The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 379 WARN Act notices in August 2017, impacting roughly 40,284 workers — representing a notable rise over July and up 9% versus August 2016. Filings came from 38 states and territories, with an average of 106 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 8 | 9,356 |
| Wisconsin | 14 | 4,702 |
| California | 92 | 3,754 |
| New Jersey | 15 | 2,058 |
| Oregon | 6 | 1,852 |
| Texas | 34 | 1,333 |
| Florida | 21 | 1,249 |
| New York | 21 | 1,246 |
| Nevada | 4 | 1,236 |
| Michigan | 10 | 1,154 |
| Illinois | 8 | 1,133 |
| Tennessee | 12 | 1,132 |
| Georgia | 16 | 890 |
| Pennsylvania | 10 | 807 |
| Virginia | 9 | 742 |
| North Carolina | 5 | 707 |
| Maryland | 12 | 692 |
| Ohio | 6 | 666 |
| Nebraska | 8 | 639 |
| Missouri | 4 | 616 |
| Washington DC | 2 | 536 |
| Indiana | 7 | 448 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 438 |
| Mississippi | 5 | 419 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 414 |
| Iowa | 8 | 366 |
| Washington | 4 | 292 |
| Kansas | 6 | 197 |
| Alabama | 2 | 192 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 184 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 173 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 156 |
| Idaho | 3 | 135 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 129 |
| Arizona | 3 | 123 |
| Colorado | 3 | 84 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 29 |
| Maine | 2 | 5 |
South Carolina led the nation with 9,356 workers affected across 8 notices , followed by Wisconsin (4,702 workers) and California (3,754 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 22 | 2,552 |
| Manufacturing | 18 | 2,116 |
| Retail | 6 | 1,846 |
| Utilities | 11 | 1,786 |
| Healthcare | 17 | 1,703 |
| Other | 20 | 1,304 |
| Transportation | 11 | 861 |
| Accommodation & Food | 4 | 386 |
| Professional Services | 6 | 277 |
| Admin & Support Services | 2 | 226 |
The Information & Technology sector led the way in workforce reductions with 2,552 workers across 22 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 2,116 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 89 | 10,313 |
| Layoff | 62 | 9,733 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fluor Corporation | Jenkinsville, South Carolina | 4,003 | Layoff |
| Fluor Corporation | Jenkinsville, South Carolina | 4,003 | |
| Blue Apron | Jersey City, New Jersey | 1,270 | |
| Gordy's Chippewa Foods, Inc | Arcadia, Augusta, Barron, Black River Falls, Chetek, Chippewa Falls, Cornell, Eau Claire, Galesville, Hayward, La Crosse, Ladysmith, Neillsville, Rice Lake, Richland Center, Shell Lake, Spencer, Stanley, Tomah, Whitehall, Wisconsin | 1,008 | Closure |
| Gordy's Chippewa Foods, Inc | Arcadia, Augusta, Barron, Black River Falls, Chetek, Chippewa Falls, Cornell, Ea, Wisconsin | 1,008 | |
| PAE Applied Technologies LLC | Las Vegas, Nevada | 807 | Layoff |
| Appleton Coated LLC | Combined Locks, Wisconsin | 620 | Closure |
| Appleton Coated LLC | Combined Locks, Wisconsin | 620 | |
| Westinghouse Electric | Jenkinsville, South Carolina | 561 | Closure |
| Westinghouse Electric | Jenkinsville, South Carolina | 561 |
The single largest action involved Fluor Corporation in Jenkinsville, South Carolina, reporting 4,003 affected workers. Fluor Corporation followed with 4,003 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 Information & Technology sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in August 2017. 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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