The US labor market showed continued flux as employers filed 81 WARN Act notices in December 2004, impacting roughly 10,678 workers — representing a pullback from November and up 24% versus December 2003. Filings came from 11 states and territories, with an average of 132 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 14 | 2,246 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 1,964 |
| Texas | 10 | 1,683 |
| Georgia | 11 | 1,601 |
| Florida | 11 | 1,524 |
| Maryland | 4 | 361 |
| Ohio | 4 | 338 |
| Washington | 2 | 316 |
| Kansas | 12 | 261 |
| Michigan | 3 | 201 |
| Alabama | 2 | 183 |
Pennsylvania led the nation with 2,246 workers affected across 14 notices , followed by New Jersey (1,964 workers) and Texas (1,683 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 7 | 747 |
| Transportation | 3 | 562 |
| Other | 5 | 420 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 375 |
| Utilities | 1 | 286 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 146 |
| Retail | 4 | 140 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 99 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 70 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 1 |
The Information & Technology sector led the way in workforce reductions with 747 workers across 7 notices. In a parallel development, Transportation reported 562 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 19 | 2,472 |
| Layoff | 12 | 835 |
Closures accounted for 23% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Motors | Linden, New Jersey | 950 | |
| Sanofi-Aventis | Bridgewater, New Jersey | 689 | |
| Photocircuits Corporation | Peachtree City, Georgia | 600 | |
| Tyler Refrigeration Corporation | Waxahachie, Texas | 475 | |
| Nokia, Inc | Melbourne, Florida | 402 | |
| Graco | Elverson, Pennsylvania | 350 | Layoff |
| Adam's Mark | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 344 | Closure |
| Hoffman Mills | Shippensburg, Pennsylvania | 335 | Closure |
| National Benevolent Association | San Antonio, Texas | 303 | |
| Capgemini Energy | Waco, Texas | 286 |
The single largest action involved General Motors in Linden, New Jersey, reporting 950 affected workers. Sanofi-Aventis followed with 689 workers.
The data underscores a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Information & Technology sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in December 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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