The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 83 WARN Act notices in December 2006, displacing an estimated 11,686 workers — signaling an acceleration from November and up 34% versus December 2005. Filings came from 16 states and territories, with an average of 141 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 12 | 2,457 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 1,800 |
| Georgia | 8 | 1,545 |
| Missouri | 4 | 1,060 |
| Ohio | 8 | 844 |
| New York | 13 | 825 |
| Maryland | 3 | 580 |
| Florida | 6 | 554 |
| Texas | 7 | 439 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 419 |
| Alabama | 3 | 408 |
| Michigan | 3 | 285 |
| Washington | 4 | 187 |
| Kansas | 2 | 110 |
| Washington DC | 2 | 110 |
| Iowa | 2 | 63 |
New Jersey led the nation with 2,457 workers affected across 12 notices , followed by Oklahoma (1,800 workers) and Georgia (1,545 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 2 | 1,236 |
| Transportation | 4 | 1,236 |
| Other | 6 | 910 |
| Retail | 3 | 479 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 394 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 308 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 276 |
| Construction | 1 | 218 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 162 |
| Admin & Support Services | 7 | 132 |
The Healthcare sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,236 workers across 2 notices. Notably, Transportation reported 1,236 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 20 | 2,344 |
| Layoff | 19 | 1,593 |
Closures accounted for 20% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| America On Line (AOL) | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 900 | |
| America On Line (AOL) | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 900 | |
| Pbi Medical Center | Passaic, New Jersey | 890 | |
| May Dept. Stores, Credit Service Ctr. - FLO Distribution Center | Bridgeton, Missouri | 638 | Layoff |
| Icelandic Seafood | Cambridge, Maryland | 426 | Closure |
| Automated Distribution | Edison, New Jersey | 399 | |
| Collins & Aikman Corp | Americus, Georgia | 350 | |
| Champion Mortgage | Parsippany, New Jersey | 349 | |
| Northlake Medical Center | Tucker, Georgia | 346 | |
| Springs Global Us, Inc | Calhoun, Georgia | 324 |
The most significant filing came from America On Line (AOL) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reporting 900 affected workers. America On Line (AOL) followed with 900 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate 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 December 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
