The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 449 WARN Act notices in May 2012, putting at risk an estimated 39,207 workers — up substantially from April and up 61% versus May 2011. Filings came from 33 states and territories, with an average of 87 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 42 | 4,076 |
| Indiana | 32 | 3,515 |
| Maryland | 8 | 3,300 |
| Ohio | 10 | 3,155 |
| New York | 45 | 2,944 |
| New Jersey | 12 | 2,844 |
| Florida | 58 | 2,404 |
| Texas | 34 | 1,810 |
| Utah | 4 | 1,332 |
| Washington | 13 | 1,242 |
| Kentucky | 16 | 1,202 |
| Georgia | 9 | 1,074 |
| Arizona | 16 | 1,056 |
| South Carolina | 11 | 1,015 |
| Tennessee | 12 | 965 |
| Mississippi | 5 | 773 |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 755 |
| Kansas | 10 | 644 |
| North Carolina | 20 | 634 |
| Louisiana | 18 | 633 |
| Virginia | 8 | 627 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 612 |
| Idaho | 24 | 554 |
| Michigan | 3 | 369 |
| Missouri | 2 | 354 |
| Alabama | 5 | 325 |
| Iowa | 3 | 284 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 272 |
| South Dakota | 3 | 158 |
| Oregon | 4 | 146 |
| Alaska | 1 | 90 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 29 |
| Vermont | 2 | 14 |
California led the nation with 4,076 workers affected across 42 notices , followed by Indiana (3,515 workers) and Maryland (3,300 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 23 | 4,968 |
| Other | 31 | 3,265 |
| Healthcare | 11 | 2,058 |
| Transportation | 10 | 1,986 |
| Education | 5 | 1,244 |
| Information & Technology | 7 | 1,150 |
| Finance & Insurance | 10 | 1,138 |
| Wholesale Trade | 54 | 1,132 |
| Retail | 28 | 692 |
| Accommodation & Food | 4 | 419 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 4,968 workers across 23 notices. Separately, Other reported 3,265 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 109 | 9,419 |
| Layoff | 56 | 6,152 |
Closures accounted for 24% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| RG Steel LLC | Maryland | 1,975 | Layoff |
| Mountainside Hospital | Montclair, New Jersey | 1,575 | |
| RG Steel LLC | Warren, Ohio | 1,020 | |
| Hostess Brands-Revised | Statewide, Indiana | 856 | |
| Hostess Brands Amended | Statewide, Indiana | 856 | Closure |
| Verizon Wireless | Bellevue, Washington | 814 | Closure |
| AVI Foodsystems, Inc | Cleveland, Ashtabula, Ohio | 803 | |
| Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine | Miami, Florida | 800 | |
| Husqvarna | Orangeburg, South Carolina | 789 | Layoff |
| Hostess navbar-headers | Statewide, Utah | 580 |
Topping the list was RG Steel LLC in Maryland, reporting 1,975 affected workers. Mountainside Hospital followed with 1,575 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 Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in May 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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