The US labor market showed continued flux as employers logged 655 WARN Act notices in January 2021, involving roughly 47,308 workers — falling below December and roughly flat versus January 2020. Filings came from 38 states and territories, with an average of 72 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 312 | 18,772 |
| New Jersey | 17 | 4,890 |
| Maryland | 12 | 1,940 |
| Texas | 37 | 1,844 |
| Colorado | 12 | 1,369 |
| Connecticut | 22 | 1,249 |
| Wisconsin | 15 | 1,240 |
| Virginia | 17 | 1,224 |
| Idaho | 3 | 1,110 |
| Florida | 35 | 1,106 |
| Illinois | 20 | 1,083 |
| Hawaii | 11 | 924 |
| Mississippi | 8 | 848 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 846 |
| Utah | 6 | 798 |
| New York | 19 | 684 |
| Massachusetts | 5 | 669 |
| Washington | 8 | 649 |
| Oregon | 9 | 642 |
| Iowa | 8 | 634 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 582 |
| Ohio | 8 | 570 |
| North Carolina | 5 | 557 |
| South Carolina | 4 | 498 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 476 |
| Alabama | 2 | 345 |
| Nevada | 6 | 317 |
| Indiana | 4 | 310 |
| Michigan | 2 | 267 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 237 |
| Arizona | 2 | 170 |
| Delaware | 2 | 134 |
| Missouri | 2 | 97 |
| Georgia | 8 | 84 |
| PR | 1 | 62 |
| Maine | 7 | 50 |
| Kansas | 5 | 31 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 0 |
California led the nation with 18,772 workers affected across 312 notices , followed by New Jersey (4,890 workers) and Maryland (1,940 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 43 | 8,100 |
| Accommodation & Food | 80 | 8,057 |
| Healthcare | 17 | 1,436 |
| Manufacturing | 22 | 1,278 |
| Information & Technology | 18 | 1,202 |
| Retail | 11 | 1,148 |
| Education | 16 | 1,117 |
| Other | 11 | 822 |
| Wholesale Trade | 4 | 762 |
| Agriculture | 8 | 490 |
The Transportation sector dominated layoff filings with 8,100 workers across 43 notices. Meanwhile, Accommodation & Food reported 8,057 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 211 | 18,470 |
| Closure | 102 | 10,528 |
| Temporary Layoff | 2 | 66 |
Closures accounted for 22% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines, Inc | Newark, New Jersey | 3,899 | |
| Bicycle Casino L.P. dba The Bicycle Hotel & Casino | Bell Gardens, California | 1,500 | Closure |
| United Airlines | Colorado | 993 | |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Honolulu, Kahului, Kailua-Kona, Lihue, Hawaii | 810 | Layoff |
| Cohn Restaurant Group | San Diego, California | 758 | Layoff |
| LAZ Parking California, LLC | San Diego, California | 657 | Layoff |
| MGM National Harbor | Maryland | 518 | Layoff |
| MGM National Harbor | Oxon Hill, Maryland | 518 | |
| Walmart | Bentonville, New Jersey | 494 | |
| Lucky Chances Casino | Colma, California | 489 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at United Airlines, Inc in Newark, New Jersey, reporting 3,899 affected workers. Bicycle Casino L.P. dba The Bicycle Hotel & Casino followed with 1,500 workers.
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
This data points to a easing in workforce disruptions across the nation, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Transportation sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 2021. 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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