US Layoffs — October 2013
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 255 WARN Act notices in October 2013, covering approximately 31,921 workers — marking a sharp increase from September and up 79% versus October 2012. Filings came from 29 states and territories, with an average of 125 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 15 | 6,351 |
| California | 52 | 6,308 |
| Texas | 20 | 3,213 |
| Kentucky | 16 | 1,914 |
| New York | 40 | 1,900 |
| Florida | 12 | 1,693 |
| Ohio | 7 | 1,538 |
| Pennsylvania | 14 | 1,477 |
| New Jersey | 12 | 1,210 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 1,201 |
| Georgia | 10 | 1,044 |
| Virginia | 6 | 502 |
| Delaware | 3 | 471 |
| Washington | 3 | 425 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 424 |
| Indiana | 6 | 420 |
| Mississippi | 5 | 387 |
| Missouri | 3 | 313 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 259 |
| Oregon | 3 | 202 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 200 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 125 |
| Alabama | 2 | 121 |
| Idaho | 1 | 75 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 66 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 50 |
| Arizona | 1 | 30 |
| Iowa | 1 | 2 |
| Kansas | 1 | 0 |
Illinois led the nation with 6,351 workers affected across 15 notices , followed by California (6,308 workers) and Texas (3,213 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 65 | 7,796 |
| Retail | 19 | 6,439 |
| Healthcare | 49 | 4,769 |
| Finance & Insurance | 26 | 3,396 |
| Information & Technology | 18 | 1,851 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 4 | 1,363 |
| Utilities | 7 | 1,357 |
| Accommodation & Food | 14 | 1,243 |
| Agriculture | 7 | 1,177 |
| Transportation | 15 | 674 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 7,796 workers across 65 notices. At the same time, Retail reported 6,439 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 46 | 8,371 |
| Layoff | 63 | 4,743 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dominick's Finer Foods & Safeway | Illinois | 3,244 | Closure |
| Ben Venue Laboratories | Bedford, Ohio | 1,150 | |
| Aramark Sports & Entertainment-Angel Stadium | Anaheim, California | 1,088 | |
| Dominick's Finer Foods & Safeway | Illinois | 970 | Closure |
| Cisco Systems | San Jose, California | 899 | |
| Visiting Nurses Association-El Paso | El Paso, Texas | 845 | |
| Dominick's Finer Foods & Safeway | Illinois | 704 | Closure |
| Century Aluminum of Kentucky GP "Hawesville Smelter" | Hawesville, Kentucky | 686 | Layoff |
| [Unknown - KY] | Hawesville, Kentucky | 686 | Layoff |
| Chesapeake Energy | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 640 |
Leading the list was Dominick's Finer Foods & Safeway in Illinois, reporting 3,244 affected workers. Ben Venue Laboratories followed with 1,150 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect 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 October 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, 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.