The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 244 WARN Act notices in January 2003, involving roughly 31,337 workers — climbing above December and up 70% versus January 2002. Filings came from 11 states and territories, with an average of 128 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 77 | 8,897 |
| Georgia | 24 | 5,207 |
| Florida | 35 | 3,896 |
| Michigan | 18 | 2,702 |
| Oklahoma | 10 | 2,144 |
| Maryland | 18 | 1,877 |
| Pennsylvania | 19 | 1,826 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 1,472 |
| Ohio | 11 | 1,269 |
| Kansas | 16 | 1,214 |
| Alabama | 10 | 833 |
Texas led the nation with 8,897 workers affected across 77 notices , followed by Georgia (5,207 workers) and Florida (3,896 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 35 | 3,628 |
| Manufacturing | 14 | 2,146 |
| Other | 18 | 1,877 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 1,185 |
| Healthcare | 6 | 834 |
| Utilities | 2 | 622 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 326 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 180 |
| Construction | 1 | 169 |
| Transportation | 4 | 137 |
The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 3,628 workers across 35 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 2,146 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 49 | 6,086 |
| Layoff | 30 | 2,624 |
Closures accounted for 19% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. C. Penney | Forest Park, Georgia | 1,133 | |
| Teletech | Duluth, Georgia | 602 | |
| Tyson Foods | Stillwell, Oklahoma | 535 | |
| Tyson Foods | Stillwell, Oklahoma | 535 | |
| Humana Inc | Jacksonville, Florida | 519 | |
| Temple Continuing Care Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 515 | Layoff |
| Sprint | Overland Park, Kansas | 493 | |
| GM Detroit Hamtramack Assembly | Detroit, Michigan | 400 | Layoff |
| Kmart Corporation #4915 | Dearborn, Michigan | 358 | Closure |
| M&T Bank (Allfirst) | Baltimore, Maryland | 350 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at J. C. Penney in Forest Park, Georgia, reporting 1,133 affected workers. Teletech followed with 602 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
This data points to 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 January 2003. 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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