Maryland Layoffs — August 2009
Employers in Maryland logged 4 WARN Act notices in August 2009, involving roughly 428 workers — climbing above July and down 11% versus August 2008. The average filing covered 107 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Services | 1 | 281 |
| Retail | 2 | 87 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 60 |
The Professional Services sector dominated layoff filings with 281 workers across 1 notice. Meanwhile, Retail reported 87 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 1 | 281 |
| Anne Arundel | 1 | 78 |
| Baltimore | 1 | 60 |
| Saint Marys | 1 | 9 |
Montgomery bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 66% of all affected workers with 281 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Rockville | 1 | 281 |
| Glen Burnie | 1 | 78 |
| Owings Mills | 1 | 60 |
| Lexington Park | 1 | 9 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 3 | 350 |
| Closure | 1 | 78 |
Closures accounted for 18% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westat | Rockville | 281 | Layoff | |
| Kmart | Glen Burnie | 78 | Closure | |
| Solo Cup | Owings Mills | 60 | Layoff | |
| Bell Helicopter | Lexington Park | 9 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Westat at its Rockville facility, reporting 281 affected workers. Kmart followed with 78 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to a mixed picture for Maryland's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Professional Services 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.