South Carolina Layoffs — August 2012
Employers in South Carolina filed 9 WARN Act notices in August 2012, impacting roughly 672 workers — representing a notable rise over July. The average filing covered 75 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 6 | 364 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 189 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 69 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 50 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 364 workers across 6 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 189 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Oconee | 2 | 298 |
| Lexington | 1 | 150 |
| Richland | 1 | 69 |
| Aiken | 1 | 59 |
| Charleston | 1 | 50 |
Oconee saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 44% of all affected workers with 298 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| West Union | 2 | 298 |
| Batesburg | 1 | 150 |
| Columbia | 1 | 69 |
| Aiken | 1 | 59 |
| Charleston | 1 | 50 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 8 | 622 |
| Closure | 1 | 50 |
Closures accounted for 7% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips Staffing (Itron) | West Union | 189 | Layoff | |
| Ansaldo STS USA | Batesburg | 150 | Layoff | |
| Itron | West Union | 109 | Layoff | |
| Providence Hospitals | Columbia | 69 | Layoff | |
| Agy | Aiken | 59 | Layoff | |
| Best Western Plus | Charleston | 50 | Closure | |
| Mohawk Industries | Bennettsville | 22 | Layoff | |
| Kronotex USA | Barnwell | 14 | Layoff | |
| Dana | Lugoff | 10 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Phillips Staffing (Itron) at its West Union facility, reporting 189 affected workers. Ansaldo STS USA followed with 150 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the South Carolina 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 South Carolina. 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 South Carolina WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.