The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 615 WARN Act notices in October 2018, impacting roughly 47,675 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 25% versus October 2017. Filings came from 42 states and territories, with an average of 78 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 166 | 9,412 |
| New York | 100 | 4,521 |
| Utah | 12 | 2,715 |
| Kentucky | 21 | 2,391 |
| Florida | 24 | 2,356 |
| Texas | 27 | 2,188 |
| Illinois | 21 | 1,900 |
| Washington DC | 2 | 1,796 |
| Wisconsin | 18 | 1,784 |
| Kansas | 11 | 1,530 |
| Virginia | 5 | 1,356 |
| Ohio | 17 | 1,186 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 1,143 |
| Minnesota | 20 | 1,125 |
| Connecticut | 14 | 994 |
| Alabama | 6 | 870 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 870 |
| Washington | 7 | 853 |
| Rhode Island | 6 | 751 |
| Georgia | 10 | 682 |
| Iowa | 12 | 676 |
| Oklahoma | 7 | 659 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 616 |
| Maryland | 8 | 600 |
| Oregon | 8 | 552 |
| Michigan | 12 | 452 |
| Vermont | 5 | 450 |
| Maine | 6 | 440 |
| Indiana | 3 | 438 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 429 |
| Colorado | 8 | 364 |
| Nebraska | 14 | 271 |
| Louisiana | 4 | 256 |
| Missouri | 4 | 188 |
| Arizona | 3 | 185 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 182 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 156 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 126 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 81 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 67 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 50 |
| Nevada | 1 | 14 |
California led the nation with 9,412 workers affected across 166 notices , followed by New York (4,521 workers) and Utah (2,715 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 69 | 6,110 |
| Retail | 33 | 3,392 |
| Other | 27 | 2,463 |
| Manufacturing | 35 | 1,890 |
| Accommodation & Food | 13 | 1,423 |
| Information & Technology | 15 | 1,076 |
| Finance & Insurance | 10 | 927 |
| Wholesale Trade | 18 | 848 |
| Utilities | 5 | 794 |
| Transportation | 9 | 610 |
The Healthcare sector led the way in workforce reductions with 6,110 workers across 69 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 3,392 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 182 | 17,426 |
| Layoff | 75 | 5,297 |
Closures accounted for 37% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence Hospital | Washington DC | 898 | Closure |
| Providence Hospital | Washington D.C, Washington DC | 898 | |
| Lord and Taylor | New York, New York | 853 | Closure |
| Nestle USA, Inc | Bakersfield, California | 769 | Closure |
| NetflixCS | Slc, Utah | 574 | |
| NetflixCS | Slc, Utah | 574 | |
| NetflixCS | Slc, Utah | 574 | |
| Jabil Inc | San Jose, California | 562 | Closure |
| DH Leesburg Managment LLC @ Lansdowne Resort & Spa | Leesburg, Virginia | 401 | Layoff |
| DH Leesburg Managment, LLC @ Lansdowne Resort & Spa | Leesburg, Virginia | 401 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Providence Hospital in Washington DC, reporting 898 affected workers. Providence Hospital followed with 898 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores 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 October 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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