The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 143 WARN Act notices in July 2004, putting at risk an estimated 21,241 workers — up substantially from June and up 25% versus July 2003. Filings came from 13 states and territories, with an average of 149 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 15 | 3,627 |
| Kentucky | 18 | 3,578 |
| New Jersey | 15 | 2,749 |
| Ohio | 13 | 2,236 |
| Texas | 20 | 2,058 |
| Georgia | 5 | 1,886 |
| Pennsylvania | 17 | 1,323 |
| Alabama | 6 | 966 |
| Michigan | 9 | 935 |
| Washington | 6 | 684 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 480 |
| Kansas | 12 | 467 |
| Maryland | 3 | 252 |
Florida led the nation with 3,627 workers affected across 15 notices , followed by Kentucky (3,578 workers) and New Jersey (2,749 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 13 | 3,441 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 1,618 |
| Healthcare | 7 | 1,358 |
| Finance & Insurance | 6 | 1,280 |
| Transportation | 6 | 798 |
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 399 |
| Construction | 5 | 274 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 221 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 194 |
| Utilities | 3 | 184 |
The Other sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 3,441 workers across 13 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 1,618 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 29 | 2,592 |
| Layoff | 18 | 1,568 |
Closures accounted for 12% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company | Macon, Georgia | 1,410 | |
| Eckerd Coporation | Largo, Florida | 1,400 | |
| Continental Tire North America Incorporated Mayfield Plant | Kentucky | 915 | |
| Continental Tire North America Incorporated Mayfield Plant | Kentucky | 915 | |
| Longaberger Company | Frazeysburg, Ohio | 895 | |
| Norvergence | Newark/Jersey City, New Jersey | 800 | |
| Washington Mutual Bank, Inc. - San Antonio | San Antonio, Texas | 630 | |
| Healthsouth Metro West Hospital | Fairfield, Alabama | 506 | Closure |
| Dixie Packers, Inc | Madison, Florida | 500 | |
| Unicco Service Co | East Rutherford, New Jersey | 429 |
Topping the list was Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company in Macon, Georgia, reporting 1,410 affected workers. Eckerd Coporation followed with 1,400 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Other sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in July 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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