The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 99 WARN Act notices in September 2003, affecting an estimated 15,331 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to August and up 45% versus September 2002. Filings came from 10 states and territories, with an average of 155 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9 | 5,339 |
| Texas | 24 | 2,564 |
| Michigan | 9 | 1,991 |
| Florida | 12 | 1,720 |
| Ohio | 8 | 1,282 |
| Georgia | 7 | 841 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 674 |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 465 |
| Maryland | 4 | 386 |
| Kansas | 10 | 69 |
Alabama led the nation with 5,339 workers affected across 9 notices , followed by Texas (2,564 workers) and Michigan (1,991 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 4 | 3,956 |
| Manufacturing | 10 | 1,637 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 909 |
| Transportation | 1 | 588 |
| Education | 1 | 402 |
| Other | 4 | 386 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 242 |
| Construction | 1 | 194 |
| Utilities | 1 | 150 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 149 |
The Information & Technology sector saw the heaviest impact with 3,956 workers across 4 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 1,637 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 26 | 7,561 |
| Layoff | 13 | 620 |
Closures accounted for 49% of all affected workers nationally, indicating significant structural workforce adjustments.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dyncorp Technical Services | Daleville, Alabama | 3,157 | Closure |
| Sara Lee Bakery Group | Fort Payne, Alabama | 800 | Closure |
| Levi Strauss & Company - San Antonio | San Antonio, Texas | 800 | |
| Daimler Chrysler Glass Plant | Detroit, Michigan | 648 | Closure |
| Northwest Airlines | Livonia, Michigan | 588 | Closure |
| Gold Kist, Inc | Trussville, Alabama | 490 | Closure |
| University Hospitals Health System | Cleveland, Ohio | 402 | |
| West Corporation | Mobile, Alabama | 395 | Closure |
| ADT Security Services, Inc | Bradenton, Florida | 383 | |
| Stream International - Carrollton | Carrollton, Texas | 354 |
The largest notice was filed by Dyncorp Technical Services in Daleville, Alabama, reporting 3,157 affected workers. Sara Lee Bakery Group followed with 800 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Information & Technology sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in September 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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