The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 104 WARN Act notices in July 2006, involving roughly 10,999 workers — climbing above June and down 7% versus July 2005. Filings came from 14 states and territories, with an average of 106 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 5 | 2,082 |
| Alabama | 3 | 1,506 |
| Michigan | 9 | 1,110 |
| Ohio | 5 | 929 |
| Washington | 7 | 909 |
| New York | 12 | 875 |
| Florida | 8 | 695 |
| Georgia | 7 | 666 |
| Texas | 31 | 639 |
| Iowa | 2 | 422 |
| New Jersey | 5 | 410 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 386 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 320 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 50 |
Missouri led the nation with 2,082 workers affected across 5 notices , followed by Alabama (1,506 workers) and Michigan (1,110 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 13 | 1,930 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 1,805 |
| Finance & Insurance | 10 | 1,111 |
| Transportation | 4 | 386 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 295 |
| Other | 3 | 286 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 179 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 108 |
| Education | 1 | 73 |
| Government | 1 | 41 |
The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 1,930 workers across 13 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 1,805 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 26 | 4,387 |
| Layoff | 20 | 2,953 |
Closures accounted for 40% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bf Goodrich Tire Mfg., Opelika | Opelika, Alabama | 1,350 | Closure |
| May Department Stores | St. Louis, Missouri | 1,254 | Layoff |
| NuTone, Inc | Cincinnati, Ohio | 414 | |
| Federal Mogul | St. Louis, Missouri | 340 | Closure |
| QualChoice | Cleveland, Ohio | 268 | |
| Pall Life Sciences | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 260 | Closure |
| Bank of America | Seattle, Washington | 255 | Closure |
| Rubbermaid | Centerville, Iowa | 233 | Closure |
| Windstream Communications, Inc./VALOR Telecom | Texarkana, Texas | 230 | |
| York/Johnson Control | Albany, Missouri | 220 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Bf Goodrich Tire Mfg., Opelika in Opelika, Alabama, reporting 1,350 affected workers. May Department Stores followed with 1,254 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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 July 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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