The US labor market showed continued flux as employers posted 399 WARN Act notices in September 2018, affecting an estimated 28,597 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to August and down 1% versus September 2017. Filings came from 39 states and territories, with an average of 72 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 14 | 2,876 |
| California | 66 | 2,829 |
| Florida | 23 | 2,660 |
| New York | 84 | 2,350 |
| New Jersey | 10 | 2,237 |
| Utah | 6 | 1,170 |
| South Carolina | 4 | 1,114 |
| Texas | 24 | 1,056 |
| Minnesota | 16 | 996 |
| Georgia | 10 | 960 |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | 948 |
| Tennessee | 8 | 858 |
| Michigan | 12 | 694 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 686 |
| Illinois | 16 | 681 |
| Washington | 4 | 644 |
| Kentucky | 9 | 597 |
| Idaho | 3 | 525 |
| Iowa | 16 | 519 |
| Indiana | 3 | 420 |
| Arizona | 4 | 400 |
| Rhode Island | 3 | 381 |
| Nevada | 1 | 372 |
| Maryland | 4 | 366 |
| Wisconsin | 7 | 297 |
| South Dakota | 2 | 290 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 227 |
| Alabama | 4 | 226 |
| Colorado | 3 | 214 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 190 |
| Virginia | 1 | 170 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 115 |
| Ohio | 3 | 110 |
| Oregon | 2 | 104 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 103 |
| Nebraska | 10 | 94 |
| Maine | 2 | 63 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 52 |
| Kansas | 1 | 3 |
Missouri led the nation with 2,876 workers affected across 14 notices , followed by California (2,829 workers) and Florida (2,660 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 17 | 3,168 |
| Accommodation & Food | 11 | 1,564 |
| Information & Technology | 17 | 1,309 |
| Manufacturing | 25 | 1,277 |
| Other | 18 | 1,255 |
| Healthcare | 15 | 904 |
| Professional Services | 10 | 794 |
| Agriculture | 6 | 769 |
| Finance & Insurance | 32 | 733 |
| Retail | 11 | 479 |
The Transportation sector saw the heaviest impact with 3,168 workers across 17 notices. On a related front, Accommodation & Food reported 1,564 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 92 | 9,410 |
| Layoff | 56 | 3,566 |
Closures accounted for 33% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABM Aviation | Newark, New Jersey | 821 | |
| Shop 'n Save Warehouse Foods (St. Louis area) | Multiple Locations, Missouri | 788 | Closure |
| Shop 'n Save Warehouse Foods (St. Louis area) | Multiple Locations, Missouri | 788 | |
| FJC Security Services, Inc | New York, New York | 782 | Closure |
| Darrenkamp's | Lancaster, Mt. Joy, Elizabethtown, Etters, Pennsylvania | 641 | Closure |
| Dhl | Spartanburg, South Carolina | 576 | Layoff |
| Eulen America Miami International Airport | Miami, Florida | 500 | |
| Eulen America | Miami, Florida | 500 | |
| Arvato Digital Services | Reno, Nevada | 372 | Closure |
| Jabil Inc | Fremont, California | 343 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by ABM Aviation in Newark, New Jersey, reporting 821 affected workers. Shop 'n Save Warehouse Foods (St. Louis area) followed with 788 workers.
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The trends suggest a easing in workforce disruptions across the nation, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Transportation sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in September 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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