The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 488 WARN Act notices in June 2018, displacing an estimated 40,330 workers — signaling an acceleration from May and up 21% versus June 2017. Filings came from 42 states and territories, with an average of 83 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 86 | 4,525 |
| Ohio | 12 | 3,890 |
| Minnesota | 32 | 3,049 |
| Michigan | 20 | 2,374 |
| New York | 40 | 2,252 |
| Wisconsin | 20 | 1,958 |
| New Jersey | 19 | 1,545 |
| Rhode Island | 6 | 1,509 |
| Florida | 12 | 1,499 |
| Missouri | 8 | 1,452 |
| Georgia | 20 | 1,402 |
| Louisiana | 10 | 1,354 |
| Tennessee | 10 | 1,244 |
| Colorado | 9 | 1,200 |
| Virginia | 8 | 1,153 |
| Alabama | 2 | 890 |
| Maryland | 10 | 824 |
| Texas | 15 | 796 |
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 706 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 616 |
| Washington | 2 | 608 |
| Oregon | 14 | 602 |
| Iowa | 15 | 509 |
| Arizona | 7 | 508 |
| Nevada | 3 | 470 |
| Utah | 6 | 465 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 375 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 339 |
| Connecticut | 6 | 330 |
| South Dakota | 2 | 316 |
| Vermont | 3 | 266 |
| Indiana | 3 | 249 |
| Nebraska | 31 | 222 |
| Alaska | 2 | 202 |
| Washington DC | 2 | 178 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 147 |
| Delaware | 2 | 132 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 107 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 43 |
| Maine | 2 | 15 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 9 |
| Illinois | 14 | 0 |
California led the nation with 4,525 workers affected across 86 notices , followed by Ohio (3,890 workers) and Minnesota (3,049 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 22 | 2,751 |
| Education | 31 | 2,463 |
| Healthcare | 26 | 2,241 |
| Other | 21 | 1,550 |
| Information & Technology | 14 | 1,468 |
| Transportation | 15 | 1,246 |
| Agriculture | 4 | 1,190 |
| Finance & Insurance | 18 | 886 |
| Retail | 13 | 681 |
| Accommodation & Food | 7 | 461 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 2,751 workers across 22 notices. Notably, Education reported 2,463 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 131 | 10,679 |
| Layoff | 67 | 6,260 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toys R Us /Babies R Us | Statewide, Ohio | 1,178 | |
| Toys R Us | Statewide, Ohio | 1,178 | |
| Sea Ray Sport Yacht & Yacht Operations | Statewide, Florida | 771 | |
| Impax Laboratories LLC | Hayward, California | 533 | Closure |
| Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | 477 | Closure |
| Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | 477 | |
| Masterbrand Cabinets | Auburn, Alabama | 445 | Closure |
| Masterbrand Cabinets | Auburn, Alabama | 445 | |
| Minneapolis Public Schools | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 437 | |
| Tesla, Inc | Fremont, California | 420 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Toys R Us /Babies R Us in Statewide, Ohio, reporting 1,178 affected workers. Toys R Us followed with 1,178 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in June 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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