Alabama Layoffs — December 2002
Employers in Alabama reported 3 WARN Act notices in December 2002, displacing an estimated 871 workers — signaling an acceleration from November and up 70% versus December 2001. The average filing covered 290 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 152 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 152 workers across 1 notice.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Covington | 1 | 647 |
| Mobile | 1 | 152 |
| Madison | 1 | 72 |
Covington felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 74% of all affected workers with 647 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Opp | 1 | 647 |
| Mobile | 1 | 152 |
| Huntsville | 1 | 72 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 871 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Alabama's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp & Micolas Mills (Johnston Industries) | Opp | 647 | Closure | |
| Dillard'S Inc.., Mobile | Mobile | 152 | Closure | |
| Sara Lee Baking Group | Huntsville | 72 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Opp & Micolas Mills (Johnston Industries) at its Opp facility, reporting 647 affected workers. Dillard'S Inc.., Mobile followed with 152 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Alabama labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Alabama. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Alabama WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.