US Layoffs — February 2005
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 81 WARN Act notices in February 2005, impacting roughly 13,077 workers — representing a notable rise over January and up 11% versus February 2004. Filings came from 12 states and territories, with an average of 161 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 22 | 3,567 |
| Georgia | 11 | 1,925 |
| Maryland | 6 | 1,670 |
| Texas | 12 | 1,113 |
| Florida | 5 | 973 |
| Ohio | 4 | 895 |
| Alabama | 4 | 743 |
| Michigan | 3 | 651 |
| New Jersey | 7 | 528 |
| Kansas | 3 | 427 |
| Washington | 3 | 416 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 169 |
Pennsylvania led the nation with 3,567 workers affected across 22 notices , followed by Georgia (1,925 workers) and Maryland (1,670 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 27 | 5,772 |
| Transportation | 10 | 2,355 |
| Information & Technology | 14 | 1,235 |
| Retail | 6 | 577 |
| Finance & Insurance | 5 | 505 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 340 |
| Construction | 2 | 264 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 251 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 200 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2 | 166 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 5,772 workers across 27 notices. In a parallel development, Transportation reported 2,355 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 16 | 4,161 |
| Layoff | 23 | 3,055 |
Closures accounted for 32% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Motors | Baltimore City, Maryland | 1,109 | Closure |
| US Airways | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 802 | Layoff |
| US Airways | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 761 | Closure |
| Lockheed Martin Space Systems | Cape Canaveral, Florida | 425 | |
| McBee | Athens, Ohio | 361 | |
| Nokia - Tarrant | Fort Worth, Texas | 354 | |
| AT&T | Marietta, Georgia | 351 | |
| Buffalo Molded Plastics, Inc., Andover Industries | Andover, Ohio | 351 | |
| Springs Industries | Hartwell, Georgia | 308 | |
| Springs Industries | Griffin, Georgia | 300 |
The single largest action involved General Motors in Baltimore City, Maryland, reporting 1,109 affected workers. US Airways followed with 802 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores 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 February 2005. 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.