US Layoffs — April 2006
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 106 WARN Act notices in April 2006, impacting roughly 14,740 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 50% versus April 2005. Filings came from 13 states and territories, with an average of 139 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 13 | 3,045 |
| Georgia | 9 | 2,413 |
| Pennsylvania | 22 | 1,902 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 1,665 |
| New Jersey | 13 | 1,212 |
| Michigan | 7 | 943 |
| Texas | 13 | 777 |
| Kansas | 4 | 771 |
| Iowa | 5 | 744 |
| Florida | 9 | 634 |
| Maryland | 4 | 277 |
| Washington | 4 | 255 |
| Alaska | 1 | 102 |
Ohio led the nation with 3,045 workers affected across 13 notices , followed by Georgia (2,413 workers) and Pennsylvania (1,902 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 51 | 8,425 |
| Information & Technology | 15 | 1,931 |
| Transportation | 8 | 1,577 |
| Finance & Insurance | 9 | 835 |
| Accommodation & Food | 5 | 352 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3 | 339 |
| Retail | 6 | 310 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 260 |
| Education | 1 | 253 |
| Utilities | 1 | 92 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 8,425 workers across 51 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 1,931 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 26 | 3,365 |
| Layoff | 16 | 756 |
Closures accounted for 23% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Motor Company | Hapeville, Georgia | 1,652 | |
| Dayton Tire/Bridgestone Firestone | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 1,475 | |
| UPS Cartage Services | Vandalia, Ohio | 1,210 | |
| Verizon Business | Sergeant Bluff, Iowa | 569 | Closure |
| Federal Mogul | St. Johns, Michigan | 425 | Closure |
| Idt | Newark, New Jersey | 320 | |
| Boeing | Wichita, Kansas | 313 | |
| Yorktowne, Inc. Plant 4 | Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania | 300 | Closure |
| Armstrong Air Conditioning, a.k.a. Allied Air Enterprises, a Lennox International | Bellevue, Ohio | 300 | |
| Sony American Video Glass | Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania | 276 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Ford Motor Company in Hapeville, Georgia, reporting 1,652 affected workers. Dayton Tire/Bridgestone Firestone followed with 1,475 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
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 April 2006. 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.