The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 266 WARN Act notices in November 2008, involving roughly 41,010 workers — climbing above October and up 142% versus November 2007. Filings came from 23 states and territories, with an average of 154 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 45 | 5,729 |
| Indiana | 19 | 4,570 |
| Washington | 11 | 4,375 |
| Michigan | 14 | 4,248 |
| Ohio | 18 | 4,225 |
| New York | 21 | 3,291 |
| Georgia | 21 | 2,319 |
| Florida | 22 | 2,228 |
| New Jersey | 10 | 1,765 |
| Kansas | 14 | 1,408 |
| Pennsylvania | 11 | 1,208 |
| Alabama | 7 | 997 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 974 |
| Kentucky | 16 | 842 |
| Arizona | 9 | 681 |
| Missouri | 5 | 607 |
| Maryland | 7 | 605 |
| Iowa | 4 | 398 |
| Delaware | 2 | 228 |
| Alaska | 1 | 130 |
| South Dakota | 1 | 89 |
| Vermont | 1 | 78 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 15 |
Texas led the nation with 5,729 workers affected across 45 notices , followed by Indiana (4,570 workers) and Washington (4,375 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 37 | 7,109 |
| Other | 35 | 5,482 |
| Education | 8 | 2,684 |
| Finance & Insurance | 9 | 1,331 |
| Transportation | 5 | 617 |
| Utilities | 2 | 588 |
| Retail | 7 | 558 |
| Information & Technology | 5 | 548 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3 | 535 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 490 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 7,109 workers across 37 notices. Meanwhile, Other reported 5,482 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 57 | 12,062 |
| Closure | 61 | 8,861 |
Closures accounted for 22% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Mutual | Seattle, Washington | 3,400 | Layoff |
| ArcelorMittal USA Inc | Burns Harbor, Indiana | 2,444 | Layoff |
| U. S. Steel (Great Lakes Works) | River Rouge, Michigan | 2,038 | Closure |
| University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) | Galveston, Texas | 1,512 | |
| GM Lake Orion Ass'y Plant | Lake Orion, Michigan | 1,227 | Layoff |
| GM Lordstown | Lordstown, Ohio | 1,103 | |
| Goldman, Sachs & Co | New York, New York | 700 | Layoff |
| Thelen | Florham Park, New Jersey | 645 | |
| NXP Semiconductors | Hopewell Junction, New York | 512 | Layoff |
| Quincy Farms, Inc | Quincy, Florida | 490 |
The biggest impact was at Washington Mutual in Seattle, Washington, reporting 3,400 affected workers. ArcelorMittal USA Inc followed with 2,444 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
This data points to mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in November 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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