The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 131 WARN Act notices in January 2006, involving roughly 23,807 workers — climbing above December and up 109% versus January 2005. Filings came from 16 states and territories, with an average of 182 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 10 | 7,512 |
| Pennsylvania | 23 | 3,396 |
| Ohio | 12 | 2,170 |
| New Jersey | 11 | 1,833 |
| Georgia | 8 | 1,401 |
| Texas | 14 | 1,230 |
| Florida | 6 | 1,113 |
| Iowa | 7 | 1,033 |
| Michigan | 8 | 978 |
| Kentucky | 10 | 836 |
| Alabama | 5 | 758 |
| Washington | 8 | 713 |
| Maryland | 3 | 416 |
| Kansas | 4 | 219 |
| Vermont | 1 | 189 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 10 |
Oklahoma led the nation with 7,512 workers affected across 10 notices , followed by Pennsylvania (3,396 workers) and Ohio (2,170 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 950 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 685 |
| Manufacturing | 7 | 595 |
| Other | 5 | 591 |
| Healthcare | 4 | 499 |
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 489 |
| Retail | 2 | 341 |
| Information & Technology | 8 | 323 |
| Utilities | 3 | 289 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 148 |
The Mining & Energy sector dominated layoff filings with 950 workers across 1 notice. Meanwhile, Accommodation & Food reported 685 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 39 | 5,444 |
| Layoff | 28 | 2,696 |
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 | Oklahoma, Oklahoma | 2,400 | |
| General Motors | Oklahoma, Oklahoma | 2,400 | |
| Charbroil | Columbus, Georgia | 950 | |
| Fontainebleau Resorts | Miami Beach, Florida | 685 | |
| Delta Faucet | Chickasha, Oklahoma | 586 | |
| Delta Faucet | Chickasha, Oklahoma | 586 | |
| OfficeMax | Shaker Heights, Ohio | 494 | |
| Macy’S/Strawbridge’S | Cherry Hill, New Jersey | 419 | |
| GM Craft Center | Lansing, Michigan | 400 | Closure |
| Asec Delphi | Catoosa, Oklahoma | 400 |
The biggest impact was at General Motors in Oklahoma, Oklahoma, reporting 2,400 affected workers. General Motors followed with 2,400 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Mining & Energy sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 2006. 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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