Georgia Layoffs — February 2009
Employers in Georgia submitted 24 WARN Act notices in February 2009, putting at risk an estimated 6,539 workers — up substantially from January and up 285% versus February 2008. The average filing covered 272 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 9 | 2,779 |
| Retail | 6 | 1,906 |
| Information & Technology | 4 | 734 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 730 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 308 |
| Construction | 1 | 60 |
| Transportation | 1 | 22 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 2,779 workers across 9 notices. Separately, Retail reported 1,906 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton | 5 | 1,279 |
| Baldwin | 1 | 1,200 |
| Dekalb | 4 | 1,161 |
| Coffee | 1 | 900 |
| Cobb | 2 | 757 |
Fulton saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 20% of all affected workers with 1,279 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 7 | 2,051 |
| Milledgeville | 1 | 1,200 |
| Douglas | 1 | 900 |
| Kennesaw | 1 | 730 |
| Macon | 2 | 456 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in Georgia this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rheem Manufacturing | Milledgeville | 1,200 | ||
| Pilgrim's Pride | Douglas | 900 | ||
| Macy's | Atlanta | 804 | ||
| Chase Card Services | Kennesaw | 730 | ||
| Aramark Facility Services | Atlanta | 562 | ||
| The Home Depot Bath And Remodeling | Atlanta | 462 | ||
| Wal-mart Stores, Inc. Return Center 9194 | Macon | 399 | ||
| Harland Clarke | Decatur | 220 | ||
| Tronox | Savannah | 212 | ||
| Tennecco Automotive | Hartwell | 125 | ||
| Rayonier | Baxley | 115 | ||
| Home Depot | Alpharetta | 103 | ||
| Staples | Canton | 89 | ||
| Smallwood,reynolds, Stewart,stewart & Assoc | Atlanta | 88 | ||
| The Atlanta Journal Constitution | Clarkston | 88 |
Topping the list was Rheem Manufacturing at its Milledgeville facility, reporting 1,200 affected workers. Pilgrim's Pride followed with 900 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Georgia labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Georgia. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Georgia WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.