US Layoffs — December 2006
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 79 WARN Act notices in December 2006, displacing an estimated 10,264 workers — signaling an acceleration from November and up 21% versus December 2005. Filings came from 16 states and territories, with an average of 130 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | 12 | 2,457 |
| Georgia | 8 | 1,545 |
| New York | 14 | 948 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 900 |
| Ohio | 8 | 844 |
| Maryland | 3 | 580 |
| Florida | 5 | 547 |
| Texas | 7 | 439 |
| Missouri | 3 | 422 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 419 |
| Alabama | 3 | 408 |
| Michigan | 2 | 285 |
| Washington | 4 | 187 |
| Kansas | 1 | 110 |
| Washington DC | 2 | 110 |
| Iowa | 2 | 63 |
New Jersey led the nation with 2,457 workers affected across 12 notices , followed by Georgia (1,545 workers) and New York (948 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 30 | 3,390 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 1,722 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 1,236 |
| Transportation | 3 | 598 |
| Retail | 6 | 592 |
| Accommodation & Food | 4 | 516 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 450 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2 | 220 |
| Construction | 1 | 218 |
| Utilities | 2 | 114 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 3,390 workers across 30 notices. Notably, Information & Technology reported 1,722 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 19 | 2,344 |
| Layoff | 18 | 1,078 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| America On Line (AOL) | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 900 | |
| Pbi Medical Center | Passaic, New Jersey | 890 | |
| Icelandic Seafood | Cambridge, Maryland | 426 | Closure |
| Automated Distribution | Edison, New Jersey | 399 | |
| Collins & Aikman | Americus, Georgia | 350 | |
| Champion Mortgage | Parsippany, New Jersey | 349 | |
| Northlake Medical Center | Tucker, Georgia | 346 | |
| Springs Global Us | Calhoun, Georgia | 324 | |
| Merck | Albany, Georgia | 273 | |
| Time Warner Cable | Couldersport, Pennsylvania | 270 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from America On Line (AOL) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reporting 900 affected workers. Pbi Medical Center followed with 890 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate 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 December 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.