Maryland Layoffs — January 2008
Employers in Maryland recorded 5 WARN Act notices in January 2008, covering approximately 606 workers — marking a sharp increase from December and up 30% versus January 2007. The average filing covered 121 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 451 |
| Transportation | 1 | 153 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 2 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 451 workers across 3 notices. At the same time, Transportation reported 153 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Anne Arundel | 2 | 263 |
| Washington | 1 | 260 |
| Prince Georges | 1 | 81 |
| Howard | 1 | 2 |
Anne Arundel felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 43% of all affected workers with 263 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Hancock | 1 | 260 |
| Hanover | 1 | 153 |
| Baltimore | 1 | 110 |
| Hyattsville | 1 | 81 |
| Annapolis Junction | 1 | 2 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 344 |
| Layoff | 2 | 262 |
The high proportion of closures (57% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Maryland's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rayloc | Hancock | 260 | Layoff | |
| Northwest Airlines | Hanover | 153 | Closure | |
| Weyerhaeuser | Baltimore | 110 | Closure | |
| Ferrante Bros | Hyattsville | 81 | Closure | |
| Sun Microsystems | Annapolis Junction | 2 | Layoff |
Leading the list was Rayloc at its Hancock facility, reporting 260 affected workers. Northwest Airlines followed with 153 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the Maryland labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Maryland. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Maryland WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.