Alabama Layoffs — December 2002
Employers in Alabama filed 3 WARN Act notices in December 2002, impacting roughly 871 workers — representing a notable rise over November and up 70% versus December 2001. The average filing covered 290 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 152 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 152 workers across 1 notice.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Covington | 1 | 647 |
| Mobile | 1 | 152 |
| Madison | 1 | 72 |
Covington felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 74% of all affected workers with 647 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Opp | 1 | 647 |
| Mobile | 1 | 152 |
| Huntsville | 1 | 72 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 871 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Alabama's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp & Micolas Mills (Johnston Industries) | Opp | 647 | Closure | |
| Dillard'S Inc.., Mobile | Mobile | 152 | Closure | |
| Sara Lee Baking Group | Huntsville | 72 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Opp & Micolas Mills (Johnston Industries) at its Opp facility, reporting 647 affected workers. Dillard'S Inc.., Mobile followed with 152 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Alabama labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Alabama. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Alabama WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.