US Layoffs — July 2003
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 113 WARN Act notices in July 2003, involving roughly 15,174 workers — climbing above June and up 19% versus July 2002. Filings came from 11 states and territories, with an average of 134 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 24 | 2,595 |
| Ohio | 12 | 2,328 |
| Pennsylvania | 28 | 2,326 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 1,651 |
| Michigan | 11 | 1,605 |
| Georgia | 12 | 1,516 |
| Florida | 9 | 1,489 |
| Maryland | 7 | 796 |
| Alabama | 3 | 566 |
| Kansas | 2 | 160 |
| Vermont | 1 | 142 |
Texas led the nation with 2,595 workers affected across 24 notices , followed by Ohio (2,328 workers) and Pennsylvania (2,326 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 55 | 8,079 |
| Wholesale Trade | 8 | 1,809 |
| Transportation | 7 | 906 |
| Information & Technology | 12 | 811 |
| Finance & Insurance | 10 | 703 |
| Professional Services | 7 | 604 |
| Healthcare | 4 | 425 |
| Mining & Energy | 2 | 232 |
| Construction | 1 | 92 |
| Education | 1 | 60 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 8,079 workers across 55 notices. Meanwhile, Wholesale Trade reported 1,809 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 33 | 3,870 |
| Layoff | 16 | 1,423 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit of the Loom | Harlingen, Texas | 791 | |
| VF Imagewear (Wrangler) | Seminole, Oklahoma | 663 | |
| VF Jeanswear (Wrangler) | Seminole, Oklahoma | 663 | |
| Fleming | Massillion, Ohio | 496 | |
| Thomson | Circleville, Ohio | 450 | |
| Fleming Companies, Inc. - Lewisville | Lewisville, Texas | 341 | |
| Rexall - Sundown | Boca Raton, Florida | 332 | |
| Pillowtex Inc. Quilting | Hanover, Pennsylvania | 320 | Closure |
| Pillowtex Corporation Hanover Plant | Hanover, Pennsylvania | 319 | Closure |
| Coach USA | Miami, Florida | 290 |
The biggest impact was at Fruit of the Loom in Harlingen, Texas, reporting 791 affected workers. VF Imagewear (Wrangler) followed with 663 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in July 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.