US Layoffs — November 2008

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 228 WARN Act notices in November 2008, involving roughly 39,031 workers — climbing above October and up 137% versus November 2007. Filings came from 23 states and territories, with an average of 171 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

Texas led the nation with 5,281 workers affected across 37 notices , followed by Washington (4,375 workers) and Michigan (4,248 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 14,098 workers across 92 notices. Meanwhile, Finance & Insurance reported 4,546 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 19% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

The biggest impact was at Washington Mutual in Seattle, Washington, reporting 3,400 affected workers. ArcelorMittal USA followed with 2,444 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.

This data points to 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 November 2008. 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.