US Layoffs — March 2013
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 278 WARN Act notices in March 2013, involving roughly 27,797 workers — climbing above February and up 12% versus March 2012. Filings came from 30 states and territories, with an average of 100 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 69 | 6,126 |
| California | 62 | 4,039 |
| Tennessee | 18 | 1,954 |
| Texas | 13 | 1,882 |
| Georgia | 12 | 1,552 |
| Ohio | 6 | 1,277 |
| Virginia | 11 | 1,173 |
| Florida | 9 | 1,152 |
| Missouri | 10 | 941 |
| Alabama | 6 | 927 |
| Indiana | 8 | 899 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 817 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 794 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 788 |
| Maryland | 6 | 668 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 461 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 351 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 318 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 259 |
| Washington | 2 | 255 |
| Michigan | 1 | 225 |
| Vermont | 2 | 201 |
| Arizona | 2 | 195 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 180 |
| Oregon | 2 | 122 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 103 |
| Kansas | 2 | 85 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 20 |
| Utah | 1 | 19 |
| Iowa | 2 | 14 |
New York led the nation with 6,126 workers affected across 69 notices , followed by California (4,039 workers) and Tennessee (1,954 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 67 | 5,469 |
| Transportation | 23 | 4,131 |
| Healthcare | 13 | 3,033 |
| Information & Technology | 26 | 2,230 |
| Retail | 25 | 2,141 |
| Education | 14 | 1,971 |
| Professional Services | 23 | 1,895 |
| Accommodation & Food | 13 | 1,886 |
| Finance & Insurance | 8 | 538 |
| Utilities | 6 | 359 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 5,469 workers across 67 notices. Meanwhile, Transportation reported 4,131 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 87 | 9,550 |
| Layoff | 53 | 4,823 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 130 |
Closures accounted for 34% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUNY Downstate Medical Center at LICH - StaffCo of Brooklyn | Brooklyn, New York | 1,714 | Closure |
| The Scooter Store | New Braunfels, Texas | 993 | |
| Memphis City Schools | Memphis, Tennessee | 639 | Closure |
| Century Gaming Mngmnt DBA / Hollywood Park Casino | Inglewood, California | 600 | |
| YRC Freight | Cincinnati, Ohio | 541 | |
| Pinnacle Airlines | Memphis, Tennessee | 539 | Closure |
| YRC Freight | St. Louis, Missouri | 491 | Layoff |
| Hoyt Transportation | Bronx, New York | 458 | Closure |
| Inova | Falls Church, Virginia | 438 | Layoff |
| All American School Bus | Bronx, New York | 401 | Closure |
The biggest impact was at SUNY Downstate Medical Center at LICH - StaffCo of Brooklyn in Brooklyn, New York, reporting 1,714 affected workers. The Scooter Store followed with 993 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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 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.