Conducting the mass layoff statistics program: response and findings: due to careful collaboration between BLS and State agencies after Hurricane Katrina, data collection challenges facing the Mass Layoff Statistics program were overcome; the highest number of mass layoff events occurred in accommodation and food services.The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. created several data
collection and analytical challenges for the Bureau of Labor
Statistics' (BLS See Bureau of Labor Statistics. ) Mass Layoff Layoff1. When a company eliminates jobs regardless of how good the employees' performance. 2. A risk reduction, made by investment bankers, that minimizes the potential downside associated with a commitment to purchase and sell a stock issue unsubscribed by stockholders holding Statistics (MLS See multilevel security. ) program. The sheer number of mass layoffs based on initial claims filings for unemployment insurance (UI) against establishments led to acute workload The term workload can refer to a number of different yet related entities. An amount of labor While a precise definition of a workload is elusive, a commonly accepted definition is the hypothetical relationship between a group or individual human operator and task demands. problems in affected States. There was a need to ensure that mass layoffs directly or indirectly related to Hurricane Katrina were consistently identified by analysts working on the MLS program in all States. Another challenge was understanding and resolving apparent contradictions between data on potential layoff events based solely on administrative data and responses from the employers themselves. While the MLS program has undertaken special data collection efforts in the past, nothing matched this collection in terms of immediacy im·me·di·a·cy n. pl. im·me·di·a·cies 1. The condition or quality of being immediate. 2. Lack of an intervening or mediating agency; directness: the immediacy of live television coverage. , magnitude, and geographic concentration. BLS also requested special interim reporting of Hurricane hurricane, tropical cyclone in which winds attain speeds greater than 74 mi (119 km) per hr. Wind speeds reach over 190 mi (289 km) per hr in some hurricanes. Katrina-related layoff activity in order to verify (1) To prove the correctness of data. (2) In data entry operations, to compare the keystrokes of a second operator with the data entered by the first operator to ensure that the data were typed in accurately. See validate. that procedures were adequately being followed and to provide important and relevant information quickly. The success in meeting these challenges was grounded in the ongoing collaboration Working together on a project. See collaborative software. that exists between BLS and the State agencies in this program. This article details the efforts made to identify and track layoff activity related to Hurricane Katrina and provides some of the resulting information. MLS program description Among the key economic data developed by BLS, the MLS program provides important and detailed information on a subset A group of commands or functions that do not include all the capabilities of the original specification. Software or hardware components designed for the subset will also work with the original. of establishments and job losers experiencing dislocation dislocation, displacement of a body part, usually a bone. When a bone is dislocated, the ends of opposing bones are usually forced out of connection with one another. In the process, bruising of tissues and tearing of ligaments may occur. . Using a combination of administrative and employer interview data, the MLS program identifies, describes, and tracks the effects of major job cutbacks from establishments with 50 or more workers who file for unemployment insurance. (2) The program is a Federal-State cooperative program The Cooperative Program is a unified funds collection program of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) designed to support SBC seminaries, mission agencies and denominational ministries. , with BLS responsible for program specifications, data review, and publication of monthly and quarterly news releases, and States responsible for data collection, employer interviews, data development, and their own publications. To define the relevant population, the MLS program uses administrative statistics on establishments covered by unemployment insurance laws and on unemployment insurance claimants who previously worked in these establishments. The administrative data provide important economic information on the establishment--the State where the establishment is located and its detailed industry code--and on the worker demographics--age, gender, location of residence, and status in the unemployment insurance system. The program yields information on the individual's entire spell of insured unemployment, up to the point at which regular unemployment insurance benefits are exhausted. MLS establishment data are the universe of establishments meeting the program specifications, and the claimant CLAIMANT. In the courts of admiralty, when the suit is in rem, the cause is entitled in the Dame of the libellant against the thing libelled, as A B v. Ten cases of calico and it preserves that title through the whole progress of the suit. data are all claims filed against these establishments. MLS specifications concerning the size of establishment, number of claims, and timing of filing are applied to the administrative data to identify the MLS economic event; however, they also limit the scope of the program. Only relatively large and concentrated layoffs are identified through the MLS size limitation on establishments and the requirement that at least 50 initial claims for unemployment insurance were filed against the establishment in a consecutive 5-week period. The layoffs based solely on administrative data are viewed as "potential" extended mass layoff events. All employers in private nonfarm establishments meeting the MLS layoff event trigger of 50 initial claims in a consecutive 5-week period are interviewed. The employer is first asked whether the separations last at least 31 days. If so, information is obtained on the total number of affected workers, the economic reason for the layoff, the open/closed status of the worksite, recall expectations, and, in nonseasonal events, relocation RELOCATION, Scotch law, contracts. To let again to renew a lease, is called a relocation. 2. When a tenant holds over after the expiration of his lease, with the consent of his landlord, this will amount to a relocation. of work. These layoffs, based on information from the employer interview, are considered "extended" layoff events. The employer interview is conducted via telephone and largely in an unstructured manner, by trained State employment security agency analysts. Employer participation in the MLS interview is voluntary, with a 96-percent response rate in 2005. The employer is not provided with a copy of the questionnaire questionnaire, n a series of questions used to gather information. questionnaire, n a form usually filled out by patients that provides data concerning their dental and general health. or response options in advance of the interview. From responses provided by the employer, the analyst codes the information into standard categories. The MLS program provides data nationally and by State and selected areas. The statistics are among the timeliest economic measures issued by BLS. Monthly data on potential mass layoff events and laid-off workers (without regard to duration of the layoff) by State and industry are issued about 3 weeks after the end of the reference month. Data on extended mass layoffs (those lasting more than 30 days) are issued quarterly about 7 weeks after the end of the reference quarter. Identifying Katrina-related layoffs The MLS program response to identifying and tracking layoff activity related to Hurricane Katrina borrowed greatly from the program's experiences in reacting to the September September: see month. 11, 200l, terrorist attacks. As in the earlier situation, BLS issued immediate instructions to States on the MLS reason for layoff that should be used for Katrina-related layoffs and stressed the need for special, timelier data submittals. In an effort to ensure consistent reporting from all States, BLS instructed States to use "weather-related" as the primary reason for separating workers if the layoff event was related to Hurricane Katrina and the worksite was located within the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) hurricane disaster areas. "Weather-related" is used as the reason for layoff to describe situations where activity at an establishment has been curtailed because of unusual or extreme weather conditions, including flooding, hail, and so forth. For employers who cited the effects of the hurricane as a reason for layoff but were located outside of the FEMA-designated areas, States were instructed to use another primary reason (of an economic nature) to describe the layoff and "weather-related" as a secondary reason. An example of a layoff indirectly related to Katrina KATRINA Keeping All the Resources in New Orleans Alive KATRINA Krewe Aiding Trash Removal In the New Orleans Area is an establishment that curtailed operations because of a shortage of parts and/or materials from its supplier whose production or delivery was affected by the hurricane. In such an example, "material shortage" is the primary reason for layoff, and "weather-related" is the secondary reason. BLS also instructed States to send interim reports of extended mass layoff data for the purpose of timelier monitoring and reporting of layoff activity related to Hurricane Katrina. This modification of the usual quarterly reporting of extended mass layoff activity lasted for 3 months. Data collection in affected States Five States were affected by Hurricane Katrina insofar in·so·far adv. To such an extent. Adv. 1. insofar - to the degree or extent that; "insofar as it can be ascertained, the horse lung is comparable to that of man"; "so far as it is reasonably practical he should practice as each had areas within it that FEMA designated for assistance. Identifying plant closings and mass layoffs associated with Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina's impact was first observed in the MLS program with the September 2005 data. The hurricane struck the gulf coast on August 29, and the September 2005 reference period for identifying potential layoff events includes the Sunday-Saturday calendar weeks from August 28 through October October: see month. 1. Although the physical damage caused by Hurricane Katrina touched Alabama, Florida Florida, state, United States Florida (flôr`ĭdə, flŏr`–), state in the extreme SE United States. A long, low peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean (E) and the Gulf of Mexico (W), Florida is bordered by Georgia and , Louisiana Louisiana (ləwē'zēăn`ə, l  ē'–), state in the S central United States. It is bounded by Mississippi, with the Mississippi R. ,
Mississippi Mississippi, state, United StatesMississippi (mĭs'əsĭp`ē), one of the Deep South states of the United States. It is bordered by Alabama (E), the Gulf of Mexico (S), Arkansas and Louisiana, with most of the border formed by , and Texas, elevated mass layoff activity was concentrated in just two States--Louisiana and Mississippi. (See table 1.) In September 2005, Louisiana and Mississippi reported 791 and 113 layoff events, respectively, far more layoff activity than either State had ever reported before. The highest numbers of events in a month previous to September 2005 were 36 events in Louisiana (June 2001) and 19 events in Mississippi (May 1995). The dramatic increases in events for these two States, particularly in Louisiana, posed quite a data collection challenge. As a result, BLS staff from the Dallas Dallas, city (1990 pop. 1,006,877), seat of Dallas co., N Tex., on the Trinity River near the junction of its three forks; inc. 1871. The second largest Texas city, after Houston, and the eighth largest U.S. (for Louisiana) and Atlanta Atlanta (ətlăn`tə, ăt–), city (1990 pop. 394,017), state capital and seat of Fulton co., NW Ga., on the Chattahoochee R. and Peachtree Creek, near the Appalachian foothills; inc. 1847. (for Mississippi) regional offices assisted those States with interviewing employers. Monthly mass layoff activity based on administrative data dropped sharply in Louisiana and Mississippi in the months following September. As a result, BLS instructed States to cease special data collection activities with the data for December December: see month. 2005. Thus, monthly mass layoff data for the September-December 2005 period in Louisiana (843 events) and Mississippi (121 events) were the focus of potential extended layoff activity related to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Identifying extended mass layoffs. State analysts are instructed to wait 30 days after an event reaches 50 initial claims so that the employer can confirm with certainty that the minimum duration criterion for an extended mass layoff has been met. For layoff events that triggered in the week of August 28-September 3, employer contact was not made until at least the week of October 2-9. As State and BLS staff started making phone calls, it became apparent that many employers in Louisiana and Mississippi either did not have a layoff lasting more than 30 days (thus theirs was a temporary layoff) or did not initiate any worker separations at all. As part of normal program operation, information on temporary mass layoff events and those for which the employer states a layoff did not occur are not transmitted to BLS. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, however, BLS instructed Louisiana and Mississippi to provide information on such events in an effort to account for and report on all potential mass layoff activity in the September-December 2005 period. Out of the 964 potential layoff events that reached 50 initial claims in a 5-week period criterion during the September-December period, analysts attempted to contact employers in 868 private nonfarm layoff events in Louisiana and Mississippi. (The MLS program excludes potential events from agricultural and government establishments from the employer interview component.) Based on information obtained from employers, 484 private nonfarm mass layoff events were not classified as an extended event because the criteria criteria (krītēr´ē  ),n. for an extended mass layoff were not met. (See table 2.) Of the 367 employers who did not lay off any workers despite the UI activity filed against the firms, 47 percent stated employees did not return to work that was still available and another 29 percent continued to pay employees for some period of time after the hurricanes. Accounting for another 22 percent (107 events out of 484) of the events not meeting the extended mass layoff criteria were employers that laid off workers for less than 31 days. In 10 nonlayoff events, employers cited a layoff that lasted more than 30 days, but fewer than 50 people were separated from their job. Data resulting from Hurricane Katrina Private nonfarm extended mass layoffs directly or indirectly related to Hurricane Katrina totaled 358 events and 57,551 separations over the September-December 2005 period. (See table 3.) These layoff events comprise both situations where contact was successful and the employer confirmed the layoff was related in some way to Hurricane Katrina, as well as events where analysts were unable to contact employers. State analysts are instructed to code events as extended mass layoff events when they have exhausted attempts to contact employers. In this case, individual data elements obtained during the employer interview, including the reason for layoff, are normally set to "not available." In response to Hurricane Katrina, BLS directed States to use "weather-related" as the primary reason for establishments located within a FEMA-designated hurricane disaster area, despite unsuccessful attempts to reach employers. The physical damage to workplaces and infrastructure caused by Hurricane Katrina likely contributed to problems contacting some employers. Such noncontacts accounted for 46 percent of the 358 layoff events directly and indirectly related to Hurricane Katrina. Establishment characteristics. The highest number of worker separations in extended mass layoff events related to Hurricane Katrina occurred in accommodation and food services food services Hospital services A 24/7 department in a hospital that provides for the nutritional needs of inpatients–eg, those needing special diets, preparing meals and transporting them to the floor and, through the cafeteria, the hospital staff and , followed by retail trade and healthcare and social assistance. (See table 4.) In contrast, employers in manufacturing and construction reported the most separated workers in nationwide extended layoff events not related to the hurricane over the same September-December 2005 period. Claimant characteristics. Demographic information captured from the UI initial claim record by the MLS program offers a look at workers associated with extended mass layoff events. Table 5 displays the percentage of initial claimants by selected age, gender, and race/ethnicity groupings in hurricane- versus nonhurricane-related layoffs over the September-December 2005 period. Claimants younger than 30 accounted for nearly 30 percent of all laid-off workers in hurricane-related extended mass layoff events, whereas the percentage drops to 18.1 percent in layoff events not related to the hurricane. Women accounted for nearly 60 percent of UI claimants in events related to the hurricane; in nonhurricane-related events, the percentage drops to 32.7 percent. Black claimants accounted for 56.5 percent of workers related to the hurricane, but made up only 12.2 percent of the claimants in events not related to the hurricane. The MLS program also collects information on the continuing impact of joblessness through the filing of continued UI claims, up through the point of exhaustion Exhaustion Situation in which a majority of participants trading in the same asset are either long or short, leaving few investors to take the other side of the transaction when participants wish to close their positions. . Table 5 shows that 25.8 percent of the initial claimants in extended mass layoff events related to the hurricane exhausted their UI benefits in reporting received thus far. This compares with a 7.0-percent UI benefit exhaustion rate for claimants in events not related to Hurricane Katrina. Demographic information associated with these claimants receiving their final payments also reveals interesting differences between the populations of MLS claimants affected by and not affected by the hurricane. Almost all age groups experienced the same benefit exhaustion rate in hurricane-related events, whereas the benefit exhaustion rate among older workers is slightly higher in events not related to the hurricane. Women had a benefit exhaustion rate that was more than 7 percentage points higher than men in hurricane-related events; in events not related to the hurricane, the difference narrows to 3 percentage points. For all racial/ethnic groups, claimants in hurricane-related events were much more likely to exhaust Exhaust may refer to: In mathematics:
The residency A duration of stay required by state and local laws that entitles a person to the legal protection and benefits provided by applicable statutes. States have required state residency for a variety of rights, including the right to vote, the right to run for public office, the information also captured from the initial claim record provides insight into where workers in extended layoff events related to Hurricane Katrina were living when they filed for UI benefits. (See table 6.) Of the more than 40,000 initial claimants associated with hurricane-related layoff events in Louisiana establishments, 60 percent resided in Louisiana, followed by Texas (22 percent), Georgia Georgia, country, Asia Georgia (jôr`jə), Georgian Sakartvelo, Rus. Gruziya, officially Republic of Georgia, republic (2005 est. pop. 4,677,000), c.26,900 sq mi (69,700 sq km), in W Transcaucasia. (5 percent), and Mississippi (4 percent). Claimants in Louisiana mass layoff events were living in the District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). and every State in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , with the exception of Alaska Alaska (əlă`skə), largest in area of the United States but third smallest (exceeding only Vermont and Wyoming) in population, occupying the northwest extremity of the North American continent, separated from the coterminous United States . Among the more than 8,000 claimants in Mississippi events, 86 percent resided within Mississippi. THE MLS PROGRAM is well poised to collect information on employers' decisions to engage in large-scale layoffs and closings related to sudden and extreme events, as shown by the response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The employer interview continues to be an important vehicle for capturing key information on labor market labor market A place where labor is exchanged for wages; an LM is defined by geography, education and technical expertise, occupation, licensure or certification requirements, and job experience decisions, as underscored by the employer responses to layoffs in conflict with UI claims filings. In addition, administrative data captured by the MLS program provides insight into the workers most affected by mass layoffs, as well as the continuing spell of joblessness. Capturing accurate and timely information on an important labor force phenomenon such as mass layoffs reinforces the importance of the cooperative environment between BLS and State agencies. ACKNOWLEDGMENT acknowledgment, in law, formal declaration or admission by a person who executed an instrument (e.g., a will or a deed) that the instrument is his. The acknowledgment is made before a court, a notary public, or any other authorized person. : The authors thank Yang Guo The fictional character Yang Guo (Traditional Chinese: 楊過; Simplified Chinese: 杨过; Pinyin: Yáng Guò for her assistance in preparing the tables for this article. We also thank the MLS analysts in Louisiana and Mississippi and the MLS regional office staff in Dallas and Atlanta for their commitment to the MLS program and their hard work in the face of data collection challenges from Katrina. Notes (1) Hurricane Rita Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005. hit Louisiana and Texas on September 24, 2005, only 26 days after Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29. Because of the difficulties in separating Katrina-related and Rita-related layoffs, the mass layoff data in this article include some Rita-generated cases. (2) For a detailed discussion of the Mass Layoff Statistics program, see the program Web site at http://www.bls.gov/mls/home.htm. Sharon Sharon, city, United States Sharon (shâr`ən), city (1990 pop. 17,493), Mercer co., NW Pa., on the Shenango River, near the Ohio line; settled c.1800, inc. as a city 1920. P. Brown is division chief of the Division of Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics. Patrick Carey
Carey is the name of several places:
(networking) gov - The top-level domain for US government bodies. ; carey.patrick@ bls.gov
Table 1. Potential mass layoff events in States affected by
Hurricane Katrina, not seasonally adjusted, 2005
Mass layoff events
Month Total
United States Alabama Florida
Total 16,466 244 700
January 2,564 85 62
February 810 8 36
March 806 7 36
April 1,373 10 62
May 986 9 53
June 1,157 8 93
July 1,981 58 86
August 645 5 35
September 1,662 20 40
October 905 4 36
November 1,254 6 100
December 2,323 24 61
Mass layoff events
Month
Louisiana Mississippi Texas
Total 956 155 491
January 24 (1) 57
February 7 5 24
March 4 0 35
April 16 (1) 45
May 10 5 49
June 21 7 37
July 20 5 51
August 11 6 30
September 791 113 50
October 3 4 38
November 36 (1) 25
December 13 (1) 50
(1) Data do not meet BLS or State agency disclosure standards.
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance because of
Hurricane Katrina.
NOTE: The States shown all received some Federal
Table 2. Potential and extended private nonfarm mass
layoff activity in Louisiana and Mississippi not
related to Hurricane Katrina, September-December 2005
Measure Layoff events
Total, private nonfarm potential events 868
Extended mass layoff events, hurricane related 358
Extended mass layoff events, but not hurricane
related 26
Total excluded events 484
Not a layoff 367
Employees did not return 174
Employers continued paying employees 108
Other 85
Temporary layoff 107
Permanent, but less than 50 workers laid off 10
Table 3. Hurricane Katrina-related potential and extended mass layoff
activity in Louisiana and Mississippi, September-December 2005
Layoff
Measure events Separations
Potential layoff activity
Total 964 ...
Private nonfarm 868 ...
Extended mass layoffs
Total, hurricane-related 358 57,551
Directly related to the hurricane 355 55,873
Contact with employer successful 191 32,415
Contact with employer unsuccessful 164 23,458
Indirectly related to the hurricane 3 1,678
Initial claimants for
Measure unemployment
insurance
Potential layoff activity
Total 136,930
Private nonfarm 107,341
Extended mass layoffs
Total, hurricane-related 48,161
Directly related to the hurricane 47,425
Contact with employer successful 24,049
Contact with employer unsuccessful 23,376
Indirectly related to the hurricane 736
Table 4. Extended mass layoff events and separations, related to
and not related to Hurricane Katrina nationwide, by major industry
sector, September-December 2005
Hurricane related
Industry
Events Separations
Total, private nonfarm 358 57,551
Mining (1) (1)
Utilities (1) (1)
Construction 7 938
Manufacturing 22 2,499
Wholesale trade 7 522
Retail trade 63 10,958
Transportation and warehousing 15 2,375
Information (1) (1)
Finance and insurance (1) (1)
Real estate and rental and leasing (1) (1)
Professional and technical services 6 422
Management of companies and enterprises 0 0
Administrative and waste services 37 5,250
Educational services 6 3,592
Healthcare and social assistance 55 7,461
Arts, entertainment, and recreation 14 5,157
Accommodation and food services 100 15,833
Other services, except public administration 9 1,122
Unclassified establishments 0 0
Not hurricane
related (nationwide)
Industry
Events Separations
Total, private nonfarm 1,600 289,285
Mining 29 3,731
Utilities 3 519
Construction 517 70,093
Manufacturing 471 89,017
Wholesale trade 28 4,123
Retail trade 82 22,942
Transportation and warehousing 39 8,262
Information 25 4,723
Finance and insurance 19 2,768
Real estate and rental and leasing 3 665
Professional and technical services 42 6,724
Management of companies and enterprises 5 994
Administrative and waste services 182 33,803
Educational services 3 541
Healthcare and social assistance 24 4,399
Arts, entertainment, and recreation 47 18,656
Accommodation and food services 68 15,278
Other services, except public administration 13 2,047
Unclassified establishments 0 0
(1) Data do not meet BLS or State agency disclosure standards.
Table 5. Demographic characteristics of the insured unemployed in
extended mass layoff events related to and not related to Hurricane
Katrina nationwide, September-December 2005
Percentage of
initial claimants
Characteristics
Hurricane Not hurricane
related related
Total 100.0 100.0
Age
30 years of age or younger 29.8 18.1
30-44 31.7 36.2
45-54 18.1 27.1
55 years of age or older 11.3 16.7
Not available 9.2 1.9
Gender
Male 40.5 67.0
Female 59.5 32.7
Not available 0 .4
Race/ethnicity
White 29.2 64.4
Black 56.5 12.2
Hispanic origin 5.4 13.9
American Indian or Alaska Native .4 .6
Asian or Pacific Islander 2.6 1.8
Not available 5.8 7.2
Percentage of initial
claimants receiving
final payments
Characteristics
Hurricane Not hurricane
related related
Total 25.8 7.0
Age
30 years of age or younger 26.0 7.1
30-44 27.2 6.3
45-54 26.5 6.7
55 years of age or older 26.5 8.8
Not available 18.3 5.5
Gender
Male 21.4 6.0
Female 28.8 9.0
Not available 33.3 5.1
Race/ethnicity
White 13.2 5.6
Black 33.0 9.1
Hispanic origin 13.4 11.3
American Indian or Alaska Native 14.7 7.8
Asian or Pacific Islander 17.8 5.3
Not available 35.0 7.6
Table 6. Initial claimants for unemployment insurance
in extended mass layoff events because of
Hurricane Katrina, by State of residence
Initial
claimants Percent
State for to
unemployment total
insurance
Total, associated with layoffs
in Louisiana 40,124 100.0
State of residence:
Louisiana 24,248 60.4
Texas 9,001 22.4
Georgia 1,910 4.8
Mississippi 1,478 3.7
Florida 622 1.6
Other (in 44 States and the
District of Columbia) 2,768 6.9
Unknown 97 .2
Total, associated with layoffs
in Mississippi 8,037 100.0
State of residence:
Mississippi 6,880 85.6
Alabama 170 2.1
Florida 155 1.9
Other (in 42 States and
the Virgin Islands) 832 10.4
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