Question 1

What is the WARN Firehose alternative data API?

Accepted Answer

WARN Firehose is a REST API aggregating 6 federal datasets into a unified alternative data feed: WARN Act mass layoff notices (all 50 states, daily), H-1B and LCA visa petitions (5.1M records, FY2012–2026), SEC 8-K restructuring filings, Chapter 11 bankruptcy records, JOLTS job openings/separations data, and DOL weekly unemployment claims (40 years). The API provides JSON, CSV, and Parquet formats with 90+ endpoints. A free tier is available at $0/month with 25 calls/day.

Question 2

How does WARN Act data function as an economic leading indicator?

Accepted Answer

The WARN Act requires employers to file public notices 60–90 days before executing mass layoffs. This makes WARN data a genuine leading indicator — restructuring costs appear in WARN filings 2–3 months before they hit earnings statements. A surge in WARN notices in a sector or geography typically precedes unemployment claims increases by 6–8 weeks. When cross-referenced with SEC 8-K Item 2.05 (restructuring costs) and bankruptcy records, WARN velocity data provides a multi-confirmation signal unavailable from traditional financial data sources.

Question 3

How does WARN Firehose compare to Revelio Labs or Layoffs.fyi?

Accepted Answer

Revelio Labs focuses on workforce analytics derived from LinkedIn profiles — an inferred dataset. Layoffs.fyi aggregates self-reported tech layoffs from media sources. WARN Firehose is based exclusively on government-mandated public filings with legal consequences for non-compliance, making it more reliable for quantitative analysis. Unique to WARN Firehose: cross-referencing with SEC 8-K filings, bankruptcy court records, H-1B visa petition trends, and DOL claims data to produce multi-dataset risk signals. Daily updates (vs. quarterly from most providers), REST API access, and a $0 free tier further differentiate the product.

Question 4

What API formats and delivery methods are available?

Accepted Answer

WARN Firehose provides data via REST API (JSON), bulk export (CSV, Parquet), and webhook alerts. The free tier includes 25 API calls/day. The Starter plan ($49/mo) includes 1,000 calls/day. The Pro plan ($199/mo) includes 10,000 calls/day, webhook alerts, all 5 proprietary signal indexes, and CSV/Parquet export. Enterprise plans include custom volume limits and SLA agreements. One-time bulk data purchases (no recurring fee) are also available from the Data Store.

Question 5

What are the 5 proprietary signal indexes?

Accepted Answer

WARN Firehose computes 5 proprietary indexes daily from all 6 datasets: (1) WARN Velocity Index (WVI) — layoff acceleration by state, detects deteriorating conditions before unemployment data confirms it. (2) Workforce Stress Index (WSI) — composite 0-10 distress score per state cross-referencing all 6 datasets. (3) Talent Displacement Index (TDI) — companies laying off U.S. workers while simultaneously filing H-1B petitions. (4) Metro Contagion Score (MCS) — regional distress spreading across unrelated employers in one metro area. (5) Industry Domino Index (IDI) — cascading layoffs in the same sector across states, confirmed by SEC filings and bankruptcy data.

Alternative Economic Data API

What You Get

Six Cross-Referenced Federal Datasets

5 Proprietary Signal Indexes

Flexible Delivery

Companies at Risk

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