The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 469 WARN Act notices in April 2015, impacting roughly 48,373 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 69% versus April 2014. Filings came from 32 states and territories, with an average of 103 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 109 | 11,860 |
| New York | 47 | 6,273 |
| Texas | 52 | 5,387 |
| Arizona | 34 | 3,824 |
| New Jersey | 11 | 3,388 |
| Iowa | 7 | 1,741 |
| Ohio | 10 | 1,512 |
| Utah | 8 | 1,310 |
| Washington | 10 | 1,232 |
| Florida | 14 | 1,182 |
| Pennsylvania | 11 | 1,058 |
| Tennessee | 8 | 892 |
| Michigan | 4 | 891 |
| Georgia | 22 | 886 |
| Colorado | 21 | 852 |
| Indiana | 9 | 835 |
| Kentucky | 16 | 730 |
| Missouri | 5 | 709 |
| Virginia | 12 | 618 |
| Maryland | 8 | 560 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 503 |
| South Carolina | 4 | 500 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 439 |
| Kansas | 10 | 415 |
| Vermont | 6 | 251 |
| Oregon | 2 | 136 |
| Washington DC | 2 | 132 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 89 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 88 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 68 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 12 |
| Illinois | 7 | 0 |
California led the nation with 11,860 workers affected across 109 notices , followed by New York (6,273 workers) and Texas (5,387 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 18 | 7,546 |
| Manufacturing | 33 | 3,795 |
| Retail | 15 | 2,788 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 2,540 |
| Education | 19 | 1,580 |
| Transportation | 18 | 1,258 |
| Other | 28 | 1,128 |
| Information & Technology | 12 | 978 |
| Mining & Energy | 12 | 654 |
| Accommodation & Food | 6 | 640 |
The Healthcare sector led the way in workforce reductions with 7,546 workers across 18 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 3,795 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 128 | 13,565 |
| Closure | 99 | 12,005 |
| Temporary Layoff | 2 | 106 |
Closures accounted for 25% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMG @ the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Nassau Coliseum) | Uniondale, New York | 2,540 | Closure |
| Saint Clare's Health Services | Denville, New Jersey | 2,511 | |
| RW Constructors, LLC | Weaver, Iowa | 1,606 | Layoff |
| Yeshiva University (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) | Bronx, New York | 1,546 | Closure |
| Health Net, Inc. (CANCELLED)** | Woodland Hills, California | 1,217 | Layoff |
| Toyota Motor Credit Corporation | Torrance, California | 941 | Closure |
| Ford Motor Co. Michigan Assembly | Wayne, Michigan | 700 | Layoff |
| Allergan, Inc | Irvine, California | 577 | Layoff |
| Allergan, Inc | Irvine, California | 577 | Layoff |
| Hi-Desert Memorial Health Care | Joshua Tree, California | 541 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved SMG @ the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Nassau Coliseum) in Uniondale, New York, reporting 2,540 affected workers. Saint Clare's Health Services followed with 2,511 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 2015. 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
