Maryland Layoffs — January 2005
Employers in Maryland recorded 7 WARN Act notices in January 2005, covering approximately 743 workers — marking a sharp increase from December and up 389% versus January 2004. The average filing covered 106 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 280 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 170 |
| Education | 1 | 104 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 96 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 75 |
| Transportation | 1 | 18 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 280 workers across 2 notices. At the same time, Information & Technology reported 170 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | 3 | 271 |
| Washington | 1 | 180 |
| Harford | 1 | 170 |
| Wicomico | 1 | 104 |
| Prince Georges | 1 | 18 |
Baltimore felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 36% of all affected workers with 271 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown | 1 | 180 |
| Edgewood | 1 | 170 |
| Salisbury | 1 | 104 |
| Cockeysville | 1 | 100 |
| Owings Mills | 1 | 96 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 629 |
| Layoff | 2 | 114 |
The high proportion of closures (85% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Maryland's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Color | Hagerstown | 180 | Closure | |
| Gap | Edgewood | 170 | Closure | |
| 1-800-Bar None | Salisbury | 104 | Closure | |
| Md. Specialty Wire | Cockeysville | 100 | Closure | |
| Care First Blue Cross Blue Shield | Owings Mills | 96 | Layoff | |
| Sanmina-SCI | Hunt Valley | 75 | Closure | |
| Cingular | Greenbelt | 18 | Layoff |
Leading the list was Phoenix Color at its Hagerstown facility, reporting 180 affected workers. Gap followed with 170 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the Maryland labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Maryland. 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 Maryland WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.