US Layoffs — July 2023
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 406 WARN Act notices in July 2023, affecting an estimated 53,896 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to June and up 171% versus July 2022. Filings came from 39 states and territories, with an average of 133 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 2 | 22,102 |
| California | 135 | 7,700 |
| Illinois | 7 | 6,264 |
| Texas | 35 | 1,872 |
| Florida | 18 | 1,375 |
| North Carolina | 11 | 1,185 |
| New Jersey | 18 | 1,033 |
| Washington | 5 | 970 |
| Nevada | 6 | 862 |
| Michigan | 3 | 859 |
| South Carolina | 11 | 761 |
| Maryland | 10 | 722 |
| Virginia | 20 | 708 |
| Iowa | 14 | 667 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 609 |
| Mississippi | 13 | 532 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 469 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 460 |
| Georgia | 5 | 459 |
| Kentucky | 15 | 441 |
| Minnesota | 11 | 393 |
| Arizona | 5 | 382 |
| Colorado | 13 | 373 |
| Alabama | 3 | 366 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 354 |
| Oregon | 6 | 297 |
| Massachusetts | 3 | 281 |
| Wisconsin | 7 | 260 |
| New Mexico | 2 | 236 |
| Indiana | 3 | 233 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 200 |
| Missouri | 3 | 134 |
| Ohio | 1 | 131 |
| Alaska | 1 | 101 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 76 |
| Kansas | 2 | 15 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 14 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 0 |
| Maine | 1 | 0 |
Idaho led the nation with 22,102 workers affected across 2 notices , followed by California (7,700 workers) and Illinois (6,264 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 105 | 14,782 |
| Manufacturing | 72 | 4,685 |
| Retail | 54 | 2,766 |
| Information & Technology | 28 | 2,616 |
| Healthcare | 32 | 2,521 |
| Finance & Insurance | 27 | 1,072 |
| Professional Services | 14 | 460 |
| Government | 3 | 417 |
| Mining & Energy | 2 | 415 |
| Accommodation & Food | 14 | 410 |
The Transportation sector saw the heaviest impact with 14,782 workers across 105 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 4,685 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 154 | 17,739 |
| Layoff | 127 | 6,321 |
Closures accounted for 33% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Corporations | Idaho | 22,000 | |
| Yellow | Springfield, Illinois | 3,000 | Closure |
| Yellow | Springfield, Illinois | 2,900 | Closure |
| Yellow | Bloomington, California | 709 | Closure |
| Fca US | Dundee, Michigan | 611 | Layoff |
| Yellow Freight (Dallas) | Dallas, Texas | 530 | |
| Yellow | Charlotte, North Carolina | 518 | Closure |
| Yellow | Everett, Washington | 437 | Closure |
| Vital Pharmaceuticals | Weston, Florida | 397 | |
| Stitch Fix | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | 393 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Yellow Corporations in Idaho, reporting 22,000 affected workers. Yellow followed with 3,000 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest 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 July 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, which also tracks SEC 8-K filings, bankruptcy proceedings, H-1B visa petitions, and unemployment claims across all six datasets. API access and data exports available.