The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 203 WARN Act notices in March 2002, putting at risk an estimated 18,951 workers — up substantially from February and roughly flat versus March 2001. Filings came from 10 states and territories, with an average of 93 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 53 | 4,530 |
| Pennsylvania | 26 | 2,613 |
| Michigan | 29 | 2,236 |
| Ohio | 15 | 1,910 |
| Georgia | 19 | 1,818 |
| Florida | 21 | 1,714 |
| Maryland | 11 | 1,446 |
| Oklahoma | 12 | 996 |
| Kansas | 8 | 924 |
| Alabama | 9 | 764 |
Texas led the nation with 4,530 workers affected across 53 notices , followed by Pennsylvania (2,613 workers) and Michigan (2,236 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 36 | 2,807 |
| Other | 11 | 1,446 |
| Manufacturing | 16 | 1,159 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 574 |
| Information & Technology | 4 | 410 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 310 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 132 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 119 |
| Transportation | 1 | 105 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 63 |
The Retail sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 2,807 workers across 36 notices. Separately, Other reported 1,446 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 62 | 5,048 |
| Layoff | 14 | 1,510 |
Closures accounted for 27% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spiegel Group Telemarketing Service Inc | Wichita, Kansas | 670 | |
| US Airways | Linthicum, Maryland | 457 | Layoff |
| Wachovia Corporation [First Union National Bank (Spring Ridge site)] | Wyomissing, Pennsylvania | 377 | Layoff |
| Chilpaco Mills | Chillicothe, Ohio | 343 | |
| Herman Miller | Holland, Michigan | 317 | Closure |
| Ofs Fitel | Norcross, Georgia | 300 | |
| The JPM Company | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania | 287 | |
| DrawTite | Canton, Michigan | 268 | Closure |
| Albertson's - Katy | Katy, Texas | 267 | |
| SBC Ameritech | Southfield, Michigan | 264 | Closure |
Topping the list was Spiegel Group Telemarketing Service Inc in Wichita, Kansas, reporting 670 affected workers. US Airways followed with 457 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in March 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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