The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 482 WARN Act notices in August 2015, covering approximately 63,601 workers — marking a sharp increase from July and up 183% versus August 2014. Filings came from 36 states and territories, with an average of 132 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 27 | 14,272 |
| New Jersey | 106 | 10,609 |
| California | 101 | 10,594 |
| Arizona | 22 | 2,494 |
| Florida | 10 | 2,468 |
| Virginia | 6 | 2,348 |
| Georgia | 14 | 2,166 |
| Kentucky | 9 | 2,148 |
| Ohio | 10 | 2,141 |
| Texas | 23 | 1,731 |
| Pennsylvania | 15 | 1,626 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 1,260 |
| Colorado | 14 | 1,162 |
| South Carolina | 6 | 1,082 |
| Utah | 4 | 1,080 |
| Washington | 15 | 907 |
| Oregon | 2 | 662 |
| Vermont | 9 | 522 |
| Iowa | 4 | 512 |
| Tennessee | 12 | 512 |
| Maryland | 6 | 458 |
| Missouri | 4 | 428 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 411 |
| Delaware | 2 | 406 |
| Illinois | 15 | 310 |
| Alabama | 2 | 236 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 213 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 185 |
| Nebraska | 14 | 144 |
| Washington DC | 2 | 144 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 112 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 85 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 70 |
| Michigan | 3 | 63 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 28 |
| Kansas | 2 | 12 |
New York led the nation with 14,272 workers affected across 27 notices , followed by New Jersey (10,609 workers) and California (10,594 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 22 | 14,616 |
| Accommodation & Food | 13 | 3,509 |
| Healthcare | 11 | 2,521 |
| Manufacturing | 19 | 1,578 |
| Other | 14 | 1,310 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 3 | 876 |
| Admin & Support Services | 3 | 837 |
| Mining & Energy | 11 | 811 |
| Finance & Insurance | 6 | 503 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3 | 387 |
The Retail sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 14,616 workers across 22 notices. At the same time, Accommodation & Food reported 3,509 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 93 | 22,577 |
| Layoff | 92 | 8,457 |
| Temporary Layoff | 3 | 975 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 47 |
Closures accounted for 36% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P) | New York | 5,191 | Closure |
| The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P) | New York | 4,732 | Closure |
| The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P) | New York | 3,174 | Closure |
| Saint Michael's Medical Center | Newark, New Jersey | 1,445 | |
| Gold Key Hotels & Resorts | Virginia Beach, Virginia | 1,000 | Layoff |
| Gold Key Hotels & Resorts | Virginia Beach, Virginia | 1,000 | |
| HMS Host Corporation Tampa International Airport | Florida | 796 | |
| HMSHost | Tampa, Florida | 796 | |
| USS-POSCO Industries | Pittsburg, California | 661 | Temporary Layoff |
| USS-POSCO Industries | Pittsburg, California | 661 | Layoff |
Leading the list was The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P) in New York, reporting 5,191 affected workers. The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P) followed with 4,732 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in August 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.
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