The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 693 WARN Act notices in January 2018, involving roughly 52,438 workers — climbing above December and up 46% versus January 2017. Filings came from 43 states and territories, with an average of 76 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 134 | 7,219 |
| Texas | 63 | 3,258 |
| New York | 54 | 3,157 |
| Ohio | 25 | 2,624 |
| Pennsylvania | 20 | 2,409 |
| Minnesota | 13 | 2,385 |
| Missouri | 6 | 2,364 |
| New Jersey | 21 | 2,020 |
| Alaska | 11 | 1,967 |
| Florida | 28 | 1,679 |
| Oklahoma | 14 | 1,538 |
| Colorado | 24 | 1,476 |
| Washington | 8 | 1,476 |
| Virginia | 12 | 1,354 |
| North Carolina | 15 | 1,291 |
| Indiana | 9 | 1,241 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 1,228 |
| Oregon | 8 | 1,060 |
| Wisconsin | 20 | 1,031 |
| Utah | 11 | 1,024 |
| Kentucky | 9 | 984 |
| New Mexico | 6 | 882 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 740 |
| Louisiana | 6 | 710 |
| Iowa | 18 | 680 |
| Alabama | 8 | 660 |
| Arizona | 5 | 644 |
| Maryland | 8 | 610 |
| Georgia | 19 | 549 |
| Mississippi | 7 | 536 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 528 |
| Nevada | 2 | 517 |
| Michigan | 7 | 472 |
| Idaho | 3 | 405 |
| Kansas | 11 | 362 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 235 |
| Vermont | 5 | 233 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 199 |
| Maine | 6 | 178 |
| Nebraska | 37 | 178 |
| Delaware | 2 | 172 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 163 |
| Illinois | 14 | 0 |
California led the nation with 7,219 workers affected across 134 notices , followed by Texas (3,258 workers) and New York (3,157 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 52 | 4,861 |
| Retail | 53 | 4,177 |
| Manufacturing | 32 | 2,482 |
| Other | 20 | 2,239 |
| Information & Technology | 21 | 1,606 |
| Utilities | 11 | 1,404 |
| Transportation | 16 | 1,369 |
| Education | 10 | 1,137 |
| Finance & Insurance | 23 | 756 |
| Professional Services | 13 | 629 |
The Healthcare sector dominated layoff filings with 4,861 workers across 52 notices. Meanwhile, Retail reported 4,177 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 164 | 15,848 |
| Layoff | 104 | 9,179 |
Closures accounted for 30% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrolux | St. Cloud, Minnesota | 900 | |
| Affinity Medical Center | Massillon, Ohio | 692 | |
| Serco, Inc | Wentzville, Missouri | 660 | Closure |
| Serco | Wentzville, Missouri | 660 | |
| University of MN 2019 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 600 | |
| Mobis North America LLC | Toledo, Ohio | 572 | |
| Shiel Holdings, LLC | Rockleigh, New Jersey | 538 | |
| Radial South | Tennessee | 486 | |
| Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | 477 | |
| Allergan, Inc | Irvine, California | 421 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Electrolux in St. Cloud, Minnesota, reporting 900 affected workers. Affinity Medical Center followed with 692 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 2018. 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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