The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 162 WARN Act notices in August 2002, impacting roughly 18,419 workers — representing a notable rise over July and up 22% versus August 2001. Filings came from 10 states and territories, with an average of 114 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 43 | 5,543 |
| Texas | 34 | 3,869 |
| Ohio | 13 | 2,681 |
| Michigan | 17 | 1,765 |
| Georgia | 17 | 1,591 |
| Kansas | 16 | 908 |
| Florida | 7 | 676 |
| Alabama | 5 | 663 |
| Maryland | 8 | 603 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 120 |
Pennsylvania led the nation with 5,543 workers affected across 43 notices , followed by Texas (3,869 workers) and Ohio (2,681 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 41 | 2,651 |
| Healthcare | 6 | 2,632 |
| Transportation | 18 | 1,908 |
| Other | 8 | 603 |
| Information & Technology | 4 | 276 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 264 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 247 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 181 |
| Construction | 1 | 134 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 80 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 2,651 workers across 41 notices. In a parallel development, Healthcare reported 2,632 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 64 | 6,967 |
| Layoff | 17 | 1,607 |
Closures accounted for 38% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Francis Medical Center | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1,600 | Closure |
| Ames Department Stores (Leesport Distribution Center) | Leesport, Pennsylvania | 869 | Closure |
| Sportservice Corporation | Arlington, Texas | 723 | |
| Detroit Diesel Corp | Detroit, Michigan | 700 | Layoff |
| Sport Service | Cincinnati, Ohio | 654 | |
| International Truck and Engine Corporation | Springfield, Ohio | 500 | |
| Louisiana Pacific Corporation - Cleveland | Cleveland, Texas | 462 | |
| St. Francis Hospital of New Castle | New Castle, Pennsylvania | 450 | Closure |
| Consolidated Freightways - Houston | Houston, Texas | 445 | |
| Lady Baltimore Foods, Inc | Kansas City, Kansas | 350 |
The single largest action involved St. Francis Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, reporting 1,600 affected workers. Ames Department Stores (Leesport Distribution Center) followed with 869 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores 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 August 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
