Mississippi Layoffs — October 2014
Employers in Mississippi filed 5 WARN Act notices in October 2014, impacting roughly 422 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 9% versus October 2013. The average filing covered 84 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 402 |
| Retail | 1 | 15 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 5 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 402 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 15 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson | 1 | 225 |
| DeSoto | 1 | 137 |
| Coahoma | 1 | 40 |
| Pontotoc | 1 | 15 |
| Forrest | 1 | 5 |
Jackson bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 53% of all affected workers with 225 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pascagoula | 1 | 225 |
| Olive Branch | 1 | 137 |
| Jonestown | 1 | 40 |
| Pontotoc | 1 | 15 |
| Hattiesburg | 1 | 5 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 422 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Mississippi's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi Phosphates | Pascagoula | 225 | Closure | |
| Knauf Insulation (Guardian Fiberglass) | Olive Branch | 137 | Closure | |
| Delta Oil Mill | Jonestown | 40 | Closure | |
| Southern Frames | Pontotoc | 15 | Closure | |
| Service Master of Hattiesburg | Hattiesburg | 5 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Mississippi Phosphates at its Pascagoula facility, reporting 225 affected workers. Knauf Insulation (Guardian Fiberglass) followed with 137 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Mississippi labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Mississippi. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Mississippi WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.