US Layoffs — March 2002
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 187 WARN Act notices in March 2002, putting at risk an estimated 19,741 workers — up substantially from February and up 10% versus March 2001. Filings came from 10 states and territories, with an average of 106 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 55 | 4,671 |
| Pennsylvania | 26 | 4,316 |
| Michigan | 28 | 2,236 |
| Ohio | 15 | 1,910 |
| Georgia | 19 | 1,818 |
| Florida | 15 | 1,304 |
| Maryland | 10 | 1,300 |
| Kansas | 4 | 924 |
| Alabama | 9 | 764 |
| Oklahoma | 6 | 498 |
Texas led the nation with 4,671 workers affected across 55 notices , followed by Pennsylvania (4,316 workers) and Michigan (2,236 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 98 | 8,924 |
| Manufacturing | 46 | 6,310 |
| Professional Services | 7 | 1,211 |
| Information & Technology | 15 | 1,052 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 574 |
| Real Estate | 6 | 460 |
| Transportation | 3 | 442 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 132 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 119 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 63 |
The Retail sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 8,924 workers across 98 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 6,310 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 62 | 6,748 |
| Layoff | 8 | 1,367 |
Closures accounted for 34% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dollarland | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1,700 | Closure |
| Spiegel Group Telemarketing Service | Wichita, Kansas | 670 | |
| US Airways | Linthicum, Maryland | 457 | Layoff |
| Wachovia Corporation [First Union National Bank (Spring Ridge site)] | Wyomissing, Pennsylvania | 377 | Layoff |
| Chilpaco Mills | Chillicothe, Ohio | 343 | |
| Herman Miller | Holland, Michigan | 317 | Closure |
| Ofs Fitel | Norcross, Georgia | 300 | |
| The JPM | Lewisburg, Pennsylvania | 287 | |
| DrawTite | Canton, Michigan | 268 | Closure |
| Albertson's - Katy | Katy, Texas | 267 |
Topping the list was Dollarland in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reporting 1,700 affected workers. Spiegel Group Telemarketing Service followed with 670 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight 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 March 2002. 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.