The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 285 WARN Act notices in October 2009, impacting roughly 24,343 workers — representing a notable rise over September and down 35% versus October 2008. Filings came from 23 states and territories, with an average of 85 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 113 | 4,385 |
| New Jersey | 14 | 3,935 |
| Texas | 17 | 2,721 |
| New York | 26 | 2,428 |
| Kentucky | 22 | 1,672 |
| Ohio | 8 | 1,249 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | 886 |
| Michigan | 9 | 863 |
| Georgia | 7 | 833 |
| Maryland | 3 | 774 |
| Missouri | 6 | 653 |
| Florida | 11 | 652 |
| Louisiana | 5 | 553 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 538 |
| Washington | 5 | 436 |
| Indiana | 5 | 429 |
| Kansas | 10 | 339 |
| Rhode Island | 4 | 289 |
| Alabama | 3 | 214 |
| Idaho | 2 | 186 |
| Arizona | 2 | 167 |
| Iowa | 2 | 130 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 11 |
California led the nation with 4,385 workers affected across 113 notices , followed by New Jersey (3,935 workers) and Texas (2,721 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 9 | 1,648 |
| Manufacturing | 25 | 1,477 |
| Other | 20 | 1,424 |
| Healthcare | 7 | 978 |
| Information & Technology | 12 | 926 |
| Transportation | 4 | 800 |
| Finance & Insurance | 18 | 624 |
| Education | 4 | 420 |
| Utilities | 2 | 295 |
| Mining & Energy | 2 | 274 |
The Accommodation & Food sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,648 workers across 9 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 1,477 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 53 | 5,879 |
| Layoff | 41 | 2,654 |
Closures accounted for 24% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aramark Sports, LLC | E. Rutherford, New Jersey | 1,689 | |
| Upmc | Braddock, Pennsylvania | 654 | Closure |
| Fluor Enterprises, Inc | Sugar Land, Texas | 617 | |
| ARAMARK Oriole Park at Camden Yards | Baltimore, Maryland | 609 | Closure |
| Alstom Transportation Inc | Hornell, New York | 502 | Layoff |
| Redcats USA | Universal City, Texas | 490 | |
| Redcats USA | Universal City, Texas | 480 | |
| Tavern on the Green LP | New York, New York | 405 | Closure |
| Sunoco Inc | Westville, New Jersey | 400 | |
| Rockwell Collins, Inc | San Jose, California | 389 |
The single largest action involved Aramark Sports, LLC in E. Rutherford, New Jersey, reporting 1,689 affected workers. Upmc followed with 654 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Accommodation & Food sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in October 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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