The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 133 WARN Act notices in August 2006, covering approximately 12,077 workers — marking a sharp increase from July and down 5% versus August 2005. Filings came from 16 states and territories, with an average of 91 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 16 | 2,586 |
| Texas | 27 | 1,520 |
| Georgia | 13 | 1,340 |
| New York | 26 | 1,087 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 789 |
| Washington | 4 | 745 |
| Florida | 7 | 738 |
| Kansas | 6 | 720 |
| Washington DC | 2 | 567 |
| Michigan | 8 | 507 |
| Iowa | 5 | 336 |
| Alabama | 2 | 327 |
| New Jersey | 3 | 260 |
| Missouri | 3 | 257 |
| Maryland | 4 | 198 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 100 |
Ohio led the nation with 2,586 workers affected across 16 notices , followed by Texas (1,520 workers) and Georgia (1,340 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 5 | 1,217 |
| Manufacturing | 13 | 1,088 |
| Transportation | 4 | 586 |
| Other | 10 | 398 |
| Retail | 5 | 319 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 200 |
| Admin & Support Services | 11 | 166 |
| Utilities | 2 | 136 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 124 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 98 |
The Finance & Insurance sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 1,217 workers across 5 notices. At the same time, Manufacturing reported 1,088 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 39 | 2,739 |
| Closure | 25 | 2,174 |
Closures accounted for 18% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Card Services Operations | Horsham, Pennsylvania | 617 | Closure |
| Tyson's Fresh Meats, Inc | Pasco, Washington | 590 | Layoff |
| United Airlines | Washington DC | 504 | Layoff |
| Hospira | Ashland, Ohio | 450 | |
| Paloma (formerly NCED) | El Paso, Texas | 400 | |
| InkCycle | Lenexa, Kansas | 390 | |
| ReadyOne Industries (formerly NCED) | El Paso, Texas | 333 | |
| Chase Home Finance Default | Cleveland, Ohio | 282 | |
| Southern Family Markets, LLC | Birmingham, Alabama | 278 | Layoff |
| Ceres Administrators, LLC | Strongsville, Ohio | 272 |
Leading the list was Bank of America Card Services Operations in Horsham, Pennsylvania, reporting 617 affected workers. Tyson's Fresh Meats, Inc followed with 590 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Finance & Insurance sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in August 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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