The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 508 WARN Act notices in May 2009, putting at risk an estimated 50,992 workers — up substantially from April and up 218% versus May 2008. Filings came from 24 states and territories, with an average of 100 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 188 | 12,388 |
| New York | 66 | 5,556 |
| Indiana | 18 | 5,309 |
| Florida | 25 | 4,013 |
| Ohio | 23 | 3,486 |
| Kentucky | 24 | 3,444 |
| Alabama | 8 | 2,438 |
| Texas | 23 | 2,227 |
| Washington | 9 | 1,794 |
| Georgia | 21 | 1,791 |
| Michigan | 18 | 1,697 |
| Pennsylvania | 16 | 1,234 |
| New Jersey | 14 | 991 |
| Arizona | 4 | 875 |
| Kansas | 12 | 743 |
| Utah | 7 | 665 |
| Louisiana | 9 | 649 |
| Oklahoma | 8 | 592 |
| Missouri | 4 | 434 |
| Maryland | 5 | 331 |
| South Dakota | 2 | 155 |
| Iowa | 1 | 150 |
| Idaho | 2 | 30 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 0 |
California led the nation with 12,388 workers affected across 188 notices , followed by New York (5,556 workers) and Indiana (5,309 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 56 | 8,518 |
| Manufacturing | 57 | 7,989 |
| Information & Technology | 21 | 2,568 |
| Accommodation & Food | 10 | 1,656 |
| Transportation | 9 | 1,648 |
| Finance & Insurance | 37 | 1,400 |
| Retail | 12 | 934 |
| Healthcare | 13 | 879 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 2 | 479 |
| Utilities | 4 | 283 |
The Other sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 8,518 workers across 56 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 7,989 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 74 | 10,603 |
| Closure | 99 | 10,537 |
Closures accounted for 21% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States Steel Corporation | Fairfield, Alabama | 1,711 | Closure |
| Macy'S West Central Headquarters | San Francisco, California | 1,503 | |
| Microsoft | Redmond, Washington | 1,200 | Layoff |
| MTA New York City Transit (TA) (and subsidiary, the Manhattan & Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority) | New York, New York | 1,194 | Layoff |
| Caterpillar | Lafayette, Indiana | 985 | |
| ArcelorMittal | East Chicago, Indiana | 978 | Layoff |
| ARAMARK Educational Services Duval County Public Schools | Jacksonville, Florida | 894 | |
| Severstal Wheeling, Inc | Steubenville, Mingo Junction, Yorkville, Ohio | 831 | |
| Wabash National | Lafayette, Indiana | 790 | Layoff |
| Nabors Well Services Co | Bakersfield, California | 780 |
Topping the list was United States Steel Corporation in Fairfield, Alabama, reporting 1,711 affected workers. Macy'S West Central Headquarters followed with 1,503 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight 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 May 2009. 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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