US Layoffs — April 2003

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers filed 117 WARN Act notices in April 2003, impacting roughly 12,260 workers — representing a pullback from March and down 38% versus April 2002. Filings came from 10 states and territories, with an average of 105 workers per notice.

117
Total Notices
12,260
Workers Affected
10
States Reporting
105
Avg per Notice
34
Closures

Top States by Workers Affected

StateNoticesWorkers
Pennsylvania242,835
Florida91,571
Michigan141,470
Kansas141,385
Ohio91,345
Texas311,312
Georgia61,004
Maryland5594
Alabama3462
Oklahoma2282

Pennsylvania led the nation with 2,835 workers affected across 24 notices , followed by Florida (1,571 workers) and Michigan (1,470 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

IndustryNoticesWorkers
Manufacturing121,558
Healthcare4741
Information & Technology11633
Other5594
Arts & Entertainment1527
Transportation3183
Education5130

The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,558 workers across 12 notices. In a parallel development, Healthcare reported 741 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

TypeNoticesWorkers
Closure343,904
Layoff191,457

Closures accounted for 32% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

CompanyLocationWorkersType
CessnaWichita, Kansas1,200
Corning Asahi Video ProductsState College, Pennsylvania673Closure
Tecumseh Products CompanyDouglas, Georgia535
Cypress Gardens, IncWinter Haven, Florida527
Werner Co. (Greenville Division)Greenville, Pennsylvania450Layoff
Johnson & Johnson Medical, Inc. - ShermanSherman, Texas402
Teleflex AutomotiveHillsdale, Michigan371Closure
US Airways (Philadelphia International Airport)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania361Layoff
Tyson FoodsBerlin, Maryland323Closure
Recoton CorporationLake Mary, Florida280

The single largest action involved Cessna in Wichita, Kansas, reporting 1,200 affected workers. Corning Asahi Video Products followed with 673 workers.

Trend & Outlook

The data underscores a easing in workforce disruptions across the nation, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 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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