The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 311 WARN Act notices in March 2022, involving roughly 38,437 workers — climbing above February and down 31% versus March 2021. Filings came from 33 states and territories, with an average of 124 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 25 | 14,587 |
| California | 94 | 6,737 |
| Ohio | 20 | 2,856 |
| Wisconsin | 9 | 1,160 |
| South Dakota | 6 | 1,124 |
| Indiana | 9 | 1,076 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 1,042 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 1,019 |
| Idaho | 3 | 813 |
| South Carolina | 5 | 679 |
| Washington | 4 | 600 |
| Texas | 13 | 593 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 586 |
| Oregon | 3 | 557 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 521 |
| Virginia | 5 | 453 |
| North Carolina | 4 | 446 |
| Iowa | 5 | 364 |
| Utah | 6 | 363 |
| Maryland | 16 | 333 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 320 |
| Georgia | 8 | 317 |
| Florida | 5 | 304 |
| Michigan | 8 | 303 |
| Nevada | 8 | 282 |
| Minnesota | 7 | 211 |
| Louisiana | 4 | 182 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 174 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 158 |
| Hawaii | 6 | 95 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 94 |
| Colorado | 5 | 88 |
| Maine | 7 | 0 |
Illinois led the nation with 14,587 workers affected across 25 notices , followed by California (6,737 workers) and Ohio (2,856 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Education | 9 | 2,499 |
| Information & Technology | 13 | 2,351 |
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 2,035 |
| Healthcare | 15 | 1,813 |
| Other | 15 | 1,574 |
| Manufacturing | 21 | 1,386 |
| Transportation | 11 | 978 |
| Accommodation & Food | 9 | 621 |
| Retail | 6 | 549 |
| Utilities | 8 | 292 |
The Education sector dominated layoff filings with 2,499 workers across 9 notices. Meanwhile, Information & Technology reported 2,351 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 82 | 8,473 |
| Layoff | 81 | 5,758 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 86 |
Closures accounted for 22% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATCO O'Hare, Inc | 1000 W. O'Hare Ave, Illinois | 2,022 | |
| Illinois Central School Bus | 5552 Dial Drive, Illinois | 2,022 | |
| Old Town Market, LLC | 1233 North Wells Street, Illinois | 2,022 | |
| Veritiv | 1141 N. Swift Road, Illinois | 2,022 | |
| Wabtec Corporation | 6300 Muirfield Drive, Illinois | 2,022 | |
| Interfirst Mortgage Company | 9525 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 400, Illinois | 2,022 | |
| Rockwell Automation, Inc | 2802 W. Bloomington Road, Illinois | 2,022 | |
| Watsonville Community Hospital | Watsonville, California | 658 | Closure |
| Mammoth Tech | Defiance, New Hampshire | 521 | Closure |
| Mammoth Tech, Inc | Defiance, Ohio | 521 |
The biggest impact was at CATCO O'Hare, Inc in 1000 W. O'Hare Ave, Illinois, reporting 2,022 affected workers. Illinois Central School Bus followed with 2,022 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Education sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in March 2022. 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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