The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 229 WARN Act notices in August 2013, displacing an estimated 24,598 workers — signaling an acceleration from July and up 31% versus August 2012. Filings came from 29 states and territories, with an average of 107 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 55 | 4,536 |
| New York | 36 | 3,673 |
| Kentucky | 14 | 2,512 |
| Ohio | 9 | 2,391 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 1,434 |
| Texas | 21 | 1,376 |
| Missouri | 6 | 1,275 |
| Florida | 11 | 1,167 |
| Alabama | 4 | 1,010 |
| South Carolina | 5 | 942 |
| Tennessee | 13 | 912 |
| Michigan | 5 | 577 |
| Georgia | 6 | 439 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 415 |
| Arizona | 4 | 339 |
| Louisiana | 5 | 317 |
| Oregon | 2 | 202 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 154 |
| New Jersey | 3 | 147 |
| Utah | 2 | 130 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 128 |
| Kansas | 6 | 127 |
| Indiana | 1 | 119 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 77 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 73 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 55 |
| Virginia | 1 | 50 |
| Iowa | 3 | 18 |
| Washington | 1 | 3 |
California led the nation with 4,536 workers affected across 55 notices , followed by New York (3,673 workers) and Kentucky (2,512 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 24 | 3,753 |
| Healthcare | 31 | 2,834 |
| Other | 10 | 1,492 |
| Manufacturing | 14 | 1,261 |
| Information & Technology | 10 | 906 |
| Accommodation & Food | 4 | 410 |
| Construction | 3 | 255 |
| Transportation | 5 | 218 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 203 |
| Retail | 4 | 202 |
The Finance & Insurance sector topped the list of affected industries with 3,753 workers across 24 notices. Notably, Healthcare reported 2,834 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 56 | 6,374 |
| Layoff | 43 | 5,322 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interfaith Medical Center | Brooklyn, New York | 1,405 | Closure |
| Bank of America | Beachwood, Ohio | 997 | |
| Ormet | Hannibal, Ohio | 901 | |
| Wells Fargo | Homewood, Alabama | 841 | Layoff |
| Paramedics Plus | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 717 | |
| Paramedics Plus | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 717 | |
| 1627 State Road 3543 Hawesville, KY 42348 | Kentucky | 679 | Layoff |
| Century Aluminum of Kentucky GP "Hawesville Smelter" | Kentucky | 679 | Layoff |
| Southern California Edison | San Clemente, California | 600 | |
| Bank Of America | Fresno, California | 543 |
The most significant filing came from Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, reporting 1,405 affected workers. Bank of America followed with 997 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Finance & Insurance sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in August 2013. 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.
