Maryland Layoffs — May 2012
Employers in Maryland filed 8 WARN Act notices in May 2012, impacting roughly 3,300 workers — representing a notable rise over April and up 94% versus May 2011. The average filing covered 412 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 2,687 |
| Education | 1 | 350 |
| Retail | 1 | 223 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 40 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 2,687 workers across 5 notices. In a parallel development, Education reported 350 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | 1 | 1,975 |
| Anne Arundel | 6 | 905 |
| Washington | 1 | 420 |
Baltimore was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 60% of all affected workers with 1,975 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Sparrows Point | 1 | 1,975 |
| Baltimore | 6 | 905 |
| Hagerstown | 1 | 420 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 2,198 |
| Closure | 6 | 1,102 |
Closures accounted for 33% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RG Steel | Sparrows Point | 1,975 | Layoff | |
| Unilever Ice Cream | Hagerstown | 420 | Closure | |
| University of Maryland Medical System chronic care programs offered at University Specialty Hospital | Baltimore | 350 | Closure | |
| Saks Fifth Avenue | Baltimore | 223 | Layoff | |
| Hostess Brands | Baltimore | 158 | Closure | |
| Phillips Foods | Baltimore | 100 | Closure | |
| Capital One | Baltimore | 40 | Closure | |
| Hostess Brands | Baltimore | 34 | Closure |
The single largest action involved RG Steel at its Sparrows Point facility, reporting 1,975 affected workers. Unilever Ice Cream followed with 420 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Maryland 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 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.