The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 789 WARN Act notices in January 2023, affecting an estimated 77,914 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to December and up 176% versus January 2022. Filings came from 37 states and territories, with an average of 99 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 389 | 21,926 |
| Illinois | 25 | 15,314 |
| Connecticut | 21 | 11,188 |
| Texas | 16 | 3,719 |
| Washington | 12 | 3,486 |
| Nevada | 14 | 2,697 |
| New Jersey | 16 | 2,021 |
| Pennsylvania | 10 | 1,749 |
| Kentucky | 12 | 1,446 |
| Michigan | 22 | 1,253 |
| Massachusetts | 8 | 1,234 |
| Minnesota | 10 | 1,198 |
| Alabama | 9 | 1,195 |
| Georgia | 18 | 1,096 |
| Colorado | 18 | 1,018 |
| Florida | 15 | 879 |
| Wisconsin | 28 | 852 |
| Arizona | 14 | 809 |
| South Carolina | 11 | 745 |
| Ohio | 23 | 739 |
| Indiana | 10 | 530 |
| Rhode Island | 7 | 393 |
| Virginia | 10 | 307 |
| North Carolina | 4 | 302 |
| Idaho | 6 | 289 |
| Kansas | 12 | 279 |
| Hawaii | 4 | 237 |
| Maryland | 8 | 221 |
| Iowa | 6 | 214 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 162 |
| Oregon | 4 | 108 |
| Mississippi | 5 | 89 |
| Missouri | 2 | 86 |
| Vermont | 5 | 76 |
| Utah | 3 | 48 |
| New Mexico | 6 | 9 |
| Maine | 4 | 0 |
California led the nation with 21,926 workers affected across 389 notices , followed by Illinois (15,314 workers) and Connecticut (11,188 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 88 | 10,071 |
| Agriculture | 4 | 2,148 |
| Education | 2 | 2,023 |
| Manufacturing | 25 | 1,954 |
| Other | 17 | 1,447 |
| Retail | 9 | 1,378 |
| Transportation | 18 | 1,352 |
| Finance & Insurance | 25 | 1,290 |
| Information & Technology | 10 | 1,025 |
| Construction | 4 | 772 |
The Healthcare sector saw the heaviest impact with 10,071 workers across 88 notices. On a related front, Agriculture reported 2,148 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 343 | 24,259 |
| Closure | 160 | 13,360 |
Closures accounted for 17% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davids Bridal | 82-E Buckland St, Manchester CT / 112-118 Boston Post Road, Orange, CT / 15 Back, Connecticut | 9,248 | |
| Amazon | Seattle, Bellevue, Washington | 2,300 | Layoff |
| Amount, Inc | 222 North LaSalle, Suite 1700, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Evolent Health | 300 S. Riverside Plaza Suite 400, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Hgs USA, LLC | Ave, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Illinois Central School Bus | 751 Eastgate Industrial Parkway, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Mechanical Servants, LLC | 200 Regency Drive, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| State Farm | 3 State Farm Plaza South, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Fareva Morton Grove, Inc | 6901 Golf Road, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Desert Springs Medical Group Las Vegas | Clark, Nevada | 970 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Davids Bridal in 82-E Buckland St, Manchester CT / 112-118 Boston Post Road, Orange, CT / 15 Back, Connecticut, reporting 9,248 affected workers. Amazon followed with 2,300 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 2023. 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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