The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 490 WARN Act notices in September 2019, involving roughly 38,150 workers — climbing above August and up 33% versus September 2018. Filings came from 42 states and territories, with an average of 78 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 93 | 6,825 |
| Florida | 28 | 2,642 |
| Virginia | 12 | 2,276 |
| Texas | 28 | 2,054 |
| Minnesota | 31 | 1,856 |
| Washington | 16 | 1,852 |
| Indiana | 9 | 1,794 |
| New York | 56 | 1,528 |
| Kentucky | 9 | 1,503 |
| New Mexico | 6 | 1,227 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 1,115 |
| Ohio | 26 | 1,066 |
| Kansas | 13 | 1,016 |
| Georgia | 10 | 1,016 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 939 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 788 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 752 |
| Michigan | 12 | 752 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 722 |
| New Jersey | 5 | 702 |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 576 |
| Oregon | 4 | 546 |
| Colorado | 6 | 542 |
| Maryland | 12 | 500 |
| Iowa | 8 | 476 |
| Alabama | 4 | 392 |
| South Carolina | 4 | 314 |
| Massachusetts | 5 | 305 |
| Missouri | 4 | 304 |
| Maine | 9 | 301 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 285 |
| Illinois | 9 | 236 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 189 |
| Idaho | 3 | 174 |
| Nebraska | 15 | 146 |
| Hawaii | 4 | 118 |
| Arizona | 2 | 82 |
| Nevada | 1 | 74 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 64 |
| Delaware | 2 | 43 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 42 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 16 |
California led the nation with 6,825 workers affected across 93 notices , followed by Florida (2,642 workers) and Virginia (2,276 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 50 | 5,662 |
| Healthcare | 27 | 2,025 |
| Transportation | 14 | 1,839 |
| Other | 19 | 1,651 |
| Retail | 19 | 1,562 |
| Information & Technology | 14 | 909 |
| Finance & Insurance | 16 | 525 |
| Accommodation & Food | 12 | 499 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 11 | 404 |
| Utilities | 4 | 344 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 5,662 workers across 50 notices. Meanwhile, Healthcare reported 2,025 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 108 | 11,797 |
| Layoff | 63 | 5,259 |
Closures accounted for 31% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forever 21 Logistics, LLC | Los Angeles, California | 1,170 | Closure |
| Alorica, Inc | Fresno, California | 799 | Closure |
| Continental Automotive | North Carolina | 650 | Closure |
| USS-POSCO Industries | Pittsburg, California | 575 | Layoff |
| Jabil Inc | San Jose, California | 529 | Closure |
| Goodman Manufacturing Company L.P | Lincoln County, Tennessee | 529 | |
| Bayer US LLC | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 487 | Closure |
| Bayou Steel | LaPlace, Louisiana | 376 | |
| Bayou Steel Group | La Place, Louisiana | 376 | |
| Guest Services Inc | Williamsburg, Virginia | 358 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Forever 21 Logistics, LLC in Los Angeles, California, reporting 1,170 affected workers. Alorica, Inc followed with 799 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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 September 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
