From January through November 2007, the total number of events (seasonally adjusted), at 13,734, and initial claims (seasonally adjusted), at 1,408,852, were higher than in January-November 2006 when the totals were 12,627 and 1,328,251, respectively.
The national unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in November, unchanged from the prior month and up from November 2006 (4.5 percent). Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 94,000 in November 2007 and by 1.5 million from a year earlier.
Industry Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
The 10 industries reporting the highest numbers of mass layoff initial claims, not seasonally adjusted, accounted for 32 percent of all such
initial claims in November. The industry with the highest number of initial claims was highway, street, and bridge construction with 13,305,
followed by temporary help services (12,079) and automobile manufacturing (8,416). Together, these three industries accounted for 17 percent of all initial claims due to mass layoffs during the month.
The manufacturing sector accounted for 29 percent of all mass layoff events and 38 percent of all related initial claims filed in November; a
year earlier, manufacturing made up 35 percent of events and 43 percent of initial claims. In November 2007, the number of manufacturing claimants was highest in transportation equipment manufacturing (23,323, largely in automobile manufacturing), followed by wood product manufacturing (8,094) and food manufacturing (6,642).
Construction accounted for 18 percent of events and 14 percent of initial claims in November, primarily from highway, street, and bridge
construction. Administrative and waste services made up 12 percent of mass layoff events and 11 percent of initial claims, primarily from
temporary help services and professional employer organizations. Accommodation and food services comprised 6 percent of all mass layoff events and 5 percent of related initial claims, mainly from food service contractors. Eight percent of all mass layoff events and 5 percent of related initial claims filed were from the agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry, largely from farm labor contractors and crew leaders.
On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the number of mass layoff events in November, at 1,799, was up by 484 from a year earlier, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 62,034 to 198,220. This is due in part to a calendar effect; November 2007 contained 5 weeks for possible mass layoffs compared with 4 weeks in November last year.
The largest over-the-year increases in initial claims were reported in transportation equipment manufacturing (+9,971) and administrative and support services (+9,145). The largest over-the-year decrease in mass layoff initial claims was reported in fabricated metal product manufacturing (-1,369). Layoff activity in credit intermediation and related activities registered an over-the-year increase for the ninth
consecutive month.
Geographic Distribution (Not Seasonally Adjusted)
Among the four census regions, the highest number of initial claims in November due to mass layoffs was in the Midwest, with 62,163. Transportation equipment manufacturing and heavy and civil engineering construction together accounted for 45 percent of all mass layoff initial claims in that region during the month. The West had the second largest number of initial claims among the regions with 59,152, followed by the South with 42,139 and the Northeast with 34,766. (See table 5.)
The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year in all four regions-the West (+20,292), the South (+14,603), the Northeast (+14,043), and the Midwest (+13,096)-although this may be due, in part, to the calendar effect. All 9 geographic divisions had over-the-year increases in the numbers of initial claims associated with mass layoffs, with the largest increases in the Pacific (+17,856), East North Central (+12,661), and Middle Atlantic (+12,379) divisions.
California recorded the highest number of initial claims filed due to mass layoff events in November (44,127), reflecting layoffs in administrative and support services and in agriculture and forestry support activities. Other states with large numbers of mass layoff related claims were Pennsylvania (17,120), Michigan (15,578), and Wisconsin (13,663). These four states accounted for 47 percent of all mass layoff events and 46 percent of all initial claims for unemployment insurance in November.
California had the largest over-the-year increase in the number of initial claims (+16,694); this was partially due to more mass layoff activity in administrative and support services. States having the next largest increases in initial claims were Pennsylvania (+8,602), Michigan (+4,942), New York (+4,740), and Georgia (+3,596). The largest over-the-year decreases in claims occurred in North Carolina (-966) and New Jersey (-963).
