The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 240 WARN Act notices in February 2014, impacting roughly 27,994 workers — representing a notable rise over January and up 64% versus February 2013. Filings came from 29 states and territories, with an average of 117 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 6 | 4,618 |
| Texas | 19 | 3,097 |
| Pennsylvania | 17 | 2,945 |
| California | 54 | 2,803 |
| Florida | 14 | 2,712 |
| Utah | 4 | 1,592 |
| New York | 34 | 1,438 |
| New Jersey | 10 | 1,127 |
| Georgia | 6 | 863 |
| Maryland | 5 | 765 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 720 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 648 |
| Ohio | 5 | 591 |
| Kansas | 10 | 439 |
| Indiana | 4 | 431 |
| Louisiana | 4 | 406 |
| Missouri | 2 | 404 |
| Washington | 8 | 397 |
| Virginia | 4 | 386 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 384 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 263 |
| Maine | 1 | 250 |
| Iowa | 5 | 164 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 146 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 124 |
| Oregon | 1 | 87 |
| Michigan | 2 | 84 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 58 |
| Arizona | 1 | 52 |
Idaho led the nation with 4,618 workers affected across 6 notices , followed by Texas (3,097 workers) and Pennsylvania (2,945 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 21 | 3,914 |
| Manufacturing | 19 | 2,121 |
| Finance & Insurance | 10 | 1,606 |
| Other | 30 | 1,570 |
| Healthcare | 17 | 740 |
| Retail | 10 | 601 |
| Utilities | 6 | 319 |
| Transportation | 5 | 318 |
| Agriculture | 2 | 244 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 227 |
The Information & Technology sector led the way in workforce reductions with 3,914 workers across 21 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 2,121 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 42 | 3,262 |
| Layoff | 49 | 3,231 |
Closures accounted for 12% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximus | Boise, Idaho | 1,600 | |
| Maximus | Boise, Idaho | 1,600 | |
| General Dynamics IT | Houston, Texas | 1,195 | |
| Digital Risk | Statewide, Florida | 744 | |
| General Dynamics Information Technology | Lynn Haven, Florida | 726 | |
| Verizon Wireless | Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania | 626 | |
| General Dynamics IT | Sandy, Utah | 621 | |
| General Dynamics IT | Sandy, Utah | 621 | |
| Macy's | Atlanta, Georgia | 600 | |
| Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation | East Hanover, New Jersey | 561 |
The single largest action involved Maximus in Boise, Idaho, reporting 1,600 affected workers. Maximus followed with 1,600 workers.
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 Information & Technology 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. Download the full dataset or explore state-by-state data.
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