The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 403 WARN Act notices in February 2021, covering approximately 65,861 workers — marking a sharp increase from January and up 67% versus February 2020. Filings came from 36 states and territories, with an average of 163 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 35 | 30,881 |
| California | 116 | 10,002 |
| Texas | 25 | 4,039 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | 1,898 |
| Florida | 14 | 1,787 |
| Michigan | 6 | 1,502 |
| Missouri | 3 | 1,357 |
| Washington | 17 | 1,332 |
| Colorado | 15 | 1,283 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 1,122 |
| Kentucky | 12 | 1,098 |
| New Jersey | 7 | 935 |
| Georgia | 11 | 927 |
| Kansas | 4 | 915 |
| New York | 25 | 824 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 807 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 660 |
| Ohio | 8 | 642 |
| Iowa | 15 | 569 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 523 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 425 |
| Hawaii | 23 | 401 |
| Virginia | 5 | 368 |
| Indiana | 4 | 334 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 290 |
| Utah | 3 | 195 |
| Minnesota | 3 | 131 |
| Idaho | 1 | 111 |
| Massachusetts | 2 | 111 |
| Arizona | 2 | 92 |
| Oregon | 2 | 91 |
| Maine | 4 | 88 |
| Nevada | 3 | 65 |
| Vermont | 1 | 30 |
| Maryland | 4 | 18 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 8 |
Illinois led the nation with 30,881 workers affected across 35 notices , followed by California (10,002 workers) and Texas (4,039 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 37 | 13,346 |
| Accommodation & Food | 22 | 5,017 |
| Information & Technology | 15 | 2,732 |
| Education | 12 | 2,536 |
| Finance & Insurance | 6 | 2,346 |
| Agriculture | 6 | 2,111 |
| Manufacturing | 28 | 1,323 |
| Utilities | 5 | 968 |
| Other | 10 | 722 |
| Healthcare | 9 | 562 |
The Transportation sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 13,346 workers across 37 notices. At the same time, Accommodation & Food reported 5,017 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 96 | 13,244 |
| Closure | 60 | 5,536 |
Closures accounted for 8% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines - SFO | San Francisco, California | 3,139 | Layoff |
| American Airlines-DFW | DFW Airport, Texas | 2,475 | |
| 8th Avenue Food & Provisions | 118 Iowa Avenue, Illinois | 2,021 | |
| Emerald Polymer Additives, LLC | 1450N, Illinois | 2,021 | |
| Illinois Central School Bus | 216 Jackson Street, Illinois | 2,021 | |
| State Farm | 1 State Farm Plaza 3 State Farm Plaza South, Illinois | 2,021 | |
| UPS Supply Chain Solutions | Drive, Illinois | 2,021 | |
| Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corp. (WPS) | 912 N. Pentecost Drive 1000 Factory Outlet Drive, Illinois | 2,021 | |
| Abercrombie & Kent USA, LLC | Executive Towers West II, Suite 300, Illinois | 2,021 | |
| American Airlines, Inc | O'Hare Ave. ORD Hanger 1, Illinois | 2,021 |
Leading the list was United Airlines - SFO in San Francisco, California, reporting 3,139 affected workers. American Airlines-DFW followed with 2,475 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
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 February 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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