The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 128 WARN Act notices in July 2003, involving roughly 17,044 workers — climbing above June and up 25% versus July 2002. Filings came from 11 states and territories, with an average of 133 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 8 | 3,302 |
| Pennsylvania | 40 | 3,115 |
| Texas | 23 | 2,594 |
| Ohio | 12 | 2,328 |
| Michigan | 11 | 1,605 |
| Georgia | 12 | 1,516 |
| Florida | 7 | 920 |
| Maryland | 7 | 796 |
| Alabama | 3 | 566 |
| Kansas | 4 | 160 |
| Vermont | 1 | 142 |
Oklahoma led the nation with 3,302 workers affected across 8 notices , followed by Pennsylvania (3,115 workers) and Texas (2,594 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 10 | 1,572 |
| Other | 7 | 796 |
| Information & Technology | 4 | 463 |
| Transportation | 4 | 452 |
| Healthcare | 5 | 425 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2 | 254 |
| Admin & Support Services | 3 | 103 |
| Construction | 1 | 92 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 63 |
| Education | 1 | 60 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 1,572 workers across 10 notices. Meanwhile, Other reported 796 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 42 | 4,689 |
| Layoff | 21 | 1,393 |
Closures accounted for 28% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit of the Loom | Harlingen, Texas | 791 | |
| VF Imagewear (Wrangler) | Seminole, Oklahoma | 663 | |
| VF Imagewear (Wrangler) | Seminole, Oklahoma | 663 | |
| VF Jeanswear (Wrangler) | Seminole, Oklahoma | 663 | |
| VF Jeanswear (Wrangler) | Seminole, Oklahoma | 663 | |
| Fleming | Massillion, Ohio | 496 | |
| Sara Lee Underwear | Tamaqua, Pennsylvania | 460 | Closure |
| Thomson Inc | Circleville, Ohio | 450 | |
| Fleming Companies, Inc. - Lewisville | Lewisville, Texas | 341 | |
| Rexall - Sundown | Boca Raton, Florida | 332 |
The biggest impact was at Fruit of the Loom in Harlingen, Texas, reporting 791 affected workers. VF Imagewear (Wrangler) followed with 663 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in July 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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