The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 676 WARN Act notices in October 2019, covering approximately 53,115 workers — marking a sharp increase from September and up 11% versus October 2018. Filings came from 41 states and territories, with an average of 79 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 98 | 5,186 |
| California | 122 | 5,119 |
| Texas | 38 | 3,590 |
| Arizona | 21 | 3,216 |
| Virginia | 25 | 3,050 |
| New Jersey | 14 | 2,834 |
| Georgia | 26 | 2,568 |
| Washington | 23 | 1,992 |
| Colorado | 16 | 1,946 |
| Minnesota | 35 | 1,614 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 1,504 |
| North Carolina | 10 | 1,501 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 1,488 |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | 1,334 |
| Missouri | 11 | 1,160 |
| Kentucky | 3 | 1,149 |
| Illinois | 17 | 1,136 |
| Florida | 18 | 1,126 |
| Hawaii | 14 | 1,104 |
| Tennessee | 14 | 1,068 |
| Ohio | 15 | 1,029 |
| Nevada | 1 | 750 |
| Oregon | 14 | 674 |
| Idaho | 3 | 654 |
| Oklahoma | 11 | 629 |
| Wisconsin | 12 | 626 |
| Kansas | 12 | 542 |
| Iowa | 10 | 532 |
| New Mexico | 6 | 510 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 507 |
| Michigan | 10 | 506 |
| Alabama | 4 | 468 |
| Connecticut | 6 | 356 |
| Nebraska | 22 | 320 |
| Washington DC | 3 | 308 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 256 |
| Indiana | 2 | 216 |
| Maine | 12 | 213 |
| Delaware | 2 | 160 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 106 |
| Maryland | 2 | 68 |
New York led the nation with 5,186 workers affected across 98 notices , followed by California (5,119 workers) and Texas (3,590 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 22 | 3,676 |
| Manufacturing | 31 | 2,446 |
| Healthcare | 24 | 2,426 |
| Other | 24 | 1,869 |
| Accommodation & Food | 34 | 1,752 |
| Retail | 22 | 1,723 |
| Utilities | 7 | 1,115 |
| Education | 13 | 1,030 |
| Information & Technology | 16 | 1,024 |
| Agriculture | 9 | 958 |
The Transportation sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 3,676 workers across 22 notices. At the same time, Manufacturing reported 2,446 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 136 | 13,557 |
| Layoff | 87 | 9,573 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| nThrive | North Carolina | 839 | Layoff |
| TFE Logistics Cedar Crest Rd | Spartanburg, South Carolina | 812 | Layoff |
| Transdev | N. Las Vegas, Nevada | 750 | Closure |
| Prime Flight Aviation Services, Inc | Newark, New Jersey | 735 | |
| TFE Logistics Falling Creek Rd | Spartanburg, South Carolina | 663 | Layoff |
| St Luke's Medical Center | Phoenix, Arizona | 655 | |
| St Luke's Medical Center | Phoenix, Arizona | 655 | |
| Barneys New York (Madison Avenue) | New York, New York | 589 | Closure |
| Isabella Visiting Care, Inc | New York, New York | 569 | Closure |
| CozyKin, Inc | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 548 |
Leading the list was nThrive in North Carolina, reporting 839 affected workers. TFE Logistics Cedar Crest Rd followed with 812 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in October 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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