US Layoffs — April 2012

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers filed 254 WARN Act notices in April 2012, impacting roughly 25,136 workers — representing a pullback from March and up 14% versus April 2011. Filings came from 27 states and territories, with an average of 99 workers per notice.

254
Total Notices
25,136
Workers Affected
27
States Reporting
99
Avg per Notice
73
Closures

Top States by Workers Affected

StateNoticesWorkers
California493,632
New Jersey112,802
Texas172,080
Kentucky161,980
Florida211,978
New York361,841
Virginia81,450
Tennessee121,204
Pennsylvania61,076
Maryland5915
Missouri7886
Indiana4625
Ohio8597
South Carolina12571
North Carolina5487
Georgia3403
Kansas6393
Oklahoma4358
Washington5338
Alabama3322
Michigan5275
Rhode Island2260
Louisiana2249
Arizona4150
New Hampshire1113
Oregon186
Mississippi165

California led the nation with 3,632 workers affected across 49 notices , followed by New Jersey (2,802 workers) and Texas (2,080 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

IndustryNoticesWorkers
Manufacturing222,674
Other232,018
Healthcare191,861
Retail171,378
Transportation7867
Information & Technology4564
Education8562
Admin & Support Services5379
Wholesale Trade2317
Agriculture4298

The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 2,674 workers across 22 notices. In a parallel development, Other reported 2,018 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

TypeNoticesWorkers
Closure736,608
Layoff504,305

Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

CompanyLocationWorkersType
Novartis Pharmaceuticals CorporationEast Hanover, New Jersey1,380
CenterplateNewark, New Jersey643
JC Penny Corporate HeadquartersPlano, Texas602
American OrdnanceMilan, Tennessee600Closure
Aurora Bank FSB, Aurora Loan ServicesIndianapolis, Indiana450Layoff
Christ HospitalJersey City, New Jersey433
CRAssociates IncFairfax & Woodbridge, Virginia431Layoff
CRAssociates, IncFairfax & Woodbridge, Virginia431Layoff
HMS HostMaryland396Closure
West Business SolutionsErie, Pennsylvania378

The single largest action involved Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation in East Hanover, New Jersey, reporting 1,380 affected workers. Centerplate followed with 643 workers.

Trend & Outlook

The data underscores a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 2012. 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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