Alabama Layoffs — May 2009
Employers in Alabama submitted 9 WARN Act notices in May 2009, putting at risk an estimated 2,450 workers — up substantially from April and up 436% versus May 2008. The average filing covered 272 workers, with 8 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 2,078 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 93 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 12 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 2,078 workers across 5 notices. Separately, Finance & Insurance reported 93 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 2 | 1,723 |
| Lee | 1 | 147 |
| Monroe | 1 | 141 |
| Washington | 1 | 126 |
| Calhoun | 1 | 93 |
Jefferson saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 70% of all affected workers with 1,723 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | 1 | 1,711 |
| Auburn | 1 | 147 |
| Monroeville | 1 | 141 |
| Mc Intosh | 1 | 126 |
| Oxford | 1 | 93 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 8 | 2,438 |
| Layoff | 1 | 12 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Alabama's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Steel | Fairfield | 1,711 | Closure | |
| Pace Industries | Auburn | 147 | Closure | |
| Vanity Fair Brands-Dye/Finish Facility | Monroeville | 141 | Closure | |
| Tate & Lyle Sucralose | Mc Intosh | 126 | Closure | |
| Hager Companies | Oxford | 93 | Closure | |
| Accellent | Huntsville | 78 | Closure | |
| Rigid Building Systems | Gadsden | 73 | Closure | |
| Vanity Fair Brands-Knitting Facility | Jackson | 69 | Closure | |
| Sun Microsystems | Birmingham | 12 | Layoff |
Topping the list was United States Steel at its Fairfield facility, reporting 1,711 affected workers. Pace Industries followed with 147 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight 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.