The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 155 WARN Act notices in January 2002, affecting an estimated 18,487 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to December and down 31% versus January 2001. Filings came from 11 states and territories, with an average of 119 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 30 | 3,765 |
| Kentucky | 16 | 2,536 |
| Ohio | 14 | 2,496 |
| Texas | 29 | 2,156 |
| Michigan | 14 | 2,113 |
| Florida | 19 | 1,752 |
| Georgia | 14 | 1,621 |
| Alabama | 6 | 1,074 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 548 |
| Maryland | 3 | 345 |
| Kansas | 4 | 81 |
Pennsylvania led the nation with 3,765 workers affected across 30 notices , followed by Kentucky (2,536 workers) and Ohio (2,496 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 22 | 2,489 |
| Retail | 13 | 1,112 |
| Utilities | 1 | 970 |
| Healthcare | 4 | 746 |
| Information & Technology | 8 | 652 |
| Finance & Insurance | 6 | 652 |
| Other | 3 | 345 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 265 |
| Transportation | 3 | 198 |
| Agriculture | 3 | 160 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 2,489 workers across 22 notices. On a related front, Retail reported 1,112 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 33 | 4,991 |
| Closure | 38 | 4,842 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| GE Transportation Systems (General Electric Company) [Erie Plant] | Erie, Pennsylvania | 970 | Layoff |
| Lear Bowling Green Plant | Bowling Green, Ohio | 587 | |
| IBP Foods Company | Detroit, Michigan | 554 | Closure |
| IBP Foods | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 460 | Closure |
| Faurecia Exhaust Systems, Inc | Toledo, Ohio | 420 | |
| Aetna US Healthcare - Sugar Land | Sugar Land, Texas | 400 | |
| Audie Hammond (270) 826-5000 | Kentucky | 325 | Layoff |
| Accuride Corporation | Kentucky | 325 | Layoff |
| Sitel Corporation | Augusta, Georgia | 315 | |
| Danner Press | Canton, Ohio | 296 |
The largest notice was filed by GE Transportation Systems (General Electric Company) [Erie Plant] in Erie, Pennsylvania, reporting 970 affected workers. Lear Bowling Green Plant followed with 587 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 2002. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is sourced from official state filings and updated daily by WARN Firehose. Download the full dataset or explore state-by-state data.
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