August 24, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Layoffs by region in July 2007

Among the four regions, the highest number of initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits due to mass layoffs in July was in the Midwest, with 85,557.

Mass layoff initial claimants for unemployment insurance by region, July 2006 and July 2007
[Chart data—TXT]

Transportation equipment manufacturing accounted for 47 percent of all mass layoff initial claims in that region during the month. In each July of the years 2002-2006, between 40 and 51 percent of all mass layoff initial claims in the Midwest were due to layoffs in transportation equipment manufacturing. 

In July 2007, the South had the second largest number of initial claims among the regions with 35,763, followed by the West with 33,064 and the Northeast with 21,035.

The number of initial claimants in mass layoffs increased over the year in three of the four regions. The largest increase was in the South (+4,897), followed by the Northeast (+3,992). The Midwest (-1,229) reported the only over-the-year decrease in initial claims.

These data are from the BLS Mass Layoff Statistics program. Learn more about mass layoff actions and workers filing for unemployment insurance benefits in "Mass Layoffs in July 2007" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 07-1283. Initial claimants are persons who file any notice of unemployment to initiate a request for compensation. Mass layoff events involve at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits filed against a single establishment.

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