The US labor market showed continued flux as employers filed 118 WARN Act notices in February 2008, impacting roughly 13,994 workers — representing a pullback from January and up 18% versus February 2007. Filings came from 17 states and territories, with an average of 119 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 16 | 2,146 |
| Georgia | 13 | 1,699 |
| Ohio | 7 | 1,661 |
| Pennsylvania | 11 | 1,234 |
| New York | 11 | 1,138 |
| Washington | 8 | 1,129 |
| New Jersey | 9 | 1,009 |
| Florida | 13 | 799 |
| Missouri | 3 | 788 |
| Michigan | 9 | 504 |
| Arizona | 5 | 474 |
| Iowa | 2 | 311 |
| Kansas | 2 | 300 |
| Alabama | 2 | 284 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 212 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 181 |
| Maryland | 1 | 125 |
Texas led the nation with 2,146 workers affected across 16 notices , followed by Georgia (1,699 workers) and Ohio (1,661 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 12 | 1,494 |
| Finance & Insurance | 11 | 1,051 |
| Transportation | 15 | 748 |
| Information & Technology | 5 | 679 |
| Healthcare | 5 | 616 |
| Other | 4 | 352 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 130 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 126 |
| Retail | 1 | 122 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 121 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,494 workers across 12 notices. In a parallel development, Finance & Insurance reported 1,051 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 26 | 2,818 |
| Closure | 25 | 2,666 |
Closures accounted for 19% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackhawk Automotive Plastics, Inc | Mason, Ohio | 724 | |
| Macy's Inc | St. Louis, Missouri | 659 | Layoff |
| PRC Pennsylvania Contact Center | West Mifflin, Pennsylvania | 497 | Layoff |
| Astro Air LP | Jacksonville, Texas | 390 | |
| Johnson Rubber Company | Middlefield, Ohio | 376 | |
| Group Health | Redmond, Washington | 363 | Closure |
| Trinity Universal Insurance | Dallas, Texas | 344 | |
| TeleTech Niagara Falls SDC | Niagara Falls, New York | 340 | Layoff |
| J.R. Simplot | Pasco, Washington | 335 | Closure |
| The Home Depot | Atlanta, Georgia | 306 |
The single largest action involved Blackhawk Automotive Plastics, Inc in Mason, Ohio, reporting 724 affected workers. Macy's Inc followed with 659 workers.
The data underscores 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 February 2008. 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.
