Alabama Layoffs — February 2009
Employers in Alabama reported 13 WARN Act notices in February 2009, displacing an estimated 1,635 workers — signaling an acceleration from January and up 375% versus February 2008. The average filing covered 126 workers, with 10 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 368 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 135 |
| Admin & Support Services | 1 | 86 |
| Retail | 1 | 15 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 368 workers across 3 notices. Notably, Professional Services reported 135 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wilcox | 1 | 300 |
| Jefferson | 2 | 298 |
| Morgan | 2 | 222 |
| Clarke | 1 | 143 |
| Elmore | 1 | 138 |
Wilcox felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 18% of all affected workers with 300 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Hill | 1 | 300 |
| Birmingham | 2 | 298 |
| Decatur | 2 | 222 |
| Fulton | 1 | 143 |
| Wetumpka | 1 | 138 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 10 | 1,123 |
| Layoff | 3 | 512 |
The high proportion of closures (69% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Alabama's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weyerhaeuser | Pine Hill | 300 | Closure | |
| Stevens Graphics | Birmingham | 283 | Layoff | |
| Scotch Lumber | Fulton | 143 | Layoff | |
| Russell Corp.., Coosa River Yarn Plant | Wetumpka | 138 | Closure | |
| Morgan Research | Huntsville | 135 | Closure | |
| Basf | Decatur | 115 | Closure | |
| Cargill | Decatur | 107 | Closure | |
| Graphic Packaging International | Tuscaloosa | 87 | Closure | |
| Elwood Staffing/New South Express | Lincoln | 86 | Layoff | |
| Loparex | Cullman | 78 | Closure | |
| Gerber Childrenswear | 77 | Closure | ||
| Weyerhaeuser Co.., Castleberry | Castleberry | 71 | Closure | |
| Sears Holdings | Birmingham | 15 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Weyerhaeuser at its Pine Hill facility, reporting 300 affected workers. Stevens Graphics followed with 283 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Alabama 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 Alabama. 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 Alabama WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.