Maryland Layoffs — February 2009
Employers in Maryland logged 9 WARN Act notices in February 2009, involving roughly 821 workers — climbing above January and up 557% versus February 2008. The average filing covered 91 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 3 | 253 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 200 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 140 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 111 |
| Construction | 2 | 62 |
| Government | 1 | 55 |
The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 253 workers across 3 notices. Meanwhile, Professional Services reported 200 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Anne Arundel | 3 | 306 |
| Baltimore City | 1 | 200 |
| Montgomery | 2 | 145 |
| Howard | 1 | 103 |
| Prince Georges | 1 | 64 |
Anne Arundel saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 37% of all affected workers with 306 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | 3 | 395 |
| Bethesda | 2 | 145 |
| Annapolis | 1 | 111 |
| Columbia | 1 | 103 |
| Beltsville | 1 | 64 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 640 |
| Layoff | 4 | 181 |
The high proportion of closures (78% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Maryland's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barton-Cotton | Baltimore | 200 | Closure | |
| Millennium Inorganic Chemicals | Baltimore | 140 | Closure | |
| Academy Facility Management | Annapolis | 111 | Closure | |
| The Home Depot-EXPO | Columbia | 103 | Closure | |
| The Home Depot-EXPO | Bethesda | 86 | Closure | |
| Ritz Camera Centers | Beltsville | 64 | Layoff | |
| Winchester Homes | Bethesda | 59 | Layoff | |
| Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond | Baltimore | 55 | Layoff | |
| Tilcon Delware | Delmar | 3 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Barton-Cotton at its Baltimore facility, reporting 200 affected workers. Millennium Inorganic Chemicals followed with 140 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
This data points to mounting pressure on the Maryland labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail 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.