The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 100 WARN Act notices in November 2005, involving roughly 14,845 workers — climbing above October and up 31% versus November 2004. Filings came from 15 states and territories, with an average of 148 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 19 | 6,096 |
| Ohio | 17 | 2,397 |
| Texas | 11 | 1,432 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 801 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 714 |
| Florida | 8 | 713 |
| Maryland | 3 | 607 |
| Georgia | 9 | 498 |
| Alabama | 3 | 463 |
| Washington | 7 | 375 |
| Kansas | 4 | 373 |
| Michigan | 3 | 161 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 104 |
| Iowa | 1 | 80 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 31 |
Pennsylvania led the nation with 6,096 workers affected across 19 notices , followed by Ohio (2,397 workers) and Texas (1,432 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 11 | 5,758 |
| Other | 5 | 964 |
| Information & Technology | 11 | 759 |
| Manufacturing | 7 | 661 |
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 640 |
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 269 |
| Retail | 2 | 170 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 115 |
| Government | 1 | 104 |
| Transportation | 2 | 104 |
The Healthcare sector dominated layoff filings with 5,758 workers across 11 notices. Meanwhile, Other reported 964 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 24 | 6,344 |
| Closure | 19 | 2,183 |
Closures accounted for 15% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Health Partners Mercy Hospital | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | 913 | Layoff |
| Mercy Health Partners Mercy Med-Care, Inc | Scranton, Pennsylvania | 913 | Layoff |
| Mercy Health Partners Northeast Region | Scranton, Pennsylvania | 913 | Layoff |
| Mercy Health Partners Mercy Diagnostic Center | Mountain Top, Pennsylvania | 913 | Layoff |
| Mercy Health Partners Mercy Family Health Center | Dallas, Pennsylvania | 913 | Layoff |
| Mercy Health Partners Mercy-Med Care Inc | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | 913 | Layoff |
| ORMET Primary Aluminum Corporation | Hannibal, Ohio | 650 | |
| Genco | Perryville, Maryland | 378 | Closure |
| Washington Mutual Bank, Inc. - El Paso | El Paso, Texas | 371 | |
| Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company | Fort Worth, Texas | 335 |
The biggest impact was at Mercy Health Partners Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, reporting 913 affected workers. Mercy Health Partners Mercy Med-Care, Inc followed with 913 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
This data points to mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in November 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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