The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 240 WARN Act notices in November 2011, involving roughly 22,269 workers — climbing above October and up 15% versus November 2010. Filings came from 26 states and territories, with an average of 93 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 72 | 6,088 |
| New York | 37 | 3,751 |
| New Jersey | 15 | 1,958 |
| Texas | 20 | 1,881 |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 1,330 |
| Michigan | 11 | 821 |
| Indiana | 6 | 694 |
| Kansas | 10 | 619 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 570 |
| Florida | 7 | 551 |
| Georgia | 8 | 531 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 438 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 389 |
| Alabama | 1 | 363 |
| Maryland | 7 | 353 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 234 |
| Utah | 2 | 228 |
| Virginia | 4 | 223 |
| Washington | 1 | 215 |
| Arizona | 2 | 214 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 212 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 201 |
| Iowa | 2 | 155 |
| Missouri | 3 | 140 |
| Ohio | 2 | 110 |
| Oregon | 1 | 0 |
California led the nation with 6,088 workers affected across 72 notices , followed by New York (3,751 workers) and New Jersey (1,958 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 17 | 2,198 |
| Transportation | 10 | 1,691 |
| Other | 18 | 1,597 |
| Healthcare | 16 | 1,249 |
| Finance & Insurance | 5 | 1,179 |
| Retail | 10 | 962 |
| Manufacturing | 12 | 890 |
| Professional Services | 6 | 582 |
| Agriculture | 3 | 454 |
| Construction | 2 | 440 |
The Accommodation & Food sector dominated layoff filings with 2,198 workers across 17 notices. Meanwhile, Transportation reported 1,691 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 52 | 4,631 |
| Layoff | 36 | 3,215 |
Closures accounted for 21% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority (MTA LI Bus) | Garden City, New York | 981 | Layoff |
| Hmdhost | Los Angeles, California | 973 | |
| Alpine Meadows Ski Resort | Tahoe City, California | 945 | |
| Pillar Processing, LLC | Amherst, New York | 586 | Closure |
| State Farm Insurance | Parsippany, New Jersey | 500 | |
| Pillar Hotels & Resorts: Holiday Inn (Uniontown, York, Clarion, Indiana, Beaver Falls), Courtyard Bensalem, Four Points Greensburg | Statewide, Pennsylvania | 420 | |
| Conoco Phillips | Trainer, Pennsylvania | 409 | |
| Afni, Inc | San Antonio, Texas | 375 | |
| American Medical Response West (Amr) | San Leandro, California | 373 | |
| Wayne Farms LLC | Decatur, Alabama | 363 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority (MTA LI Bus) in Garden City, New York, reporting 981 affected workers. Hmdhost followed with 973 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 Accommodation & Food sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in November 2011. 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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