US Layoffs — January 2013
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 233 WARN Act notices in January 2013, putting at risk an estimated 25,745 workers — up substantially from December and up 8% versus January 2012. Filings came from 28 states and territories, with an average of 110 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 19 | 4,734 |
| California | 76 | 4,579 |
| New Jersey | 7 | 2,623 |
| North Carolina | 13 | 2,119 |
| New York | 23 | 1,959 |
| Kentucky | 14 | 1,752 |
| Florida | 11 | 1,122 |
| Georgia | 8 | 1,013 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 813 |
| Washington | 5 | 659 |
| Alabama | 5 | 646 |
| Virginia | 6 | 614 |
| Michigan | 3 | 405 |
| Oregon | 7 | 379 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 348 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | 337 |
| Missouri | 1 | 290 |
| Arizona | 2 | 239 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 223 |
| Ohio | 3 | 221 |
| Iowa | 1 | 216 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 148 |
| Indiana | 2 | 141 |
| Kansas | 2 | 108 |
| Idaho | 1 | 49 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 4 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 2 |
| Maryland | 1 | 2 |
Texas led the nation with 4,734 workers affected across 19 notices , followed by California (4,579 workers) and New Jersey (2,623 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 80 | 9,071 |
| Transportation | 12 | 2,519 |
| Accommodation & Food | 8 | 2,458 |
| Healthcare | 16 | 2,123 |
| Retail | 17 | 1,219 |
| Information & Technology | 16 | 1,202 |
| Finance & Insurance | 16 | 1,195 |
| Agriculture | 15 | 1,009 |
| Professional Services | 8 | 531 |
| Mining & Energy | 4 | 417 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 9,071 workers across 80 notices. Separately, Transportation reported 2,519 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 60 | 6,868 |
| Layoff | 32 | 3,336 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation-Plainview | Plainview, Texas | 2,211 | |
| The Atlantaic Club Casino | Atlantic City, New Jersey | 1,729 | |
| Freightliner Truck Plant Cleveland | Cleveland, North Carolina | 715 | Layoff |
| JPMorgan Chase - Mortgage Bank -Independent Foreclosure Review | Brooklyn, New York | 529 | Closure |
| Lockheed Martin | Marietta, Georgia | 500 | |
| United Airlines | Newark, New Jersey | 472 | |
| Zacky Farms | Fresno, California | 448 | |
| Signal International | Pascagoula, Mississippi | 421 | Layoff |
| Freightliner Truck Plant Mt. Holly LLC Daimler | Mt. Holly, North Carolina | 405 | Layoff |
| Visiting Nurse Association | Dallas, Texas | 400 |
Topping the list was Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation-Plainview in Plainview, Texas, reporting 2,211 affected workers. The Atlantaic Club Casino followed with 1,729 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 January 2013. 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.