The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 771 WARN Act notices in October 2023, displacing an estimated 77,731 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and up 30% versus October 2022. Filings came from 40 states and territories, with an average of 101 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 35 | 25,424 |
| California | 220 | 15,448 |
| Texas | 79 | 5,783 |
| Michigan | 41 | 3,583 |
| New Jersey | 21 | 2,853 |
| New Mexico | 9 | 2,211 |
| Washington | 17 | 2,073 |
| Ohio | 17 | 1,903 |
| Tennessee | 14 | 1,862 |
| Virginia | 14 | 1,780 |
| Wisconsin | 17 | 1,616 |
| Oregon | 13 | 1,452 |
| South Carolina | 19 | 1,230 |
| Utah | 11 | 1,174 |
| Arizona | 8 | 1,078 |
| North Carolina | 10 | 1,038 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 817 |
| Georgia | 11 | 790 |
| Nevada | 8 | 760 |
| Indiana | 12 | 746 |
| Minnesota | 20 | 631 |
| Mississippi | 9 | 482 |
| Maryland | 10 | 481 |
| Connecticut | 10 | 452 |
| Iowa | 20 | 432 |
| Colorado | 15 | 344 |
| Florida | 11 | 279 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 270 |
| Missouri | 3 | 242 |
| Nebraska | 8 | 149 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 136 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 79 |
| Idaho | 8 | 60 |
| North Dakota | 2 | 36 |
| South Dakota | 2 | 20 |
| Massachusetts | 4 | 10 |
| Maine | 9 | 7 |
| New York | 52 | 0 |
| Kansas | 3 | 0 |
| Vermont | 1 | 0 |
Illinois led the nation with 25,424 workers affected across 35 notices , followed by California (15,448 workers) and Texas (5,783 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 83 | 10,460 |
| Manufacturing | 38 | 4,591 |
| Other | 17 | 1,572 |
| Transportation | 16 | 1,532 |
| Information & Technology | 23 | 978 |
| Finance & Insurance | 36 | 817 |
| Accommodation & Food | 24 | 591 |
| Utilities | 35 | 512 |
| Education | 4 | 511 |
| Admin & Support Services | 2 | 403 |
The Healthcare sector topped the list of affected industries with 10,460 workers across 83 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 4,591 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 187 | 13,997 |
| Closure | 136 | 11,320 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 870 |
| Temporary Layoff | 2 | 624 |
Closures accounted for 16% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars Wrigley | 2019 N. Oak Park Ave, Illinois | 2,024 | |
| Aspire Bakeries LLC | Ave, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Becton, Dickinson and Company | Drive, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Heartland Alliance Health | 4750 N. Sheridan Road/1015 W. Lawrence Ave, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Quad/Graphics, Marketing LLC | 420 Industrial Ave, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Signature Room | 875 N. Michigan Ave, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Silgan Containers | 324 W. Main Street, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| VRC Engineered Solutions | 3800 Wesley Terrace, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| CVS Health | 2100 E. Lake Cook Road, Illinois | 2,023 | |
| Equistar Chemicals, LP | 625 US Hwy 36, Illinois | 2,023 |
The most significant filing came from Mars Wrigley in 2019 N. Oak Park Ave, Illinois, reporting 2,024 affected workers. Aspire Bakeries LLC followed with 2,023 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate 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 October 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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