The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 179 WARN Act notices in March 2004, involving roughly 17,794 workers — climbing above February and down 4% versus March 2003. Filings came from 13 states and territories, with an average of 99 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 11 | 2,585 |
| Texas | 77 | 2,531 |
| Washington | 8 | 2,440 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 2,353 |
| Kentucky | 12 | 1,558 |
| Michigan | 11 | 1,365 |
| Florida | 15 | 1,295 |
| Maryland | 5 | 1,015 |
| Alabama | 3 | 882 |
| Georgia | 5 | 783 |
| New Jersey | 10 | 671 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 200 |
| Kansas | 2 | 116 |
Ohio led the nation with 2,585 workers affected across 11 notices , followed by Texas (2,531 workers) and Washington (2,440 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 12 | 1,848 |
| Manufacturing | 10 | 1,466 |
| Healthcare | 9 | 1,099 |
| Finance & Insurance | 6 | 543 |
| Information & Technology | 5 | 382 |
| Real Estate | 3 | 352 |
| Transportation | 5 | 322 |
| Agriculture | 3 | 239 |
| Education | 1 | 67 |
| Utilities | 2 | 65 |
The Other sector dominated layoff filings with 1,848 workers across 12 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 1,466 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 29 | 5,691 |
| Layoff | 17 | 2,364 |
Closures accounted for 32% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airborne Express | Seattle, Washington | 1,000 | Closure |
| USA Healthcare, LLC | Cullman, Alabama | 700 | Closure |
| Mci | Niles, Ohio | 661 | |
| J.R. Simplot Company | Quincy, Washington | 606 | Closure |
| Citicorp Credit Services, Inc | Trevose, Pennsylvania | 579 | Closure |
| Spectrum Supply Chain Services | Breinigsville, Pennsylvania | 558 | Closure |
| Zimmer formerly Centerpuls Orthopedics | Austin, Texas | 550 | |
| Thomson Inc / UPDATED | Circleville, Ohio | 520 | |
| Sierra Military Health Services, Inc | Baltimore, Maryland | 504 | Layoff |
| Todd Pacific Shipyards Corp | Seattle, Washington | 500 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Airborne Express in Seattle, Washington, reporting 1,000 affected workers. USA Healthcare, LLC followed with 700 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Other sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in March 2004. 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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