The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 128 WARN Act notices in June 2008, covering approximately 22,216 workers — marking a sharp increase from May and up 51% versus June 2007. Filings came from 18 states and territories, with an average of 174 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 17 | 8,693 |
| New Jersey | 18 | 2,524 |
| Texas | 17 | 2,219 |
| Kentucky | 16 | 1,386 |
| New York | 9 | 1,304 |
| Maryland | 4 | 1,076 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | 1,057 |
| Alabama | 4 | 769 |
| Ohio | 8 | 675 |
| Michigan | 9 | 611 |
| Iowa | 4 | 604 |
| Missouri | 4 | 467 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 228 |
| Arizona | 2 | 205 |
| Kansas | 4 | 159 |
| Georgia | 2 | 90 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 80 |
| Vermont | 1 | 69 |
Florida led the nation with 8,693 workers affected across 17 notices , followed by New Jersey (2,524 workers) and Texas (2,219 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 4 | 5,363 |
| Information & Technology | 13 | 3,083 |
| Manufacturing | 11 | 1,781 |
| Other | 12 | 1,717 |
| Finance & Insurance | 8 | 1,007 |
| Transportation | 3 | 679 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 327 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 293 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 94 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 7 |
The Retail sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 5,363 workers across 4 notices. At the same time, Information & Technology reported 3,083 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 32 | 4,282 |
| Layoff | 24 | 2,848 |
Closures accounted for 19% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albertsons | Tallahassee, Florida | 5,131 | |
| Space Gateway Support, LLC | Kennedy Space Center, Florida | 1,725 | |
| Russell Corp.., Coosa River Textiles | Wetumpka, Alabama | 550 | Layoff |
| Schering-Plough | Statewide, New Jersey | 500 | |
| Geisinger South | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | 451 | Layoff |
| ACS Business Process Solutions - Ft. Worth | Fort Worth, Texas | 450 | |
| Hsbc | Baltimore, Maryland | 445 | Closure |
| Spirit Airlines | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 416 | |
| CWork Wireless | Fort Worth, Texas | 355 | |
| Hsbc | Jacksonville, Florida | 302 |
Leading the list was Albertsons in Tallahassee, Florida, reporting 5,131 affected workers. Space Gateway Support, LLC followed with 1,725 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in June 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.
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