The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 285 WARN Act notices in March 2014, putting at risk an estimated 28,131 workers — up substantially from February and down 1% versus March 2013. Filings came from 33 states and territories, with an average of 99 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 79 | 7,513 |
| New York | 52 | 3,111 |
| Texas | 19 | 1,974 |
| Virginia | 12 | 1,777 |
| Mississippi | 7 | 1,759 |
| Kansas | 14 | 1,190 |
| Utah | 5 | 971 |
| Florida | 7 | 958 |
| Ohio | 12 | 765 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 710 |
| North Carolina | 5 | 695 |
| Maryland | 5 | 580 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 542 |
| Michigan | 4 | 507 |
| New Jersey | 6 | 479 |
| Louisiana | 4 | 473 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 420 |
| Idaho | 2 | 412 |
| Missouri | 4 | 411 |
| Alabama | 2 | 381 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 347 |
| Indiana | 4 | 312 |
| Georgia | 7 | 287 |
| Iowa | 1 | 255 |
| Vermont | 2 | 248 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 200 |
| Arizona | 1 | 187 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 139 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 125 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 116 |
| Oregon | 1 | 114 |
| Washington | 1 | 92 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 81 |
California led the nation with 7,513 workers affected across 79 notices , followed by New York (3,111 workers) and Texas (1,974 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 5 | 2,069 |
| Transportation | 34 | 2,010 |
| Healthcare | 25 | 1,676 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 1,530 |
| Manufacturing | 14 | 1,512 |
| Other | 15 | 808 |
| Finance & Insurance | 13 | 722 |
| Utilities | 6 | 428 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 385 |
| Education | 4 | 263 |
The Accommodation & Food sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 2,069 workers across 5 notices. Separately, Transportation reported 2,010 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 61 | 6,961 |
| Layoff | 66 | 4,982 |
Closures accounted for 25% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrah's Casino | Robinsonville, Mississippi | 1,300 | Closure |
| Ups-North Bay(Richmond) Hub | Richmond, California | 1,073 | |
| Northrop Grumman Corporation | Fort Irwin, California | 860 | |
| General Dynamics IT | Sandy, Utah | 645 | |
| Sprint | Overland Park, Kansas | 477 | |
| Sprint | Ft. Worth, Texas | 453 | |
| Sprint-Ft Worth | Ft. Worth, Texas | 450 | |
| Sprint Customer Service Center | Altamonte Springs, Florida | 399 | |
| ConAgra Foods Inc. aka The Carriage House Companies, Inc | Fredonia, New York | 395 | Closure |
| Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide-Lancaster | Lancaster, California | 380 |
Topping the list was Harrah's Casino in Robinsonville, Mississippi, reporting 1,300 affected workers. Ups-North Bay(Richmond) Hub followed with 1,073 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Accommodation & Food sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in March 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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