North Carolina Layoffs — February 2017
Employers in North Carolina posted 4 WARN Act notices in February 2017, affecting an estimated 730 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to January and down 58% versus February 2016. The average filing covered 182 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | 506 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 169 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 55 |
The Retail sector saw the heaviest impact with 506 workers across 2 notices. On a related front, Professional Services reported 169 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Iredell | 1 | 431 |
| Pitt | 1 | 169 |
| Wilkes | 1 | 75 |
| Orange | 1 | 55 |
Iredell felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 59% of all affected workers with 431 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mooresville | 1 | 431 |
| Greenville | 1 | 169 |
| Wilkesboro | 1 | 75 |
| Chapel Hill | 1 | 55 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 3 | 561 |
| Closure | 1 | 169 |
Closures accounted for 23% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowe's | Mooresville | 431 | Layoff | |
| Convergys | Greenville | 169 | Closure | |
| Lowe's | Wilkesboro | 75 | Layoff | |
| Cempra Pharmaceuticals | Chapel Hill | 55 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Lowe's at its Mooresville facility, reporting 431 affected workers. Convergys followed with 169 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest 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.