The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 950 WARN Act notices in January 2026, affecting an estimated 82,732 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to December and up 119% versus January 2025. Filings came from 41 states and territories, with an average of 87 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 308 | 16,259 |
| Washington | 29 | 9,237 |
| Texas | 28 | 7,663 |
| New Jersey | 44 | 5,867 |
| Virginia | 22 | 5,792 |
| Illinois | 38 | 5,009 |
| Georgia | 24 | 3,620 |
| Pennsylvania | 15 | 2,643 |
| Tennessee | 16 | 2,530 |
| Connecticut | 8 | 2,424 |
| Maryland | 27 | 2,172 |
| Massachusetts | 24 | 2,147 |
| Colorado | 16 | 2,050 |
| Michigan | 11 | 1,843 |
| North Carolina | 14 | 1,699 |
| Iowa | 45 | 1,395 |
| Louisiana | 6 | 1,307 |
| South Carolina | 9 | 1,073 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 882 |
| Florida | 11 | 819 |
| Wisconsin | 15 | 732 |
| Ohio | 12 | 711 |
| Minnesota | 130 | 651 |
| Arizona | 16 | 638 |
| Indiana | 9 | 632 |
| Hawaii | 13 | 522 |
| Vermont | 5 | 386 |
| Oregon | 14 | 366 |
| Missouri | 3 | 248 |
| Kentucky | 5 | 239 |
| Maine | 4 | 232 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 199 |
| Utah | 6 | 180 |
| Alabama | 2 | 158 |
| Kansas | 4 | 144 |
| Idaho | 2 | 102 |
| Montana | 1 | 78 |
| Rhode Island | 2 | 76 |
| Nevada | 5 | 7 |
| South Dakota | 1 | 0 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 0 |
California led the nation with 16,259 workers affected across 308 notices , followed by Washington (9,237 workers) and Texas (7,663 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 71 | 7,363 |
| Manufacturing | 64 | 7,241 |
| Transportation | 40 | 3,547 |
| Healthcare | 64 | 3,088 |
| Finance & Insurance | 41 | 1,893 |
| Other | 21 | 1,636 |
| Information & Technology | 19 | 1,118 |
| Accommodation & Food | 71 | 681 |
| Professional Services | 16 | 604 |
| Agriculture | 3 | 381 |
The Retail sector saw the heaviest impact with 7,363 workers across 71 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 7,241 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 170 | 20,296 |
| Layoff | 209 | 16,249 |
Closures accounted for 25% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Various locations in Washington, Washington | 2,303 | |
| Amazon | Sumner, DuPont, Kent, Spokane, Arlington, Pasco, Bellevue, Redmond, Remote, Washington | 2,198 | Layoff |
| Amazon | Various locations in Washington, Washington | 2,198 | |
| Tyson Foods | Amarillo, Texas | 1,761 | |
| Tyson Foods, Inc (Amarillo B-Shift Operations) Updated | Amarillo, Texas | 1,761 | |
| Tyson Foods, Inc (Amarillo B-Shift Operations) Updated | Amarillo, Texas | 1,761 | |
| Factory ZERO Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center | Detroit, Michigan | 1,140 | Layoff |
| Macys Cheshire Fulfillment Center | Cheshire, Connecticut | 993 | Closure |
| Macys Cheshire Fulfillment Center | Cheshire, Connecticut | 993 | Closure |
| Amazon Fresh | Philadelphia, Bensalem, Warrington, Willow Grove, Broomall, Lanhorne, Pennsylvania | 983 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Amazon in Various locations in Washington, Washington, reporting 2,303 affected workers. Amazon followed with 2,198 workers.
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 Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 2026. 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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