The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 104 WARN Act notices in March 2006, affecting an estimated 13,082 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to February and down 44% versus March 2005. Filings came from 14 states and territories, with an average of 126 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 14 | 2,264 |
| Texas | 18 | 2,114 |
| Michigan | 18 | 1,733 |
| Pennsylvania | 13 | 1,592 |
| Florida | 4 | 1,316 |
| Ohio | 5 | 1,028 |
| Maryland | 6 | 848 |
| Alabama | 4 | 784 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 777 |
| Washington DC | 3 | 184 |
| Kansas | 2 | 166 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 116 |
| Iowa | 3 | 90 |
| Washington | 4 | 70 |
Georgia led the nation with 2,264 workers affected across 14 notices , followed by Texas (2,114 workers) and Michigan (1,733 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 7 | 1,792 |
| Retail | 4 | 1,201 |
| Transportation | 12 | 855 |
| Other | 6 | 848 |
| Finance & Insurance | 5 | 344 |
| Utilities | 1 | 84 |
| Admin & Support Services | 1 | 71 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 19 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 16 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,792 workers across 7 notices. On a related front, Retail reported 1,201 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 23 | 2,822 |
| Layoff | 29 | 2,479 |
Closures accounted for 22% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC Distributing, LLC | Hialeah, North Miami, Florida | 1,035 | |
| Rabun Apparel, Inc | Rabun Gap, Georgia | 930 | |
| NCED/Sahara | El Paso, Texas | 805 | |
| General Motors - Lordstown Complex | Lordstown, Ohio | 770 | |
| Phillips-Van Heusen | Ozark, Alabama | 538 | Closure |
| Strawbridge's | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 421 | Layoff |
| United | Newark, New Jersey | 349 | |
| Jones Apparel Group | Bristol, Pennsylvania | 323 | Layoff |
| Northrop Grumman | Greenbelt, Maryland | 270 | Layoff |
| Foley's | Houston, Texas | 265 |
The largest notice was filed by ABC Distributing, LLC in Hialeah, North Miami, Florida, reporting 1,035 affected workers. Rabun Apparel, Inc followed with 930 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 Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in March 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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