The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 439 WARN Act notices in October 2017, displacing an estimated 38,063 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and down 11% versus October 2016. Filings came from 36 states and territories, with an average of 87 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 111 | 5,753 |
| Florida | 33 | 5,593 |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 2,851 |
| Missouri | 6 | 2,798 |
| New Jersey | 15 | 2,251 |
| Texas | 31 | 2,083 |
| New York | 35 | 1,862 |
| Georgia | 10 | 1,408 |
| Iowa | 6 | 1,290 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 1,083 |
| Colorado | 9 | 1,042 |
| Idaho | 9 | 960 |
| Virginia | 9 | 944 |
| Tennessee | 9 | 912 |
| Ohio | 15 | 763 |
| Indiana | 9 | 742 |
| Illinois | 9 | 715 |
| Washington | 14 | 583 |
| Arizona | 5 | 570 |
| Oregon | 2 | 554 |
| Kansas | 8 | 478 |
| Connecticut | 6 | 422 |
| Michigan | 8 | 346 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 285 |
| Kentucky | 12 | 269 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 267 |
| Nebraska | 20 | 252 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 223 |
| Maine | 6 | 192 |
| New Mexico | 2 | 152 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 138 |
| Delaware | 2 | 102 |
| Nevada | 1 | 87 |
| Vermont | 3 | 62 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 22 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 9 |
California led the nation with 5,753 workers affected across 111 notices , followed by Florida (5,593 workers) and Pennsylvania (2,851 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 40 | 3,449 |
| Manufacturing | 27 | 2,889 |
| Information & Technology | 19 | 2,428 |
| Accommodation & Food | 19 | 1,543 |
| Other | 22 | 1,295 |
| Retail | 14 | 1,173 |
| Professional Services | 12 | 1,085 |
| Transportation | 4 | 406 |
| Finance & Insurance | 8 | 322 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 82 |
The Healthcare sector topped the list of affected industries with 3,449 workers across 40 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 2,889 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 108 | 9,908 |
| Layoff | 66 | 6,444 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp | North Wales, Pennsylvania | 1,800 | Closure |
| Blue Apron | Jersey City, New Jersey | 1,270 | |
| TD Ameritrade Corp. (updated 08-22-2018) | Multiple Locations, Missouri | 1,208 | Layoff |
| TD Ameritrade | Multiple Locations, Missouri | 1,208 | |
| Nestle USA, Inc | Bakersfield, California | 679 | Layoff |
| HealthCare Conglomerate Associates, LLC | Tulare, California | 524 | Closure |
| Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC | Plant City, Florida | 430 | |
| Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC | Plant City, Florida | 430 | |
| First Data - Sugar Land | Sugar Land, Texas | 406 | |
| AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa | Des Moines, Iowa | 400 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp in North Wales, Pennsylvania, reporting 1,800 affected workers. Blue Apron followed with 1,270 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in October 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
