US Layoffs — January 2020
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 382 WARN Act notices in January 2020, affecting an estimated 42,930 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to December and up 35% versus January 2019. Filings came from 40 states and territories, with an average of 112 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 78 | 7,190 |
| New York | 70 | 5,926 |
| Illinois | 17 | 4,623 |
| Texas | 21 | 2,806 |
| Kentucky | 8 | 2,475 |
| Virginia | 7 | 2,346 |
| Maryland | 4 | 2,211 |
| Arizona | 6 | 1,316 |
| Florida | 14 | 1,307 |
| Pennsylvania | 10 | 1,186 |
| Massachusetts | 9 | 1,114 |
| North Carolina | 5 | 1,009 |
| Washington | 6 | 726 |
| Indiana | 5 | 726 |
| Oregon | 6 | 724 |
| Minnesota | 16 | 701 |
| Ohio | 6 | 678 |
| New Jersey | 5 | 655 |
| Wisconsin | 6 | 569 |
| Michigan | 7 | 508 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 410 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 409 |
| West Virginia | 4 | 394 |
| Alabama | 4 | 382 |
| Colorado | 11 | 365 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 355 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 316 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 287 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 242 |
| Missouri | 2 | 236 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 190 |
| Iowa | 4 | 188 |
| Idaho | 1 | 89 |
| Montana | 1 | 70 |
| Hawaii | 8 | 60 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 57 |
| Vermont | 2 | 47 |
| Georgia | 8 | 37 |
| Maine | 2 | 0 |
| Kansas | 4 | 0 |
California led the nation with 7,190 workers affected across 78 notices , followed by New York (5,926 workers) and Illinois (4,623 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 33 | 9,283 |
| Manufacturing | 79 | 7,248 |
| Retail | 59 | 6,420 |
| Healthcare | 55 | 5,127 |
| Information & Technology | 35 | 4,530 |
| Professional Services | 28 | 2,189 |
| Accommodation & Food | 19 | 2,123 |
| Finance & Insurance | 10 | 1,353 |
| Mining & Energy | 8 | 1,177 |
| Wholesale Trade | 10 | 959 |
The Transportation sector saw the heaviest impact with 9,283 workers across 33 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 7,248 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 142 | 17,313 |
| Layoff | 109 | 14,366 |
Closures accounted for 40% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| IAS Logistics DFW, LLC DBA Pinnacle Logistics | Baltimore, Maryland | 1,609 | Layoff |
| Pinnacle Logistics | Rockford, Illinois | 1,416 | Closure |
| Pinnacle Logistics | Rockford, Illinois | 1,374 | Closure |
| Oour Lady of Bellefonte Hospital, L.L.C | Bellefonte Hospital, Kentucky | 1,226 | Closure |
| Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) | Alexandria, Virginia | 1,141 | Layoff |
| Macy's Credit and Customer Services | Tempe, Arizona | 843 | |
| LSC Communications US | North Union St, Illinois | 796 | Closure |
| ViacomCBS Inc. (and its subsidiaries) | New York, New York | 708 | Layoff |
| Gate Gourmet's San Francisco International Airport Kitchen | San Francisco, California | 678 | Layoff |
| ViacomCBS Inc. (and its subsidiaries) | New York, New York | 669 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by IAS Logistics DFW, LLC DBA Pinnacle Logistics in Baltimore, Maryland, reporting 1,609 affected workers. Pinnacle Logistics followed with 1,416 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest 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 January 2020. 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, which also tracks SEC 8-K filings, bankruptcy proceedings, H-1B visa petitions, and unemployment claims across all six datasets. API access and data exports available.