The US labor market showed continued flux as employers reported 494 WARN Act notices in February 2016, displacing an estimated 43,060 workers — signaling a deceleration from January and up 19% versus February 2015. Filings came from 38 states and territories, with an average of 87 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 126 | 11,115 |
| Kentucky | 15 | 3,279 |
| Texas | 26 | 3,046 |
| Oklahoma | 23 | 2,986 |
| Tennessee | 12 | 1,764 |
| North Carolina | 10 | 1,753 |
| New York | 18 | 1,703 |
| Indiana | 9 | 1,702 |
| Colorado | 21 | 1,594 |
| Florida | 28 | 1,501 |
| New Jersey | 11 | 1,130 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 1,058 |
| Pennsylvania | 11 | 1,055 |
| Michigan | 10 | 1,002 |
| Georgia | 22 | 987 |
| Missouri | 12 | 982 |
| Ohio | 24 | 865 |
| Oregon | 8 | 802 |
| Rhode Island | 4 | 673 |
| Washington | 8 | 646 |
| Virginia | 4 | 536 |
| Connecticut | 6 | 492 |
| Arizona | 2 | 324 |
| Iowa | 8 | 309 |
| Maryland | 4 | 276 |
| Delaware | 3 | 275 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 222 |
| Kansas | 7 | 217 |
| South Carolina | 4 | 210 |
| Wisconsin | 6 | 205 |
| Utah | 3 | 102 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 73 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 50 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 44 |
| Nebraska | 13 | 39 |
| Maine | 1 | 31 |
| Vermont | 1 | 12 |
| Illinois | 20 | 0 |
California led the nation with 11,115 workers affected across 126 notices , followed by Kentucky (3,279 workers) and Texas (3,046 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 17 | 2,980 |
| Other | 16 | 2,843 |
| Healthcare | 27 | 2,815 |
| Mining & Energy | 19 | 1,639 |
| Manufacturing | 24 | 1,326 |
| Information & Technology | 21 | 1,213 |
| Accommodation & Food | 10 | 955 |
| Finance & Insurance | 13 | 887 |
| Retail | 8 | 812 |
| Transportation | 9 | 654 |
The Utilities sector topped the list of affected industries with 2,980 workers across 17 notices. Notably, Other reported 2,843 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 126 | 12,795 |
| Closure | 100 | 10,694 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 253 |
| Temporary Layoff | 2 | 230 |
Closures accounted for 25% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Communications, Inc | Santa Ana, California | 969 | Layoff |
| Freedom Communications, Inc | Santa Ana, California | 969 | Layoff |
| Sherwin Alumina Co | Gregory, Texas | 924 | |
| Jewish Home Lifecare (Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Campus) | Bronx, New York | 889 | Closure |
| Devon Energy | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 700 | |
| Devon Energy | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 700 | |
| Devon Energy | 05 - CentralRegion, Oklahoma | 700 | |
| Daimler Trucks North America LLC | Mt. Holly, North Carolina | 695 | Layoff |
| Broadcom and Avago | Irvine, California | 689 | Layoff |
| Alcoa Warrick Operations | Newburgh, Indiana | 600 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Freedom Communications, Inc in Santa Ana, California, reporting 969 affected workers. Freedom Communications, Inc followed with 969 workers.
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Utilities sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in February 2016. 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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