The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 288 WARN Act notices in May 2014, involving roughly 29,505 workers — climbing above April and up 31% versus May 2013. Filings came from 27 states and territories, with an average of 102 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 97 | 12,072 |
| New York | 44 | 2,137 |
| New Jersey | 9 | 1,986 |
| Georgia | 8 | 1,299 |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 1,238 |
| Virginia | 11 | 1,124 |
| Michigan | 4 | 881 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 867 |
| Florida | 7 | 809 |
| Missouri | 5 | 800 |
| Texas | 14 | 799 |
| Mississippi | 8 | 797 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 716 |
| Ohio | 7 | 644 |
| Maryland | 3 | 553 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 402 |
| South Carolina | 5 | 395 |
| Alabama | 3 | 350 |
| Oregon | 4 | 338 |
| Iowa | 3 | 216 |
| Indiana | 2 | 204 |
| Kansas | 4 | 204 |
| Connecticut | 3 | 194 |
| Tennessee | 9 | 180 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 143 |
| Washington | 3 | 85 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 72 |
California led the nation with 12,072 workers affected across 97 notices , followed by New York (2,137 workers) and New Jersey (1,986 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 14 | 3,959 |
| Healthcare | 19 | 1,937 |
| Manufacturing | 15 | 1,763 |
| Other | 33 | 1,411 |
| Admin & Support Services | 4 | 848 |
| Transportation | 11 | 727 |
| Education | 3 | 699 |
| Retail | 10 | 652 |
| Finance & Insurance | 11 | 615 |
| Professional Services | 4 | 565 |
The Information & Technology sector dominated layoff filings with 3,959 workers across 14 notices. Meanwhile, Healthcare reported 1,937 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 102 | 8,531 |
| Layoff | 67 | 6,787 |
Closures accounted for 29% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Beef California, Lp | Brawley, California | 1,342 | |
| Verizon Wireless-Irvine | Irvine, California | 1,092 | |
| Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Inc | Fort Irwin, California | 899 | Layoff |
| Northrop Grumman Technical Services, Inc | Fort Irwin, California | 813 | Layoff |
| Aramark | Newark, New Jersey | 685 | |
| Exelis | Fort Benning, Georgia | 550 | |
| Newark Preschool Council | Newark, New Jersey | 504 | |
| Nordyne, Inc | Poplar Bluff, Missouri | 483 | Closure |
| Sony Electronics, Inc.-San Diego | San Diego, California | 400 | |
| Jacobson Staffing Company, L.C | Tracy, California | 390 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at National Beef California, Lp in Brawley, California, reporting 1,342 affected workers. Verizon Wireless-Irvine followed with 1,092 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
This data points to 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 May 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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