North Carolina Layoffs — January 2015
Employers in North Carolina reported 8 WARN Act notices in January 2015, displacing an estimated 963 workers — signaling a deceleration from December and up 115% versus January 2014. The average filing covered 120 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 3 | 352 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 319 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 127 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 65 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 49 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 352 workers across 3 notices. Notably, Professional Services reported 319 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Durham | 1 | 319 |
| Guilford | 2 | 207 |
| Wake | 2 | 196 |
| Beaufort | 1 | 127 |
| Cumberland | 1 | 65 |
Durham was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 33% of all affected workers with 319 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Durham | 1 | 319 |
| Greensboro | 2 | 207 |
| Wake Forest | 1 | 145 |
| Aurora | 1 | 127 |
| Fort Bragg | 1 | 65 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 4 | 560 |
| Closure | 4 | 403 |
Closures accounted for 42% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greene Resources | Durham | 319 | Layoff | |
| The Body Shop | Wake Forest | 145 | Closure | |
| Sears Holdings | Greensboro | 130 | Closure | |
| Morgan Corp., Potash | Aurora | 127 | Layoff | |
| Macy's Wendover Store | Greensboro | 77 | Closure | |
| L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace | Fort Bragg | 65 | Layoff | |
| McDonald's USA | Raleigh | 51 | Closure | |
| Aramark (Morehead Memorial Hospital) | Eden | 49 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Greene Resources at its Durham facility, reporting 319 affected workers. The Body Shop followed with 145 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for North Carolina's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by North Carolina. 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 North Carolina WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.