The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 262 WARN Act notices in November 2012, putting at risk an estimated 23,628 workers — up substantially from October and up 6% versus November 2011. Filings came from 23 states and territories, with an average of 90 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 61 | 6,557 |
| Texas | 26 | 3,794 |
| New Jersey | 15 | 2,160 |
| New York | 21 | 1,623 |
| Florida | 12 | 1,568 |
| Virginia | 7 | 1,110 |
| Missouri | 22 | 893 |
| North Carolina | 9 | 827 |
| Alabama | 6 | 814 |
| Kansas | 12 | 755 |
| Ohio | 5 | 503 |
| Michigan | 11 | 500 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 469 |
| South Carolina | 17 | 384 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 320 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | 314 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 285 |
| Maryland | 2 | 270 |
| Arizona | 2 | 137 |
| Georgia | 2 | 117 |
| Indiana | 2 | 95 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 72 |
| Iowa | 2 | 61 |
California led the nation with 6,557 workers affected across 61 notices , followed by Texas (3,794 workers) and New Jersey (2,160 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 8 | 1,789 |
| Transportation | 13 | 1,441 |
| Manufacturing | 15 | 1,326 |
| Retail | 18 | 1,199 |
| Accommodation & Food | 7 | 685 |
| Other | 12 | 662 |
| Utilities | 6 | 573 |
| Agriculture | 2 | 555 |
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 419 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 409 |
The Healthcare sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,789 workers across 8 notices. Separately, Transportation reported 1,441 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 85 | 5,605 |
| Layoff | 35 | 2,004 |
Closures accounted for 24% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | Los Angeles, California | 706 | |
| Navistar Truck Group | Garland, Texas | 600 | |
| Hostess Brands | Emporia, Kansas | 500 | |
| Texas Instruments - Dallas | Dallas, Texas | 500 | |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | Plainsboro, New Jersey | 479 | |
| Wingspan Portfolio Advisors | Dallas, Texas | 459 | |
| River Ranch Fresh Foods, LLC | El Centro, California | 459 | |
| Virtua Medical Group | Marlton, New Jersey | 445 | |
| Hmshost San Diego International Airport | San Diego, California | 436 | |
| Comcast | Livermore, California | 435 |
Topping the list was American Airlines in Los Angeles, California, reporting 706 affected workers. Navistar Truck Group followed with 600 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 Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in November 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
