The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 107 WARN Act notices in January 2005, affecting an estimated 11,375 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to December and down 36% versus January 2004. Filings came from 12 states and territories, with an average of 106 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 12 | 3,441 |
| Pennsylvania | 23 | 1,460 |
| Ohio | 8 | 900 |
| Texas | 11 | 854 |
| Georgia | 11 | 790 |
| Alabama | 7 | 781 |
| Washington DC | 4 | 768 |
| Maryland | 7 | 743 |
| Michigan | 5 | 526 |
| Washington | 6 | 524 |
| New Jersey | 7 | 457 |
| Kansas | 6 | 131 |
Florida led the nation with 3,441 workers affected across 12 notices , followed by Pennsylvania (1,460 workers) and Ohio (900 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 2,284 |
| Real Estate | 13 | 1,659 |
| Other | 7 | 743 |
| Information & Technology | 17 | 643 |
| Manufacturing | 7 | 581 |
| Retail | 4 | 392 |
| Utilities | 2 | 95 |
| Transportation | 1 | 83 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 70 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 67 |
The Finance & Insurance sector saw the heaviest impact with 2,284 workers across 4 notices. On a related front, Real Estate reported 1,659 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 26 | 2,863 |
| Layoff | 29 | 1,939 |
Closures accounted for 25% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase | Tampa, Florida | 1,900 | |
| Crown American Realty Trust Pasquerilla Plaza | Johnstown, Pennsylvania | 809 | Closure |
| Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 605 | |
| Kmart | Canton, Michigan | 320 | Closure |
| FDIC Session II of IV | Washington DC | 300 | Layoff |
| FDIC Session I of IV | Washington DC | 300 | Layoff |
| Provident Bank | Cincinnati, Ohio | 246 | |
| Vanguard Car Rental USA Inc | Boca Raton, Florida | 245 | |
| Oxychem | Pottstown, Pennsylvania | 222 | Closure |
| Delet ockheed Martin - White Settlement (Ft. Worth) | White Settlement, Texas | 220 |
The largest notice was filed by JPMorgan Chase in Tampa, Florida, reporting 1,900 affected workers. Crown American Realty Trust Pasquerilla Plaza followed with 809 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Finance & Insurance sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 2005. 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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