The US labor market showed continued flux as employers posted 591 WARN Act notices in May 2019, affecting an estimated 37,515 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to April and roughly flat versus May 2018. Filings came from 39 states and territories, with an average of 63 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 151 | 6,058 |
| Indiana | 15 | 3,214 |
| Kentucky | 14 | 3,013 |
| Pennsylvania | 17 | 2,611 |
| Minnesota | 85 | 2,034 |
| Louisiana | 8 | 1,522 |
| Iowa | 12 | 1,518 |
| Washington | 6 | 1,410 |
| New York | 21 | 1,363 |
| Florida | 29 | 1,300 |
| Michigan | 18 | 1,210 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 961 |
| Texas | 30 | 912 |
| Georgia | 6 | 911 |
| Ohio | 17 | 861 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 797 |
| Oregon | 4 | 780 |
| Missouri | 4 | 776 |
| Nebraska | 44 | 740 |
| New Jersey | 9 | 643 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 567 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 518 |
| Virginia | 9 | 469 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 444 |
| Arizona | 7 | 397 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 359 |
| Colorado | 7 | 350 |
| Maryland | 6 | 346 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 343 |
| North Carolina | 5 | 245 |
| Alabama | 2 | 196 |
| South Dakota | 2 | 180 |
| Nevada | 2 | 110 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 105 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 101 |
| Maine | 9 | 92 |
| Kansas | 5 | 49 |
| Hawaii | 2 | 10 |
| Illinois | 9 | 0 |
California led the nation with 6,058 workers affected across 151 notices , followed by Indiana (3,214 workers) and Kentucky (3,013 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 56 | 3,926 |
| Other | 18 | 2,499 |
| Information & Technology | 16 | 1,394 |
| Admin & Support Services | 5 | 1,308 |
| Manufacturing | 25 | 1,227 |
| Transportation | 7 | 1,191 |
| Education | 16 | 744 |
| Retail | 16 | 655 |
| Accommodation & Food | 27 | 653 |
| Utilities | 9 | 531 |
The Healthcare sector saw the heaviest impact with 3,926 workers across 56 notices. On a related front, Other reported 2,499 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 159 | 13,955 |
| Layoff | 61 | 6,184 |
Closures accounted for 37% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security Industry Specialists, Inc | Seattle, Washington | 1,066 | Layoff |
| Wood-Mode Incorporated | Kreamer, Pennsylvania | 938 | Closure |
| XPO Logistics | Shelby County, Tennessee | 881 | |
| TRANE USA Inc | Kentucky | 659 | Layoff |
| TRANE U.S. Inc | Fayette, Kentucky | 659 | |
| Verso Corporation | Beverly, Keyser, Beryl, Piedmont, West Virginia | 657 | Closure |
| Tenneco | Hartwell, Georgia | 564 | |
| UnitedHealthcare Community & State | West Des Moines, Iowa | 549 | Layoff |
| UnitedHealthcare Community & State | West Des Moines, Iowa | 549 | |
| Fayette Regional Health System | Connersville, Indiana | 437 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Security Industry Specialists, Inc in Seattle, Washington, reporting 1,066 affected workers. Wood-Mode Incorporated followed with 938 workers.
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in May 2019. 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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