The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 486 WARN Act notices in October 2015, impacting roughly 52,100 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 32% versus October 2014. Filings came from 34 states and territories, with an average of 107 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 119 | 10,999 |
| Texas | 52 | 4,386 |
| Kentucky | 18 | 3,801 |
| West Virginia | 29 | 3,603 |
| Indiana | 10 | 2,902 |
| Nebraska | 49 | 2,362 |
| Arizona | 8 | 2,344 |
| Tennessee | 20 | 2,189 |
| Ohio | 16 | 2,078 |
| New York | 26 | 1,910 |
| Illinois | 14 | 1,905 |
| Connecticut | 10 | 1,636 |
| Florida | 12 | 1,352 |
| Alabama | 8 | 1,345 |
| Georgia | 12 | 1,308 |
| Michigan | 5 | 885 |
| Virginia | 6 | 808 |
| North Carolina | 5 | 665 |
| Missouri | 6 | 664 |
| Mississippi | 10 | 560 |
| Washington | 5 | 554 |
| New Jersey | 12 | 501 |
| Oregon | 4 | 452 |
| Idaho | 3 | 444 |
| Maine | 2 | 440 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 410 |
| Maryland | 2 | 382 |
| South Carolina | 4 | 302 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 272 |
| Colorado | 3 | 252 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 117 |
| Kansas | 2 | 116 |
| Vermont | 5 | 85 |
| Iowa | 1 | 71 |
California led the nation with 10,999 workers affected across 119 notices , followed by Texas (4,386 workers) and Kentucky (3,801 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 34 | 4,934 |
| Other | 23 | 3,426 |
| Mining & Energy | 26 | 2,780 |
| Healthcare | 26 | 2,153 |
| Transportation | 10 | 2,007 |
| Finance & Insurance | 13 | 1,244 |
| Information & Technology | 13 | 1,095 |
| Accommodation & Food | 12 | 1,086 |
| Construction | 5 | 1,052 |
| Admin & Support Services | 5 | 788 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 4,934 workers across 34 notices. In a parallel development, Other reported 3,426 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 163 | 14,478 |
| Closure | 94 | 12,460 |
| Temporary Closure | 3 | 206 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 163 |
Closures accounted for 24% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCM, Inc | Laguna Woods, California | 968 | Layoff |
| PCM, Inc | Laguna Woods, California | 968 | Layoff |
| Fresh & Easy, LLC | Riverside, California | 806 | Closure |
| Fresh & Easy, LLC | Riverside, California | 806 | Closure |
| Indiana Marujun, LLC | Winchester, Indiana | 734 | Closure |
| Indiana Marujun, LLC | Winchester, Indiana | 734 | |
| AK Steel Corporation -Ashland Works | Kentucky | 733 | Layoff |
| AK Steel Corporation -Ashland Works | Kentucky | 733 | Layoff |
| AK Steel Holding | Boyd, Kentucky | 733 | |
| American Airlines-(TX Aero Engine Service LLC-TAESL | Ft. Worth, Texas | 595 |
The single largest action involved PCM, Inc in Laguna Woods, California, reporting 968 affected workers. PCM, Inc followed with 968 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in October 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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