US Layoffs — January 2000
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 61 WARN Act notices in January 2000, involving roughly 10,397 workers — climbing above December and up 45% versus January 1999. Filings came from 9 states and territories, with an average of 170 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 20 | 3,294 |
| Michigan | 8 | 2,050 |
| Florida | 11 | 1,844 |
| Ohio | 7 | 1,267 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 980 |
| Maryland | 5 | 526 |
| Alabama | 2 | 192 |
| Kansas | 3 | 169 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 75 |
Texas led the nation with 3,294 workers affected across 20 notices , followed by Michigan (2,050 workers) and Florida (1,844 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 13 | 3,084 |
| Manufacturing | 17 | 2,071 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 1,061 |
| Retail | 8 | 1,031 |
| Finance & Insurance | 6 | 752 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 476 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 400 |
| Transportation | 3 | 393 |
| Construction | 2 | 176 |
| Education | 1 | 39 |
The Healthcare sector dominated layoff filings with 3,084 workers across 13 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 2,071 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 12 | 2,552 |
| Layoff | 3 | 216 |
Closures accounted for 25% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital | Detroit, Michigan | 1,300 | Closure |
| Houston Astrodome | Houston, Texas | 1,061 | |
| Tecumseh Products | Somerset, Kentucky | 604 | |
| Computer Sciences Raytheon / CSR | Cocoa Beach, Florida | 400 | |
| Keycorp | Cleveland, Ohio | 350 | |
| Oakwood Hospital Beyer Center | Ypsilanti, Michigan | 330 | Closure |
| Ikeda Interior Systems | Sidney, Ohio | 309 | |
| Charter BHS of Tampa Bay | Tampa, Florida | 305 | |
| S&G Packaging | Yulee, Florida | 284 | |
| Philip Morris | Louisville, Kentucky | 260 |
The biggest impact was at Mercy Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, reporting 1,300 affected workers. Houston Astrodome followed with 1,061 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
This data points to 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 January 2000. 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, which also tracks SEC 8-K filings, bankruptcy proceedings, H-1B visa petitions, and unemployment claims across all six datasets. API access and data exports available.