The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 257 WARN Act notices in December 2014, covering approximately 23,514 workers — marking a sharp increase from November and up 4% versus December 2013. Filings came from 28 states and territories, with an average of 91 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 123 | 9,974 |
| Kentucky | 16 | 2,486 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 1,364 |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 1,347 |
| New York | 27 | 786 |
| Florida | 4 | 729 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 585 |
| Washington | 4 | 542 |
| Ohio | 5 | 513 |
| Texas | 9 | 513 |
| Idaho | 2 | 502 |
| Arizona | 2 | 475 |
| Virginia | 4 | 470 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 454 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 381 |
| New Jersey | 3 | 358 |
| Georgia | 5 | 353 |
| Iowa | 3 | 277 |
| Alabama | 3 | 262 |
| Kansas | 2 | 224 |
| Michigan | 3 | 188 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 156 |
| Maryland | 1 | 143 |
| Indiana | 1 | 124 |
| Missouri | 2 | 120 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 120 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 41 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 27 |
California led the nation with 9,974 workers affected across 123 notices , followed by Kentucky (2,486 workers) and North Carolina (1,364 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 24 | 1,876 |
| Transportation | 14 | 1,401 |
| Healthcare | 18 | 1,057 |
| Manufacturing | 9 | 691 |
| Professional Services | 4 | 529 |
| Information & Technology | 6 | 352 |
| Utilities | 2 | 320 |
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 275 |
| Retail | 1 | 124 |
| Construction | 2 | 98 |
The Other sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 1,876 workers across 24 notices. At the same time, Transportation reported 1,401 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 116 | 9,706 |
| Closure | 85 | 7,553 |
| Temporary Layoff | 2 | 256 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 93 |
Closures accounted for 33% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) | Research Triangle Park, North Carolina | 900 | Layoff |
| Ensign United States Drilling | Bakersfield, California | 700 | Layoff |
| Ensign United States Drilling | Bakersfield, California | 700 | Layoff |
| Highland Mine 9, 530 French Road, Waverly, Kentucky 42462 | Kentucky | 483 | Layoff |
| Highland Mining Company, LLC ("Highland") | Kentucky | 483 | Layoff |
| General Mills Operations, LLC | Lodi, California | 410 | Closure |
| Mineral Park Inc | Golden Valley, Arizona | 383 | |
| Intellisource, LLC | Ontario, California | 312 | Closure |
| Intellisource, LLC | Ontario, California | 312 | Closure |
| deb | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 308 |
Leading the list was GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, reporting 900 affected workers. Ensign United States Drilling followed with 700 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Other sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in December 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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