US Layoffs — March 2005

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 89 WARN Act notices in March 2005, putting at risk an estimated 22,945 workers — up substantially from February and up 36% versus March 2004. Filings came from 12 states and territories, with an average of 258 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

Kansas led the nation with 8,320 workers affected across 5 notices , followed by Michigan (5,390 workers) and Florida (1,802 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 15,811 workers across 35 notices. Separately, Finance & Insurance reported 1,717 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 29% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was Boeing in Wichita, Kansas, reporting 8,116 affected workers. General Motors ­ Lansing Car Assem followed with 2,200 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.

These figures highlight 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 March 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.