US Layoffs — May 2011
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 252 WARN Act notices in May 2011, involving roughly 22,938 workers — climbing above April and up 30% versus May 2010. Filings came from 28 states and territories, with an average of 91 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 59 | 4,793 |
| Florida | 15 | 3,063 |
| Maryland | 34 | 1,702 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 1,686 |
| Texas | 32 | 1,666 |
| Virginia | 10 | 1,360 |
| Pennsylvania | 15 | 1,241 |
| Ohio | 9 | 956 |
| New York | 17 | 829 |
| Alabama | 7 | 606 |
| Washington | 4 | 598 |
| Indiana | 4 | 456 |
| Arizona | 3 | 442 |
| Michigan | 2 | 418 |
| Mississippi | 7 | 418 |
| Georgia | 4 | 405 |
| Missouri | 2 | 367 |
| Kansas | 4 | 347 |
| South Dakota | 1 | 335 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 325 |
| Iowa | 3 | 283 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 151 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 150 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 150 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 101 |
| Oregon | 1 | 58 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 21 |
| Vermont | 2 | 11 |
California led the nation with 4,793 workers affected across 59 notices , followed by Florida (3,063 workers) and Maryland (1,702 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 94 | 6,525 |
| Information & Technology | 17 | 3,144 |
| Retail | 36 | 2,971 |
| Professional Services | 19 | 2,274 |
| Healthcare | 18 | 1,575 |
| Transportation | 7 | 892 |
| Finance & Insurance | 9 | 861 |
| Wholesale Trade | 5 | 813 |
| Accommodation & Food | 7 | 801 |
| Education | 6 | 559 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 6,525 workers across 94 notices. Meanwhile, Information & Technology reported 3,144 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 55 | 5,159 |
| Layoff | 38 | 1,902 |
Closures accounted for 22% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Space Alliance | Titusville, Florida | 1,942 | |
| General Dynamics ("Nassco") | San Diego, California | 900 | |
| StarTek | Collinsville, Virginia | 628 | Closure |
| Flextronics Americas | Newark, New Jersey | 413 | |
| Amcor Specialty Packaging Glass Tubing Americas | Millville, New Jersey | 412 | |
| Premier Bankcard | Spearfish, South Dakota | 335 | |
| Zeledyne | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma | 325 | |
| Pemco World Air Services | Dothan, Alabama | 319 | Closure |
| United Space Alliance, LLC (JSC) - Houston2 | Houston, Texas | 311 | |
| Aramark | St. Louis, Missouri | 291 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at United Space Alliance in Titusville, Florida, reporting 1,942 affected workers. General Dynamics ("Nassco") followed with 900 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
This data points to mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in May 2011. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is sourced from official state filings and updated daily by WARN Firehose, which also tracks SEC 8-K filings, bankruptcy proceedings, H-1B visa petitions, and unemployment claims across all six datasets. API access and data exports available.