US Layoffs — August 2007
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 112 WARN Act notices in August 2007, displacing an estimated 13,753 workers — signaling an acceleration from July and up 11% versus August 2006. Filings came from 16 states and territories, with an average of 123 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 12 | 2,467 |
| Georgia | 16 | 2,239 |
| Ohio | 11 | 1,984 |
| Texas | 15 | 1,504 |
| Florida | 20 | 1,069 |
| Washington | 7 | 913 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 901 |
| Missouri | 4 | 690 |
| Michigan | 4 | 531 |
| Alabama | 3 | 526 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 364 |
| Maryland | 4 | 242 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 95 |
| Iowa | 1 | 93 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 68 |
| Kansas | 1 | 67 |
New York led the nation with 2,467 workers affected across 12 notices , followed by Georgia (2,239 workers) and Ohio (1,984 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 41 | 4,786 |
| Manufacturing | 32 | 4,028 |
| Wholesale Trade | 4 | 941 |
| Information & Technology | 5 | 793 |
| Professional Services | 6 | 621 |
| Retail | 3 | 471 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 255 |
| Transportation | 3 | 173 |
| Education | 1 | 172 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 95 |
The Finance & Insurance sector topped the list of affected industries with 4,786 workers across 41 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 4,028 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 28 | 3,546 |
| Layoff | 12 | 2,415 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Home Mortgage | Melville, New York | 1,555 | Layoff |
| Associated Grocers | Seattle-Renton, Washington | 684 | Closure |
| Earthlink | Atlanta, Georgia | 527 | |
| Homebanc Mortgage | Atlanta, Georgia | 404 | |
| Briggs & Stratton | Rolla, Missouri | 357 | Closure |
| Honeywell Autolite | Fostoria, Ohio | 350 | |
| Delphi Automotive Holdings Group | Moraine, Ohio | 315 | |
| Wise Alloys | Muscle Shoals, Alabama | 301 | Layoff |
| Magna Donnelly | Grand Haven, Michigan | 300 | Closure |
| Friedrich Air Conditioning | San Antonio, Texas | 295 |
The most significant filing came from American Home Mortgage in Melville, New York, reporting 1,555 affected workers. Associated Grocers followed with 684 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 Finance & Insurance sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in August 2007. 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.