US Layoffs — May 2012

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 412 WARN Act notices in May 2012, putting at risk an estimated 39,234 workers — up substantially from April and up 73% versus May 2011. Filings came from 34 states and territories, with an average of 95 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 4,076 workers affected across 42 notices , followed by Indiana (3,422 workers) and Maryland (3,300 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 17,356 workers across 212 notices. Separately, Healthcare reported 3,039 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 28% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was RG Steel in Sparrows Point, Maryland, reporting 1,975 affected workers. Mountainside Hospital followed with 1,575 workers.

Trend & Outlook

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, which also tracks SEC 8-K filings, bankruptcy proceedings, H-1B visa petitions, and unemployment claims across all six datasets. API access and data exports available.