Alabama Layoffs — May 2020
Employers in Alabama posted 3 WARN Act notices in May 2020, affecting an estimated 1,321 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to April and up 1248% versus May 2019. The average filing covered 440 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 1,321 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,321 workers across 3 notices.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 1 | 633 |
| Etowah | 1 | 592 |
| Lee | 1 | 96 |
Jefferson absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 48% of all affected workers with 633 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | 1 | 633 |
| Gadsden | 1 | 592 |
| Auburn | 1 | 96 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 688 |
| Layoff | 1 | 633 |
The high proportion of closures (52% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Alabama's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Steel Tubular Products | Fairfield | 633 | Layoff | |
| Goodyear | Gadsden | 592 | Closure | |
| Weidplas North America | Auburn | 96 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by U.S. Steel Tubular Products at its Fairfield facility, reporting 633 affected workers. Goodyear followed with 592 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Alabama labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Alabama. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Alabama WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.