The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 456 WARN Act notices in April 2018, impacting roughly 42,830 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 47% versus April 2017. Filings came from 35 states and territories, with an average of 94 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 96 | 6,087 |
| Wisconsin | 7 | 4,982 |
| Ohio | 15 | 4,978 |
| New York | 42 | 3,955 |
| Michigan | 26 | 3,268 |
| Minnesota | 39 | 2,930 |
| Texas | 25 | 1,781 |
| Pennsylvania | 13 | 1,501 |
| Connecticut | 10 | 1,384 |
| Missouri | 10 | 1,268 |
| Iowa | 24 | 1,203 |
| New Mexico | 9 | 1,188 |
| Utah | 9 | 924 |
| New Jersey | 14 | 901 |
| Tennessee | 10 | 862 |
| Georgia | 12 | 782 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 770 |
| Washington | 9 | 699 |
| Arizona | 3 | 625 |
| Alabama | 6 | 428 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 388 |
| Indiana | 3 | 355 |
| Kansas | 7 | 350 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 335 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 240 |
| Nebraska | 21 | 148 |
| Maryland | 2 | 120 |
| Florida | 7 | 111 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 94 |
| Virginia | 1 | 69 |
| Nevada | 1 | 62 |
| Maine | 1 | 31 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 9 |
| Montana | 2 | 2 |
| Illinois | 18 | 0 |
California led the nation with 6,087 workers affected across 96 notices , followed by Wisconsin (4,982 workers) and Ohio (4,978 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 36 | 5,372 |
| Other | 20 | 2,251 |
| Healthcare | 23 | 2,131 |
| Finance & Insurance | 26 | 2,079 |
| Education | 16 | 1,933 |
| Manufacturing | 25 | 1,375 |
| Accommodation & Food | 9 | 853 |
| Utilities | 9 | 798 |
| Transportation | 6 | 580 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 339 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 5,372 workers across 36 notices. In a parallel development, Other reported 2,251 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 113 | 14,831 |
| Layoff | 70 | 5,167 |
Closures accounted for 35% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Ton Stores (Younkers, Boston Store, BonTon) | Brookfield, Eau Claire, Glendale, Greendale, Janesville, Madison, Marshfield, Milwaukee, Racine, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin | 2,255 | Closure |
| Younkers | Brookfield, Eau Claire, Glendale, Greendale, Janesville, Madison, Marshfield, Wisconsin | 2,255 | |
| MZL Home Care Agency, LLC | Brooklyn, New York | 1,535 | Closure |
| General Motors LLC | Warren, Ohio | 1,500 | |
| General Motors | Warren/Trumbull, Ohio | 1,500 | |
| Qualcomm Incorporated | San Diego, California | 1,231 | Layoff |
| University Hospital & Clinics | Lafayette, Louisiana | 770 | |
| Pacific Alliance Medical Center | Los Angeles, California | 750 | Closure |
| Bon Ton | Lancaster, Whitehall, York, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | 656 | Closure |
| San Diego Gaming Ventures, LLC | Jamul, California | 650 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Bon Ton Stores (Younkers, Boston Store, BonTon) in Brookfield, Eau Claire, Glendale, Greendale, Janesville, Madison, Marshfield, Milwaukee, Racine, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, reporting 2,255 affected workers. Younkers followed with 2,255 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
