US Layoffs — November 2012

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 261 WARN Act notices in November 2012, putting at risk an estimated 23,774 workers — up substantially from October and up 9% versus November 2011. Filings came from 23 states and territories, with an average of 91 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 6,551 workers affected across 60 notices , followed by Texas (3,761 workers) and New Jersey (2,160 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 8,149 workers across 109 notices. Separately, Retail reported 2,123 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 24% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was American Airlines in Los Angeles, California, reporting 706 affected workers. Navistar Truck Group followed with 600 workers.

Trend & Outlook

After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.

These figures highlight 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 November 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.