Missouri Layoffs — April 2009
Employers in Missouri filed 9 WARN Act notices in April 2009, impacting roughly 1,125 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 35% versus April 2008. The average filing covered 125 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 7 | 963 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 89 |
| Government | 1 | 73 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 963 workers across 7 notices. In a parallel development, Professional Services reported 89 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Saint Louis | 2 | 572 |
| Clay | 2 | 195 |
| Jackson | 1 | 107 |
| Platte | 1 | 89 |
| Saint Louis City | 1 | 73 |
Saint Louis saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 51% of all affected workers with 572 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgeton | 1 | 300 |
| Earth City | 1 | 272 |
| Kearney | 1 | 146 |
| Grandview | 1 | 107 |
| Kansas City | 1 | 89 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 8 | 825 |
| Closure | 1 | 300 |
Closures accounted for 27% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crane Merchandising Systems | Bridgeton | 300 | Closure | |
| Sara Lee | Earth City | 272 | Layoff | |
| Variform | Kearney | 146 | Layoff | |
| Sika | Grandview | 107 | Layoff | |
| Accent | Kansas City | 89 | Layoff | |
| Treasurer's Office | St. Louis | 73 | Layoff | |
| ANH Refractories | Vandalia | 68 | Layoff | |
| Ust | Gladstone | 49 | Layoff | |
| 3M | Columbia | 21 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Crane Merchandising Systems at its Bridgeton facility, reporting 300 affected workers. Sara Lee followed with 272 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Missouri 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 Missouri. 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 Missouri WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.