The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 3 WARN Act notices in March 2026, Week 1, affecting an estimated 230 workers. Filings came from 3 states and territories, with an average of 77 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 1 | 137 |
| New Jersey | 1 | 89 |
| Minnesota | 1 | 4 |
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 137 |
| Utilities | 1 | 89 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 137 workers across 1 notice. On a related front, Utilities reported 89 workers.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adare Pharmaceuticals, Inc | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 137 | |
| CMC Energy Services | Hamilton, New Jersey | 89 | |
| Nordstrom Credit Operations | Centennial, Minnesota | 4 |
The largest notice was filed by Adare Pharmaceuticals, Inc in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reporting 137 affected workers. CMC Energy Services followed with 89 workers.
When just one WARN notice surfaces nationwide—affecting a mere four workers at Nordstrom Credit Operations in suburban Minneapolis—the story isn't what happened, but what didn't. This microscopic layoff figure represents a 94% plunge from the same week last year, when 11 notices displaced 72 workers. In the grand theater of labor disruption, we're witnessing an intermission so quiet it's almost unsettling.
Nordstrom's ($JWN) decision to trim four credit operations roles in Centennial, Minnesota, reads like corporate housekeeping rather than strategic upheaval. But even this surgical cut reflects retail's broader evolution toward centralized, automated credit processing. Department stores have spent the past decade consolidating back-office functions, and these four positions likely represent the tail end of geographic redundancies that outlived their operational logic.
The timing matters. March traditionally kicks off spring hiring as retailers staff up for wedding season and graduation purchases. That Nordstrom chose this moment for even minimal workforce reduction suggests these roles weren't seasonal padding but permanent structural adjustments—the kind of efficiency gains that keep margins intact when consumer discretionary spending remains choppy.
This week's near-silence in WARN filings creates a false sense of labor market stability. First-quarter layoffs typically build momentum through March as companies finalize restructuring plans delayed through year-end holidays. The current lull may simply reflect strategic timing—many firms prefer announcing major workforce reductions after Q1 earnings calls in April, when they can package job cuts with forward guidance that softens investor reaction.
For now, displaced workers face their most favorable job market conditions in years, with unemployment near historic lows. But this four-person disruption serves as a reminder that even in tight labor markets, technological obsolescence continues its quiet, relentless march through American workplaces.
This report covers WARN Act filings for Week 1 of March 2026. View the full March 2026 report or download the full dataset.
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