Kentucky Layoffs — May 2009
Employers in Kentucky recorded 11 WARN Act notices in May 2009, covering approximately 1,827 workers — marking a sharp increase from April and up 926% versus May 2008. The average filing covered 166 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 1,297 |
| Mining & Energy | 2 | 106 |
| Other | 1 | 16 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 1,297 workers across 5 notices. At the same time, Mining & Energy reported 106 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Boyd | 1 | 750 |
| Jefferson | 3 | 279 |
Boyd bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 41% of all affected workers with 750 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ashland | 1 | 750 |
| Louisville | 3 | 279 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 6 | 1,169 |
| Closure | 5 | 658 |
Closures accounted for 36% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK Steel | Ashland | 750 | Layoff | |
| Martinrea International | 262 | Closure | ||
| Wintech | 167 | Layoff | ||
| ArvinMeritor | Louisville | 158 | Closure | |
| Trace Die Cast | 135 | Layoff | ||
| Komatsu Renam North America | 117 | Closure | ||
| ArvinMeritor | Louisville | 105 | Closure | |
| Premier Elkhorn Coal | 58 | Layoff | ||
| Carmeuse Lime and Stone | 48 | Layoff | ||
| CDG Management | Louisville | 16 | Closure | |
| Kuhlman Elctric | 11 | Layoff |
Leading the list was AK Steel at its Ashland facility, reporting 750 affected workers. Martinrea International followed with 262 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the Kentucky 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 Kentucky. 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 Kentucky WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.