US Layoffs — May 2026

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers logged 6 WARN Act notices in May 2026, involving roughly 970 workers — falling below April and down 99% versus May 2025. Filings came from 1 states and territories, with an average of 162 workers per notice.

6
Total Notices
970
Workers Affected
1
States Reporting
162
Avg per Notice
0
Closures

Weekly Reports

Week 1
4 notices · 805 workers
Week 2
1 notices · 58 workers
Week 3
1 notices · 107 workers
Week 4
0 notices · 0 workers

Top States by Workers Affected

StateNoticesWorkers
New Jersey6970

New Jersey led the nation with 970 workers affected across 6 notices .

Industry Breakdown

IndustryNoticesWorkers
Retail2207

The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 207 workers across 2 notices.

Layoff Type Analysis

Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.

Largest Layoffs

CompanyLocationWorkersType
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS)Lawrence Twp, New Jersey516
JP Morgan ChaseJersey City, New Jersey120
TargetBurlington, Gloucester, Middlesex, Monmouth, New Jersey107
WalmartHoboken, New Jersey100
Saks Fifth AvenueStatewide, New Jersey69
Saks Fifth AvenueEast Rutherford, New Jersey58

The biggest impact was at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in Lawrence Twp, New Jersey, reporting 516 affected workers. JP Morgan Chase followed with 120 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This data points to a easing in workforce disruptions across the nation, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in May 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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