The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 241 WARN Act notices in July 2008, affecting an estimated 32,160 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to June and up 138% versus July 2007. Filings came from 19 states and territories, with an average of 133 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 13 | 4,721 |
| New York | 18 | 4,476 |
| Texas | 74 | 3,867 |
| Florida | 23 | 2,913 |
| Kentucky | 15 | 2,888 |
| Indiana | 6 | 2,266 |
| New Jersey | 13 | 1,949 |
| Ohio | 12 | 1,909 |
| Washington | 9 | 1,478 |
| Michigan | 9 | 1,332 |
| Georgia | 14 | 1,309 |
| Louisiana | 8 | 786 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 730 |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | 643 |
| Kansas | 4 | 324 |
| Arizona | 4 | 270 |
| Iowa | 2 | 116 |
| Maryland | 3 | 114 |
| Alabama | 1 | 69 |
Missouri led the nation with 4,721 workers affected across 13 notices , followed by New York (4,476 workers) and Texas (3,867 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 20 | 6,584 |
| Manufacturing | 13 | 5,676 |
| Retail | 51 | 3,065 |
| Transportation | 31 | 1,834 |
| Healthcare | 4 | 1,402 |
| Information & Technology | 11 | 1,363 |
| Professional Services | 7 | 882 |
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 577 |
| Finance & Insurance | 8 | 519 |
| Education | 3 | 229 |
The Other sector saw the heaviest impact with 6,584 workers across 20 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 5,676 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 61 | 10,417 |
| Closure | 24 | 6,794 |
Closures accounted for 21% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume Services, Inc. d/b/a Centerplate's | Bronx, New York | 1,861 | Closure |
| Chrysler (North Plant) | Fenton, Missouri | 1,816 | Layoff |
| Monaco Coach | Elkhart & Napanee, Indiana | 1,430 | Closure |
| Chrysler St. Louis South Assembly Plant | Fenton, Missouri | 1,400 | Layoff |
| Sterling Mets L.P. (Sterling) Shea Stadium | Flushing, New York | 1,050 | Closure |
| General Motors - Moraine Assembly Plant | Moraine, Ohio | 1,010 | |
| Correctional Medical | Statewide, New Jersey | 949 | |
| Columbia Distributing | 4 Sites, Washington | 933 | Layoff |
| Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn Truck) | Dearborn, Michigan | 828 | Layoff |
| Ford Motor Company Louisville Assembly Plant | Kentucky | 756 |
The largest notice was filed by Volume Services, Inc. d/b/a Centerplate's in Bronx, New York, reporting 1,861 affected workers. Chrysler (North Plant) followed with 1,816 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Other sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in July 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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