The US labor market showed continued flux as employers posted 88 WARN Act notices in May 2004, affecting an estimated 8,402 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to April and down 23% versus May 2003. Filings came from 12 states and territories, with an average of 95 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 23 | 1,901 |
| Ohio | 10 | 969 |
| New Jersey | 7 | 876 |
| Georgia | 7 | 795 |
| Maryland | 5 | 764 |
| Michigan | 5 | 763 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 704 |
| Florida | 8 | 651 |
| Texas | 8 | 508 |
| Washington | 2 | 222 |
| Kansas | 6 | 154 |
| Alabama | 1 | 95 |
Pennsylvania led the nation with 1,901 workers affected across 23 notices , followed by Ohio (969 workers) and New Jersey (876 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 8 | 1,116 |
| Real Estate | 5 | 577 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 509 |
| Manufacturing | 7 | 499 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 431 |
| Information & Technology | 4 | 405 |
| Government | 2 | 207 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 127 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 93 |
| Utilities | 2 | 47 |
The Other sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,116 workers across 8 notices. On a related front, Real Estate reported 577 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 24 | 2,442 |
| Layoff | 15 | 1,303 |
Closures accounted for 29% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norvergence | Newark, New Jersey | 358 | |
| Tecumseh Products | Tecumseh, Michigan | 346 | Layoff |
| Tyco Healthcare | Marietta, Georgia | 335 | |
| Giant Food | Landover, Maryland | 264 | Layoff |
| Micro Craft, Inc | Novi, Michigan | 237 | Closure |
| Second National Bank | Warren, Ohio | 220 | |
| USF Red Star | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | 218 | Closure |
| USF Red Star | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 198 | Closure |
| USF Red Star | Baltimore City, Maryland | 197 | Closure |
| Raytheon Technical Services Company, LLC | Clear Lake, Texas | 185 |
The largest notice was filed by Norvergence in Newark, New Jersey, reporting 358 affected workers. Tecumseh Products followed with 346 workers.
The trends suggest a easing in workforce disruptions across the nation, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Other sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in May 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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