US Layoffs — February 2014

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 237 WARN Act notices in February 2014, impacting roughly 25,611 workers — representing a notable rise over January and up 43% versus February 2013. Filings came from 30 states and territories, with an average of 108 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

Pennsylvania led the nation with 2,945 workers affected across 17 notices , followed by California (2,803 workers) and Texas (2,787 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 6,267 workers across 69 notices. In a parallel development, Professional Services reported 4,783 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 14% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

The single largest action involved Maximus in Boise, Idaho, reporting 1,600 affected workers. General Dynamics IT followed with 1,195 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.

The data underscores 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 February 2014. 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.