The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 160 WARN Act notices in August 2005, impacting roughly 12,752 workers — representing a notable rise over July and down 8% versus August 2004. Filings came from 12 states and territories, with an average of 80 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 72 | 4,530 |
| Florida | 11 | 1,467 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 | 1,454 |
| New Jersey | 6 | 1,288 |
| Texas | 16 | 861 |
| Ohio | 5 | 817 |
| Maryland | 4 | 714 |
| Michigan | 7 | 398 |
| Kansas | 10 | 390 |
| Washington | 6 | 346 |
| Alabama | 3 | 336 |
| Iowa | 2 | 151 |
Georgia led the nation with 4,530 workers affected across 72 notices , followed by Florida (1,467 workers) and Pennsylvania (1,454 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 68 | 3,613 |
| Manufacturing | 12 | 1,232 |
| Other | 4 | 530 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 415 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 264 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 238 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 172 |
| Transportation | 3 | 144 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 102 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 81 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 3,613 workers across 68 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 1,232 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 20 | 2,087 |
| Layoff | 24 | 1,312 |
Closures accounted for 16% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glass Group | Millville, New Jersey | 600 | |
| Mci | Alpharetta, Georgia | 587 | |
| Titan Cruise Lines | St. Petersburg, Florida | 415 | |
| MCI, Inc | Hunt Valley, Maryland | 306 | Closure |
| Carlisle Engineered Products | Lake City, Pennsylvania | 295 | Closure |
| US Agri-Chemicals Corporation | Fort Meade, Florida | 281 | |
| Bmk, LP | Carrollton, Texas | 279 | |
| Pfaltzgraff | Thomasville, Pennsylvania | 270 | Layoff |
| Harbor Court Hotel | Baltimore City, Maryland | 264 | Closure |
| Bobs Candies, Inc. - A.k.a. Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc | Albany, Georgia | 236 |
The single largest action involved Glass Group in Millville, New Jersey, reporting 600 affected workers. Mci followed with 587 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in August 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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