The US labor market showed continued flux as employers filed 857 WARN Act notices in August 2023, impacting roughly 100,734 workers — representing a pullback from July and up 156% versus August 2022. Filings came from 43 states and territories, with an average of 118 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 52 | 36,850 |
| California | 243 | 12,922 |
| Maryland | 32 | 4,190 |
| Nevada | 8 | 3,600 |
| Indiana | 24 | 3,100 |
| Washington | 19 | 3,034 |
| Massachusetts | 26 | 2,940 |
| Missouri | 4 | 2,851 |
| North Carolina | 27 | 2,685 |
| New Jersey | 37 | 2,573 |
| Texas | 47 | 2,505 |
| Arizona | 24 | 2,447 |
| Rhode Island | 11 | 2,149 |
| Florida | 24 | 1,784 |
| Colorado | 38 | 1,765 |
| Ohio | 22 | 1,728 |
| Connecticut | 9 | 1,236 |
| Wisconsin | 24 | 1,198 |
| Virginia | 8 | 1,038 |
| Kentucky | 5 | 1,027 |
| Michigan | 15 | 1,022 |
| Iowa | 29 | 849 |
| Georgia | 12 | 837 |
| Alabama | 6 | 804 |
| Pennsylvania | 10 | 797 |
| Oregon | 12 | 752 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 626 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 546 |
| Minnesota | 23 | 473 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 438 |
| Hawaii | 11 | 340 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 321 |
| Montana | 4 | 318 |
| Idaho | 6 | 257 |
| Kansas | 11 | 201 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 164 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 145 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 141 |
| Alaska | 2 | 54 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 27 |
| New Mexico | 1 | 0 |
| Washington DC | 2 | 0 |
| Maine | 3 | 0 |
Illinois led the nation with 36,850 workers affected across 52 notices , followed by California (12,922 workers) and Maryland (4,190 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 70 | 9,386 |
| Transportation | 53 | 8,937 |
| Manufacturing | 48 | 6,930 |
| Other | 37 | 6,890 |
| Mining & Energy | 3 | 1,777 |
| Information & Technology | 30 | 1,642 |
| Accommodation & Food | 16 | 1,448 |
| Finance & Insurance | 18 | 1,164 |
| Retail | 12 | 697 |
| Admin & Support Services | 3 | 431 |
The Healthcare sector led the way in workforce reductions with 9,386 workers across 70 notices. In a parallel development, Transportation reported 8,937 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 241 | 30,993 |
| Layoff | 193 | 10,771 |
| Temporary Closure | 4 | 243 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 19 |
Closures accounted for 31% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Corporation | Statewide, Illinois | 2,900 | Closure |
| AGB Investigative Services, Inc | 7545 S. Western Ave, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| ASM Global (at McCormick Place) | 301 E. Cermak Road, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Berry Global, Inc | 1008 Courtaulds Dr, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| CJ Logistics America, LLC | 24101 S. Bradley St, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Clearwave Fiber | 610 Fourth Street, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| CVS Health | 2100 E. Lake Cook Road, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Federal Express Corp | 507 N 5th Street, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Menasha Packaging Company | 11601 S. Central Ave, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Providence Life Services | 2681 Route 394, Illinois | 2,023 |
The single largest action involved Yellow Corporation in Statewide, Illinois, reporting 2,900 affected workers. AGB Investigative Services, Inc followed with 2,023 workers.
The data underscores a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in August 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.