3.1 4.0 22.4 18.6 31.9 23.5 25.7 17.8 Arizona ........................ 4 (2) 445 (2) 6.1 7.3 40.7 37.7 56.9 48.0 7.9 9.9 Arkansas ....................... 5 5 1,164 1,218 34.5 26.3 4.3 1.6 37.5 42.6 13.8 22.4 California ..................... 214 286 35,346 34,891 9.0 6.6 35.5 40.0 36.8 33.7 14.2 13.7 Colorado ....................... 3 17 413 1,894 4.1 3.3 18.9 39.9 53.5 22.9 16.2 23.0 Connecticut .................... 9 7 1,288 876 14.8 7.1 17.1 2.4 41.7 30.3 17.8 24.0 Delaware ....................... (2) - (2) - 14.4 - .9 - 15.9 - 15.4 - District of Columbia ........... - (2) - (2) - 39.6 - 14.9 - 70.9 - 15.7 Florida ........................ 106 64 17,524 8,434 18.8 14.0 31.4 30.2 44.0 39.5 16.8 13.9 Georgia ........................ 16 22 3,905 3,029 59.0 60.6 1.0 1.1 39.1 40.6 15.2 15.3 Hawaii ......................... 3 5 541 603 6.7 5.1 25.0 25.4 13.3 20.1 5.5 8.5 Idaho .......................... 4 13 375 1,622 .3 .2 37.9 9.4 54.4 18.9 24.8 17.4 Illinois ....................... 60 181 11,303 23,139 25.2 13.2 12.5 22.2 38.8 23.7 16.2 13.6 Indiana ........................ 13 45 2,158 6,924 11.6 7.8 5.7 4.2 30.3 25.7 12.2 14.1 Iowa ........................... (2) (2) (2) (2) 2.0 - .9 - 59.4 14.0 12.0 31.6 Kansas ......................... 4 5 523 467 15.9 6.4 5.0 5.1 50.3 9.4 17.2 15.2 Kentucky ....................... 13 (2) 1,581 (2) 7.7 - .3 - 41.2 6.2 14.6 3.1 Louisiana ...................... 11 8 2,594 797 41.8 63.7 3.0 1.9 30.2 31.7 21.7 12.8 Maine .......................... (2) 8 (2) 936 - .4 .7 .3 8.1 22.3 16.1 17.2 Maryland ....................... 14 20 1,613 2,637 58.0 35.5 .2 1.2 59.3 39.8 18.2 19.7 Massachusetts .................. 12 19 1,870 2,385 10.4 8.9 9.7 2.8 45.5 31.7 22.3 19.7 Michigan ....................... 41 105 7,691 29,985 16.1 23.7 3.4 5.5 38.1 26.7 13.3 16.5 Minnesota ...................... 13 83 1,559 11,364 3.6 2.9 1.0 8.9 28.4 15.2 19.9 16.3 Mississippi .................... (2) 3 (2) 400 26.0 82.5 2.2 - 59.5 22.3 15.4 19.5 Missouri ....................... 10 25 3,462 4,018 20.5 10.4 1.2 .3 30.7 38.6 13.0 21.9 Montana ........................ (2) 9 (2) 1,480 - .2 2.5 2.0 2.5 10.7 15.2 18.0 Nebraska ....................... (2) (2) (2) (2) 22.1 .6 6.9 9.1 32.0 6.3 8.7 22.2 Nevada ......................... (2) 3 (2) 1,080 7.0 15.8 26.3 24.4 30.3 51.4 25.8 33.6 New Hampshire .................. (2) 4 (2) 402 13.9 1.5 14.6 .7 56.2 12.4 33.6 27.4 New Jersey ..................... 26 31 3,517 4,507 24.6 14.9 10.5 15.1 60.4 44.8 25.0 21.4 New Mexico ..................... 4 8 323 1,260 .9 4.6 44.9 53.1 29.4 44.4 12.4 14.1 New York ....................... 93 80 14,556 11,339 13.8 8.1 11.2 7.4 45.7 26.8 20.5 21.1 North Carolina ................. 14 10 2,826 1,014 32.4 36.4 6.9 4.4 48.6 49.4 24.9 23.5 North Dakota ................... - 4 - 736 - - - 2.7 - 6.1 - 20.1 Ohio ........................... 37 96 9,736 13,318 14.8 9.6 2.7 3.5 27.6 23.9 23.5 14.1 Oklahoma ....................... 4 4 725 684 13.1 21.8 6.2 5.1 40.3 28.5 18.2 9.6 Oregon ......................... 11 19 1,921 4,838 2.8 .4 18.3 27.8 42.5 36.8 14.0 18.0 Pennsylvania ................... 66 65 11,851 14,762 9.6 6.7 2.7 1.7 42.7 35.2 21.7 19.6 Rhode Island ................... (2) - (2) - 1.9 - 5.7 - 98.1 - 34.0 - South Carolina ................. 16 7 2,344 737 59.4 62.3 .5 .4 55.8 58.9 2.1 2.7 South Dakota ................... - - - - - - - - - - - - Tennessee ...................... 12 12 1,606 897 15.6 13.5 - - 41.2 50.7 33.1 27.8 Texas .......................... 15 34 2,649 5,733 14.9 20.6 44.1 40.0 49.5 32.3 16.0 12.4 Utah ........................... - 8 - 882 - .8 - 11.8 - 18.6 - 13.2 Vermont ........................ (2) 4 (2) 435 - .2 - - 54.2 16.8 20.5 24.4 Virginia ....................... 12 9 1,654 856 26.4 41.9 2.3 3.4 61.6 59.7 23.3 18.6 Washington ..................... 13 5 2,180 566 4.4 4.1 19.2 21.9 45.9 20.1 17.1 14.3 West Virginia .................. 5 5 409 620 .2 1.0 - - 43.3 11.0 13.2 17.3 Wisconsin ...................... 14 74 2,513 11,461 2.2 2.7 17.4 9.2 39.2 23.8 22.8 15.8 Wyoming ........................ - (2) - (2) - .5 - .5 - 45.5 - 48.8 Puerto Rico .................... 16 7 5,375 968 (3) (3) (3) (3) 63.0 45.7 8.0 7.7 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 3 Data are not available. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 4. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance Census region and division IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p United States (1) ..... 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 246,188 160,813 217,742 Northeast ..................... 278 211 218 41,050 29,710 33,215 49,125 33,504 35,642 New England ............... 47 26 42 9,229 5,838 8,414 8,218 3,580 5,034 Middle Atlantic ........... 231 185 176 31,821 23,872 24,801 40,907 29,924 30,608 South ......................... 248 259 218 47,898 51,299 34,288 42,413 44,511 29,262 South Atlantic ............ 158 184 139 28,412 36,137 20,514 27,653 31,777 17,461 East South Central ........ 44 40 28 6,904 7,141 4,851 5,974 5,602 3,369 West South Central ........ 46 35 51 12,582 8,021 8,923 8,786 7,132 8,432 Midwest ....................... 671 196 621 120,672 37,938 123,454 118,459 39,969 101,645 East North Central ........ 495 165 501 89,433 33,135 101,867 89,593 33,401 84,827 West North Central ........ 176 31 120 31,239 4,803 21,587 28,866 6,568 16,818 West .......................... 203 263 387 40,558 41,194 64,929 36,191 42,829 51,193 Mountain .................. 69 18 62 13,086 2,578 13,213 9,225 2,110 8,702 Pacific ................... 134 245 325 27,472 38,616 51,716 26,966 40,719 42,491 1 See footnote 1, table 1. r = revised. p = preliminary. 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 5. State distribution: Extended mass layoff events, separations, and initial claimants for unemployment insurance, private nonfarm sector, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006 Initial claimants for Layoff events Separations unemployment insurance State IV III IV IV III IV IV III IV 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p Total, private nonfarm (1) . 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 246,188 160,813 217,742 Alabama ........................ 7 14 12 903 2,652 2,601 1,227 2,188 2,007 Alaska ......................... 8 4 10 2,217 2,114 4,146 1,413 731 1,593 Arizona ........................ 3 4 (2) 407 855 (2) 411 445 (2) Arkansas ....................... (2) 5 5 (2) 662 2,294 (2) 1,164 1,218 California ..................... 77 214 286 14,280 31,944 38,938 15,156 35,346 34,891 Colorado ....................... 18 3 17 3,431 451 2,986 2,595 413 1,894 Connecticut .................... 8 9 7 1,780 3,187 1,904 1,579 1,288 876 Delaware ....................... - (2) - - (2) - - (2) - District of Columbia ........... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Florida ........................ 83 106 64 17,259 25,305 9,791 14,402 17,524 8,434 Georgia ........................ 15 16 22 1,893 2,423 2,659 2,164 3,905 3,029 Hawaii ......................... 3 3 5 308 541 647 350 541 603 Idaho .......................... 18 4 13 2,645 395 1,800 2,616 375 1,622 Illinois ....................... 164 60 181 32,967 12,752 33,328 27,662 11,303 23,139 Indiana ........................ 44 13 45 6,525 2,158 7,892 7,709 2,158 6,924 Iowa ........................... 37 (2) (2) 6,335 (2) (2) 6,588 (2) (2) Kansas ......................... 4 4 5 875 571 470 686 523 467 Kentucky ....................... 24 13 (2) 4,063 1,107 (2) 2,700 1,581 (2) Louisiana ...................... 19 11 8 8,385 3,488 1,630 3,327 2,594 797 Maine .......................... 5 (2) 8 2,762 (2) 1,510 1,092 (2) 936 Maryland ....................... (2) 14 20 (2) 1,683 2,280 (2) 1,613 2,637 Massachusetts .................. 16 12 19 2,077 2,228 4,153 3,035 1,870 2,385 Michigan ....................... 108 41 105 15,361 6,613 24,403 23,952 7,691 29,985 Minnesota ...................... 84 13 83 12,646 1,571 12,921 12,290 1,559 11,364 Mississippi .................... (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 494 (2) (2) 400 Missouri ....................... 32 10 25 9,246 1,143 6,868 7,191 3,462 4,018 Montana ........................ 12 (2) 9 1,256 (2) 1,427 1,106 (2) 1,480 Nebraska ....................... 11 (2) (2) 1,086 (2) (2) 1,064 (2) (2) Nevada ......................... 5 (2) 3 624 (2) 972 578 (2) 1,080 New Hampshire .................. 5 (2) 4 981 (2) 412 1,008 (2) 402 New Jersey ..................... 40 26 31 5,330 5,132 7,355 5,133 3,517 4,507 New Mexico ..................... (2) 4 8 (2) 323 1,268 (2) 323 1,260 New York ....................... 118 93 80 17,543 10,936 9,298 20,080 14,556 11,339 North Carolina ................. 25 14 10 2,932 1,812 926 4,293 2,826 1,014 North Dakota ................... 6 - 4 926 - 973 926 - 736 Ohio ........................... 105 37 96 21,402 10,174 22,529 16,936 9,736 13,318 Oklahoma ....................... 3 4 4 361 723 793 678 725 684 Oregon ......................... 10 11 19 5,785 2,035 7,467 3,951 1,921 4,838 Pennsylvania ................... 73 66 65 8,948 7,804 8,148 15,694 11,851 14,762 Rhode Island ................... 8 (2) - 1,143 (2) - 1,018 (2) - South Carolina ................. 11 16 7 2,405 2,231 902 2,543 2,344 737 South Dakota ................... (2) - - (2) - - (2) - - Tennessee ...................... 11 12 12 1,763 3,004 1,656 1,879 1,606 897 Texas .......................... 22 15 34 3,310 3,148 4,206 4,337 2,649 5,733 Utah ........................... 9 - 8 1,638 - 1,412 1,301 - 882 Vermont ........................ 5 (2) 4 486 (2) 435 486 (2) 435 Virginia ....................... 21 12 9 3,493 1,848 3,090 3,854 1,654 856 Washington ..................... 36 13 5 4,882 1,982 518 6,096 2,180 566 West Virginia .................. (2) 5 5 (2) 763 732 (2) 409 620 Wisconsin ...................... 74 14 74 13,178 1,438 13,715 13,334 2,513 11,461 Wyoming ........................ (2) - (2) (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Puerto Rico .................... 11 16 7 1,411 2,368 782 1,964 5,375 968 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 6. Information technology-producing industries: Extended mass layoff events and separations, private nonfarm sector, 1999-2006 Information technology-producing industries (1) Year Total extended mass layoffs Computer Software and Communications Communications hardware (2) computer services (3) equipment (4) services (5) Layoff Layoff Layoff Layoff Layoff events Separations events Separations events Separations events Separations events Separations 1999 First quarter ..... 1,262 230,711 35 4,363 10 1,796 10 1,600 6 1,002 Second quarter .... 1,194 246,251 28 3,891 7 1,731 8 1,097 (6) (6) Third quarter ..... 898 184,429 22 11,546 7 1,141 5 840 (6) (6) Fourth quarter .... 1,202 240,060 18 2,757 5 526 4 807 6 1,430 Total ......... 4,556 901,451 103 22,557 29 5,194 27 4,344 18 3,930 2000 First quarter ..... 1,081 202,500 22 5,195 14 2,717 9 1,402 4 771 Second quarter .... 1,055 205,861 18 8,862 22 9,114 7 805 7 977 Third quarter ..... 817 174,628 10 1,678 12 1,422 4 1,465 6 1,280 Fourth quarter .... 1,638 332,973 16 3,070 22 3,521 5 946 7 1,020 Total ......... 4,591 915,962 66 18,805 70 16,774 25 4,618 24 4,048 2001 First quarter ..... 1,546 304,171 91 20,991 44 7,963 22 4,441 24 5,312 Second quarter .... 1,828 430,499 161 38,986 87 12,943 36 12,109 28 6,386 Third quarter ..... 1,629 330,391 142 24,813 55 6,820 39 8,200 36 7,134 Fourth quarter .... 2,372 459,771 109 17,797 56 8,290 43 10,124 48 11,252 Total ......... 7,375 1,524,832 503 102,587 242 36,016 140 34,874 136 30,084 2002 First quarter ..... 1,611 299,266 84 18,574 39 4,442 32 8,192 42 6,664 Second quarter .... 1,624 344,606 69 11,764 49 5,454 27 4,870 53 8,538 Third quarter ..... 1,186 255,152 76 15,017 42 5,415 34 6,529 42 7,945 Fourth quarter .... 1,916 373,307 74 14,298 32 7,071 19 3,645 39 8,987 Total ......... 6,337 1,272,331 303 59,653 162 22,382 112 23,236 176 32,134 2003 First quarter ..... 1,502 286,947 71 11,900 33 5,689 23 4,402 41 6,591 Second quarter .... 1,799 368,273 54 9,221 27 4,124 21 3,098 29 5,891 Third quarter ..... 1,190 236,333 46 6,488 26 4,433 9 1,289 15 2,604 Fourth quarter .... 1,690 325,333 25 5,080 14 1,984 9 1,619 28 6,635 Total ......... 6,181 1,216,886 196 32,689 100 16,230 62 10,408 113 21,721 2004 First quarter ..... 1,339 276,503 27 3,222 16 2,992 8 894 23 4,197 Second quarter .... 1,358 278,831 18 2,959 21 3,576 - - 22 5,295 Third quarter ..... 886 164,608 13 2,288 15 1,617 4 430 13 4,317 Fourth quarter .... 1,427 273,967 18 3,055 10 1,547 4 563 23 3,457 Total ......... 5,010 993,909 76 11,524 62 9,732 16 1,887 81 17,266 2005 First quarter ..... 1,142 186,506 13 1,526 13 2,679 4 439 17 3,569 Second quarter .... 1,203 246,099 20 2,973 17 2,106 4 842 11 1,904 Third quarter ..... 1,136 201,878 23 3,307 12 1,742 (6) (6) 11 1,127 Fourth quarter .... 1,400 250,178 19 4,122 7 1,331 (6) (6) 8 1,125 Total ......... 4,881 884,661 75 11,928 49 7,858 13 3,000 47 7,725 2006 First quarter ..... 963 (r)183,089 12 1,159 6 744 (6) (6) 7 833 Second quarter .... 1,353 (r)295,623 10 3,294 9 1,723 8 988 7 1,252 Third quarter (r) . 929 160,141 14 3,544 9 699 (6) (6) 11 1,831 Fourth quarter (p) 1,444 255,886 10 3,703 5 706 5 1,467 4 561 Total (p) ..... 4,689 894,739 46 11,700 29 3,872 19 3,738 29 4,477 1 Information technology-producing industries are defined in "Digital Economy 2003," Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. 2 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: semiconductor machinery manufacturing; office machinery manufacturing; electronic computer manufacturing; computer storage device manufacturing; computer terminal manufacturing; other computer peripheral equipment mfg.; electron tube manufacturing; bare printed circuit board manufacturing; semiconductors and related device mfg.; electronic capacitor manufacturing; electronic resistor manufacturing; electronic coils, transformers, and inductors; electronic connector manufacturing; printed circuit assembly manufacturing; other electronic component manufacturing; industrial process variable instruments; electricity and signal testing instruments; analytical laboratory instrument mfg.; computer and software merchant wholesalers; and computer and software stores. 3 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: software publishers; internet service providers; web search portals; data processing and related services; computer and software merchant wholesalers; computer and software stores; custom computer programming services; computer systems design services; computer facilities management services; other computer related services; office equipment rental and leasing; and computer and office machine repair. 4 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: telephone apparatus manufacturing; audio and video equipment manufacturing; broadcast and wireless communications equip.; fiber optic cable manufacturing; software reproducing; and magnetic and optical recording media mfg. 5 The industries included in this grouping, based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), are: wired telecommunications carriers; cellular and other wireless carriers; telecommunications resellers; cable and other program distribution; satellite telecommunications; other telecommunications; and communication equipment repair. 6 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 7. Industry distribution: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006 Layoff events Separations Industry IV III IV IV III IV 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p Total, private nonfarm (1) ................ 65 58 59 12,051 12,840 14,197 Mining ...................................... - - - - - - Utilities ................................... (2) - - (2) - - Construction ................................ - - - - - - Manufacturing ............................... 47 36 42 9,549 7,311 11,431 Food ................................... 5 3 3 918 421 559 Beverage and tobacco products .......... - (2) - - (2) - Textile mills .......................... 4 (2) 4 442 (2) 1,120 Textile product mills .................. - - (2) - - (2) Apparel ................................ 4 5 (2) 647 1,250 (2) Leather and allied products ............ (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Wood products .......................... - (2) - - (2) - Paper .................................. - - - - - - Printing and related support activities (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Petroleum and coal products ............ - - - - - - Chemicals ............................. (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Plastics and rubber products ........... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Nonmetallic mineral products ........... (2) - (2) (2) - (2) Primary metals ......................... - - (2) - - (2) Fabricated metal products .............. (2) (2) 3 (2) (2) 525 Machinery .............................. 4 3 4 1,112 662 515 Computer and electronic products ....... 7 (2) (2) 1,478 (2) (2) Electrical equipment and appliances .... (2) 4 6 (2) 805 3,148 Transportation equipment ............... 6 6 8 2,028 1,365 1,414 Furniture and related products ......... 5 3 (2) 637 828 (2) Miscellaneous manufacturing ............ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Wholesale trade ............................. (2) 7 (2) (2) 2,069 (2) Retail trade ................................ (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Transportation and warehousing .............. - 3 3 - 1,616 754 Information ................................. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Finance and insurance ....................... 4 (2) 6 746 (2) 958 Real estate and rental and leasing .......... - - (2) - - (2) Professional and technical services ......... (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Management of companies and enterprises ..... - (2) - - (2) - Administrative and waste services ........... 4 (2) 3 440 (2) 427 Educational services ........................ - - - - - - Health care and social assistance ........... - - - - - - Arts, entertainment, and recreation ......... - (2) - - (2) - Accommodation and food services ............. (2) - - (2) - - Other services, except public administration - (2) - - (2) - Unclassified ................................ - - - - - - 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 8. Reason for layoff: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006 Layoff events Separations Reason for layoff IV III IV IV III IV 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p Total, private nonfarm (1) .... 65 58 59 12,051 12,840 14,197 Automation ....................... - (2) - - (2) - Bankruptcy ....................... - (2) - - (2) - Business ownership change ........ (2) (2) 4 (2) (2) 920 Contract cancellation ............ (2) (2) - (2) (2) - Contract completed ............... - - (2) - - (2) Energy-related ................... - - - - - - Environment-related .............. - - - - - - Financial difficulty ............. (2) 5 3 (2) 913 789 Import competition ............... 11 6 4 1,828 1,095 939 Labor dispute .................... - - - - - - Material shortage ................ - - - - - - Model changeover ................. - - - - - - Natural disaster ................. - - - - - - Non-natural disaster ............. - - - - - - Plant or machine repair .......... - - - - - - Product line discontinued ........ - (2) 8 - (2) 4,016 Reorganization within company .... 43 30 36 8,679 7,487 7,050 Seasonal work .................... (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) Slack work ....................... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Vacation period .................. (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) (3) Weather-related .................. - - - - - - Other ............................ 6 5 (2) 848 426 (2) Not reported ..................... - - - - - - 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. 3 The questions on movement of work were not asked of employers when the reason for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period. r = revised. p = preliminary. NOTE: Dash represents zero. Table 9. Census region and division: Extended mass layoff events and separations associated with the movement of work, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006 Layoff events Separations Census region and division IV III IV IV III IV 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p United States (1) . 65 58 59 12,051 12,840 14,197 Northeast ................. 15 14 8 2,927 2,580 1,416 New England ........... 3 4 (2) 610 1,156 (2) Middle Atlantic ....... 12 10 (2) 2,317 1,424 (2) South ..................... 23 24 16 3,738 5,123 4,954 South Atlantic ........ 17 16 8 2,393 3,017 1,941 East South Central .... 3 (2) 5 282 (2) 1,013 West South Central .... 3 (2) 3 1,063 (2) 2,000 Midwest ................... 15 13 24 3,594 3,260 5,276 East North Central .... 12 9 19 2,651 2,593 4,283 West North Central .... 3 4 5 943 667 993 West ...................... 12 7 11 1,792 1,877 2,551 Mountain .............. (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) Pacific ............... (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards. r = revised. p = preliminary. 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 10. Extended mass layoff events and separations, selected measures, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006 Layoff events Separations Action IV III IV IV III IV 2005r 2006r 2006p 2005r 2006r 2006p Total, private nonfarm (1) ......... 1,400 929 1,444 250,178 160,141 255,886 Total, excluding seasonal and vacation events (2) ........ 619 752 827 111,818 132,450 140,096 Total, movement of work (3) .... 65 58 59 12,051 12,840 14,197 Movement of work actions ..... 92 72 79 (4) (4) (4) With separations reported .. 57 49 61 7,210 6,820 9,692 With separations unknown ... 35 23 18 (4) (4) (4) 1 See footnote 1, table 1. 2 The question on movement of work were not asked of employers when the reason for layoff was either seasonal work or vacation period. 3 Movement of work can involve more than one action. 4 Data are not available. r = revised. p = preliminary. Table 11. Movement of work actions by type of separation where number of separations is known by employers, selected quarters, 2005 and 2006 Actions (1) Separations Activities IV III IV IV III IV 2005 2006r 2006p 2005 2006r 2006p With separations reported (2) . 57 49 61 7,210 6,820 9,692 By location Out-of-country relocations .. 22 12 25 2,702 2,071 5,281 Within company .......... 17 9 22 2,010 1,030 5,126 Different company ....... 5 3 3 692 1,041 155 Domestic relocations ........ 35 37 36 4,508 4,749 4,411 Within company .......... 28 31 32 4,104 4,020 4,024 Different company ....... 7 6 4 404 729 387 By company Within company .............. 45 40 54 6,114 5,050 9,150 Domestic ................ 28 31 32 4,104 4,020 4,024 Out of country .......... 17 9 22 2,010 1,030 5,126 Different company ........... 12 9 7 1,096 1,770 542 Domestic ................ 7 6 4 404 729 387 Out of country .......... 5 3 3 692 1,041 155 1 Only actions for which separations associated with the movement of work were reported are shown. 2 See footnote 1, table 1. r = revised. p = preliminary.