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US Layoffs — March 2014

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 263 WARN Act notices in March 2014, putting at risk an estimated 27,500 workers — up substantially from February and down 1% versus March 2013. Filings came from 32 states and territories, with an average of 105 workers per notice.

263
Total Notices
27,500
Workers Affected
32
States Reporting
105
Avg per Notice
57
Closures

Top States by Workers Affected

State-by-state layoff summary
StateNoticesWorkers
California757,320
New York523,152
Texas151,767
Mississippi61,699
Virginia91,216
Kansas71,190
Tennessee12968
Florida7958
Utah3808
Iowa2797
Ohio10765
North Carolina5695
Maryland5580
Kentucky2542
Michigan4507
Louisiana4473
New Jersey5429
Missouri4411
Alabama2381
Oklahoma3355
South Carolina3347
Indiana4312
Georgia7287
Vermont2248
Connecticut4233
Idaho1206
Pennsylvania3200
Arizona1187
Oregon2155
New Hampshire1139
Washington192
Nebraska281

California led the nation with 7,320 workers affected across 75 notices , followed by New York (3,152 workers) and Texas (1,767 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

Industry breakdown
IndustryNoticesWorkers
Manufacturing576,741
Information & Technology324,860
Accommodation & Food122,934
Transportation242,342
Professional Services152,033
Healthcare301,923
Finance & Insurance161,044
Retail141,017
Education8985
Utilities6420

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 6,741 workers across 57 notices. Separately, Information & Technology reported 4,860 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Layoff types breakdown
TypeNoticesWorkers
Closure577,127
Layoff584,827

Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Largest layoff notices
CompanyLocationWorkersType
Harrah's CasinoRobinsonville, Mississippi1,300Closure
Ups-North Bay(Richmond) HubRichmond, California1,073
Northrop GrummanFort Irwin, California860
General Dynamics ITSandy, Utah645
Hillshire BrandsStorm Lake, Iowa542Closure
SprintOverland Park, Kansas477
SprintFt. Worth, Texas453
Sprint-Ft WorthFt. Worth, Texas450
Sprint Customer Service CenterAltamonte Springs, Florida399
ConAgra Foods Inc. aka The Carriage House CompaniesFredonia, New York395Closure

Topping the list was Harrah's Casino in Robinsonville, Mississippi, reporting 1,300 affected workers. Ups-North Bay(Richmond) Hub followed with 1,073 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.

These figures highlight a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in March 2014. 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.

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