The US labor market showed continued flux as employers filed 549 WARN Act notices in December 2019, impacting roughly 36,065 workers — representing a pullback from November and down 3% versus December 2018. Filings came from 36 states and territories, with an average of 66 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 29 | 3,344 |
| New York | 83 | 3,330 |
| Michigan | 17 | 2,762 |
| California | 80 | 2,449 |
| New Jersey | 17 | 2,279 |
| Arizona | 17 | 2,148 |
| Kentucky | 11 | 2,145 |
| Minnesota | 37 | 2,014 |
| Oklahoma | 8 | 1,962 |
| Maryland | 37 | 1,766 |
| Alaska | 8 | 1,584 |
| Georgia | 13 | 1,492 |
| Washington | 12 | 1,392 |
| Virginia | 14 | 893 |
| Illinois | 22 | 885 |
| Texas | 19 | 526 |
| Missouri | 6 | 496 |
| Iowa | 14 | 496 |
| South Carolina | 7 | 481 |
| Hawaii | 6 | 471 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | 373 |
| Kansas | 12 | 373 |
| Tennessee | 8 | 318 |
| Nevada | 2 | 316 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 315 |
| Nebraska | 35 | 314 |
| Ohio | 5 | 248 |
| West Virginia | 4 | 238 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 202 |
| Maine | 3 | 200 |
| Colorado | 1 | 92 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 60 |
| Utah | 3 | 51 |
| Massachusetts | 2 | 38 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 12 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 0 |
Florida led the nation with 3,344 workers affected across 29 notices , followed by New York (3,330 workers) and Michigan (2,762 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 26 | 3,825 |
| Healthcare | 25 | 2,381 |
| Retail | 38 | 1,906 |
| Information & Technology | 12 | 1,887 |
| Mining & Energy | 10 | 1,395 |
| Other | 17 | 1,174 |
| Accommodation & Food | 22 | 1,094 |
| Professional Services | 8 | 958 |
| Transportation | 19 | 750 |
| Utilities | 10 | 273 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 3,825 workers across 26 notices. In a parallel development, Healthcare reported 2,381 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 111 | 8,826 |
| Layoff | 39 | 2,722 |
Closures accounted for 24% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Steel Corporation | Ecorse, Michigan | 1,286 | Closure |
| U.S. Steel Corporation | Ecorse, Michigan | 1,286 | |
| Halliburton | El Reno, Oklahoma | 808 | |
| Halliburton | El Reno, Oklahoma | 808 | |
| Cognizant | Phoenix, Arizona | 602 | |
| Cognizant Technology Solutions | Phoenix, Arizona | 602 | |
| Cognizant | Tampa, Florida | 556 | |
| Cognizant Technology Solutions | Tampa, Florida | 556 | |
| Alorica, Inc | Tampa, Florida | 482 | |
| Alorica | Tampa, Florida | 482 |
The single largest action involved U.S. Steel Corporation in Ecorse, Michigan, reporting 1,286 affected workers. U.S. Steel Corporation followed with 1,286 workers.
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The data underscores a easing in workforce disruptions across the nation, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in December 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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