North Carolina Layoffs — May 2013
Employers in North Carolina filed 6 WARN Act notices in May 2013, impacting roughly 1,017 workers — representing a notable rise over April and up 552% versus May 2012. The average filing covered 170 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 2 | 707 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 118 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 103 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 89 |
The Agriculture sector led the way in workforce reductions with 707 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 118 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Hoke | 2 | 707 |
| Gaston | 1 | 103 |
| Craven | 1 | 89 |
| Johnston | 1 | 86 |
| Wake | 1 | 32 |
Hoke was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 70% of all affected workers with 707 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Raeford | 2 | 707 |
| Gastonia | 1 | 103 |
| Cherry Point | 1 | 89 |
| Princeton | 1 | 86 |
| Wendell | 1 | 32 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 896 |
| Layoff | 2 | 121 |
The high proportion of closures (88% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in North Carolina's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House of Raeford Farms | Raeford | 354 | Closure | |
| House of Raeford Farms | Raeford | 353 | Closure | |
| BCP Home | Gastonia | 103 | Closure | |
| Northrop Grumman Technical Serviecs | Cherry Point | 89 | Layoff | |
| Mortex Apparel Manufacturing | Princeton | 86 | Closure | |
| Mortex Apparel Manufacturing | Wendell | 32 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved House of Raeford Farms at its Raeford facility, reporting 354 affected workers. House of Raeford Farms followed with 353 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the North Carolina labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Agriculture sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by North 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 North Carolina WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.