The Mass Layoff Statistics program, a division of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, says data among the four census regions shows that the highest number of initial unemployment insurance claims in November 2006 due to mass layoffs was in the Midwest (49,067).

According to the BLS, transportation equipment manufacturing and administrative and support services accounted for 33% of all mass layoff initial claims in that region.

Meanwhile, the West had the second-largest number of initial claims (38,860), followed by the South (27,536), and the Northeast (20,723).

The BLS says three of the four regions experienced an increase in layoff claims since the same time last year. The Midwest added 14,166 claims, the West added 8,196 claims, and the Northeast added 1,598 claims.

However, the only decrease compared to last year was in the South, at negative 3,901 claims.