US Layoffs — October 2004

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers recorded 83 WARN Act notices in October 2004, covering approximately 10,841 workers — marking a decline from September and roughly flat versus October 2003. Filings came from 12 states and territories, with an average of 131 workers per notice.

83
Total Notices
10,841
Workers Affected
12
States Reporting
131
Avg per Notice
10
Closures

Top States by Workers Affected

StateNoticesWorkers
Texas132,327
Georgia111,912
Florida161,755
Ohio61,157
New Jersey81,110
Michigan4751
Kentucky6724
Alabama4399
Pennsylvania7240
Maryland2218
Washington2150
Kansas498

Texas led the nation with 2,327 workers affected across 13 notices , followed by Georgia (1,912 workers) and Florida (1,755 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

IndustryNoticesWorkers
Healthcare51,700
Manufacturing111,379
Finance & Insurance81,168
Information & Technology3796
Other5580
Retail180
Accommodation & Food247
Wholesale Trade145
Professional Services113

The Healthcare sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 1,700 workers across 5 notices. At the same time, Manufacturing reported 1,379 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

TypeNoticesWorkers
Closure10951
Layoff11807

Closures accounted for 9% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

CompanyLocationWorkersType
Osteopathic Medical Center of TexasFort Worth, Texas1,188
Glad Manufacturing CompanyCartersville, Georgia475
Cingular WirelessWoodbridge, New Jersey387
Metropolitan Life Insurance CompSouthfield, Michigan370Layoff
Capital One Services, IncTampa, Florida362
Kellogg'sColumbus, Worthington, Ohio309
Inflation Systems,incLagrange, Georgia308
Burner Systems International, IncMansfield, Ohio297
At&t-conyersConyers, Georgia279
Trinity Universal Insurance CompanyDallas, Texas277

Leading the list was Osteopathic Medical Center of Texas in Fort Worth, Texas, reporting 1,188 affected workers. Glad Manufacturing Company followed with 475 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.

The filings reflect a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in October 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.

Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox

Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.

Want the full dataset?

Browse Layoff Data Get API Access