US Layoffs — January 2003
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 223 WARN Act notices in January 2003, involving roughly 29,138 workers — climbing above December and up 61% versus January 2002. Filings came from 11 states and territories, with an average of 131 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 75 | 8,697 |
| Georgia | 24 | 5,207 |
| Florida | 34 | 3,799 |
| Michigan | 17 | 2,702 |
| Pennsylvania | 19 | 1,885 |
| Maryland | 18 | 1,877 |
| Kansas | 8 | 1,214 |
| Ohio | 11 | 1,180 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 1,072 |
| Alabama | 9 | 769 |
| Kentucky | 3 | 736 |
Texas led the nation with 8,697 workers affected across 75 notices , followed by Georgia (5,207 workers) and Florida (3,799 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 113 | 15,231 |
| Manufacturing | 48 | 5,537 |
| Information & Technology | 18 | 2,850 |
| Healthcare | 5 | 1,127 |
| Finance & Insurance | 7 | 985 |
| Transportation | 7 | 619 |
| Wholesale Trade | 6 | 506 |
| Professional Services | 5 | 467 |
| Construction | 2 | 369 |
| Utilities | 1 | 311 |
The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 15,231 workers across 113 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 5,537 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 46 | 5,470 |
| Layoff | 20 | 2,499 |
Closures accounted for 19% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| JCPenney | Forest Park, Georgia | 1,133 | |
| Teletech | Duluth, Georgia | 602 | |
| Tyson Foods | Stillwell, Oklahoma | 535 | |
| Humana | Jacksonville, Florida | 519 | |
| Temple Continuing Care Center | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 515 | Layoff |
| Sprint | Overland Park, Kansas | 493 | |
| GM Detroit Hamtramack Assembly | Detroit, Michigan | 400 | Layoff |
| Kmart Corporation #4915 | Dearborn, Michigan | 358 | Closure |
| M&T Bank (Allfirst) | Baltimore, Maryland | 350 | Layoff |
| Auchan U.S.A | Houston, Texas | 337 |
The biggest impact was at JCPenney in Forest Park, Georgia, reporting 1,133 affected workers. Teletech followed with 602 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 Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 2003. 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.