Alabama Layoffs — March 2009
Employers in Alabama filed 40 WARN Act notices in March 2009, impacting roughly 2,646 workers — representing a notable rise over February and up 104% versus March 2008. The average filing covered 66 workers, with 38 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 35 | 2,280 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 178 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 80 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 2,280 workers across 35 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 178 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 10 | 654 |
| Mobile | 7 | 573 |
| Tuscaloosa | 6 | 458 |
| Baldwin | 4 | 264 |
| Shelby | 2 | 99 |
Jefferson was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 25% of all affected workers with 654 workers across 10 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile | 5 | 469 |
| Tuscaloosa | 5 | 400 |
| Birmingham | 4 | 291 |
| Hoover | 3 | 182 |
| Saraland | 2 | 104 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 38 | 2,560 |
| Layoff | 2 | 86 |
The high proportion of closures (97% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Alabama's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armstrong World Industries, Inc.. (3) | Mobile | 172 | Closure | |
| Bruno’S | Mobile | 110 | Closure | |
| Bruno'S Supermarkets | Hoover | 106 | Closure | |
| Bruno’S Supermarkets | Tuscaloosa | 106 | Closure | |
| Bruno’S Supermarkets | Tuscaloosa | 103 | Closure | |
| Bruno'S Supermarkets | Fairhope | 93 | Closure | |
| Bruno’S Supermarkets | Birmingham | 89 | Closure | |
| Bruno’S Supermarkets | Birmingham | 87 | Closure | |
| Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital | Phenix City | 80 | Layoff | |
| Bruno'S | Mobile | 77 | Closure | |
| Sears Holdings | Saraland | 74 | Closure | |
| Food World | Mc Calla | 74 | Closure | |
| Bruno'S Supermarkets | Birmingham | 73 | Closure | |
| Food World | Tuscaloosa | 72 | Closure | |
| Bruno’S Supermarkets | Hoover | 70 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Armstrong World Industries, Inc.. (3) at its Mobile facility, reporting 172 affected workers. Bruno’S followed with 110 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Alabama 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 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.