US Layoffs — March 2012
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 260 WARN Act notices in March 2012, affecting an estimated 24,829 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to February and up 23% versus March 2011. Filings came from 26 states and territories, with an average of 95 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 66 | 4,211 |
| Missouri | 8 | 2,334 |
| Texas | 14 | 2,198 |
| New York | 34 | 2,143 |
| Pennsylvania | 16 | 2,039 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 1,757 |
| Georgia | 12 | 1,133 |
| Florida | 7 | 1,128 |
| Kansas | 8 | 932 |
| Oregon | 5 | 791 |
| Kentucky | 5 | 775 |
| Ohio | 9 | 753 |
| Tennessee | 13 | 742 |
| Michigan | 4 | 598 |
| Virginia | 5 | 575 |
| Iowa | 5 | 416 |
| New Jersey | 4 | 393 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 310 |
| Indiana | 3 | 294 |
| Arizona | 5 | 288 |
| Maryland | 3 | 287 |
| Alabama | 2 | 239 |
| South Carolina | 16 | 214 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 175 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 65 |
| Washington | 1 | 39 |
California led the nation with 4,211 workers affected across 66 notices , followed by Missouri (2,334 workers) and Texas (2,198 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 78 | 7,624 |
| Information & Technology | 32 | 4,542 |
| Professional Services | 22 | 3,059 |
| Finance & Insurance | 21 | 2,028 |
| Retail | 22 | 1,732 |
| Healthcare | 24 | 1,601 |
| Transportation | 12 | 1,095 |
| Accommodation & Food | 6 | 771 |
| Utilities | 9 | 226 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 211 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 7,624 workers across 78 notices. On a related front, Information & Technology reported 4,542 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 59 | 6,760 |
| Layoff | 51 | 4,352 |
Closures accounted for 27% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Motor Company | Claycomo, Missouri | 1,222 | Layoff |
| NCO Customer Management | Charlotte, North Carolina | 685 | Closure |
| T Mobile USA | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 605 | |
| Verizon Wireless | Southfield, Michigan | 499 | Closure |
| T-Mobile USA | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 492 | |
| Saxon Mortgage (Ft.Worth) | Ft. Worth, Texas | 454 | |
| Acuity Brands Lighting | Cochran, Georgia | 450 | |
| Mvm | St. Louis, Missouri | 449 | Closure |
| Garden City Casino | San Jose, California | 418 | |
| T-Mobile | Lenexa, Kansas | 400 |
The largest notice was filed by Ford Motor Company in Claycomo, Missouri, reporting 1,222 affected workers. NCO Customer Management followed with 685 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest 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 March 2012. 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.