The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 93 WARN Act notices in October 2005, displacing an estimated 10,278 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and down 5% versus October 2004. Filings came from 13 states and territories, with an average of 111 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 7 | 1,890 |
| Pennsylvania | 24 | 1,536 |
| Ohio | 7 | 1,094 |
| Texas | 11 | 1,045 |
| Georgia | 11 | 1,007 |
| Washington | 8 | 939 |
| Maryland | 3 | 711 |
| New Jersey | 4 | 669 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 500 |
| Kansas | 10 | 443 |
| Michigan | 3 | 268 |
| Alabama | 2 | 176 |
| Iowa | 1 | 0 |
Florida led the nation with 1,890 workers affected across 7 notices , followed by Pennsylvania (1,536 workers) and Ohio (1,094 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 8 | 1,417 |
| Manufacturing | 8 | 1,215 |
| Healthcare | 8 | 1,036 |
| Other | 2 | 710 |
| Transportation | 2 | 187 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 120 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 67 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 59 |
| Retail | 2 | 42 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 1 |
The Information & Technology sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,417 workers across 8 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 1,215 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 20 | 2,457 |
| Layoff | 25 | 1,173 |
Closures accounted for 24% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alco Eastalco Works | Buckeystown, Maryland | 602 | Closure |
| SITEL Corporation | Tampa, Florida | 519 | |
| St. Barnabas Health | Irvington, New Jersey | 485 | |
| America Online | Maitland, Florida | 471 | |
| Alliance Laundry Systems LLC | Marianna, Florida | 400 | |
| CIGNA HealthCare Service Operations | Columbus, Ohio | 327 | |
| JPMorgan Chase | Houston, Texas | 325 | |
| Pasadena Paper Company | Pasadena, Texas | 262 | |
| Weyerhaeuser | Wright City, Oklahoma | 250 | |
| Weyerhaeuser | Wright City, Oklahoma | 250 |
The most significant filing came from Alco Eastalco Works in Buckeystown, Maryland, reporting 602 affected workers. SITEL Corporation followed with 519 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate 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 October 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
