Tennessee Layoffs — March 2014
Employers in Tennessee reported 12 WARN Act notices in March 2014, displacing an estimated 968 workers — signaling an acceleration from February and down 50% versus March 2013. The average filing covered 81 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 577 |
| Retail | 3 | 207 |
| Healthcare | 4 | 167 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 17 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 577 workers across 4 notices. Notably, Retail reported 207 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Shelby | 2 | 366 |
| DeKalb | 1 | 175 |
| Williamson | 2 | 175 |
| Hamilton | 2 | 109 |
| White | 1 | 62 |
Shelby absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 38% of all affected workers with 366 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Memphis | 1 | 311 |
| Smithville | 1 | 175 |
| Franklin | 2 | 175 |
| Chattanooga | 2 | 109 |
| Sparta | 1 | 62 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 8 | 771 |
| Closure | 4 | 197 |
Closures accounted for 20% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp Manufacturing Company of America | Memphis | 311 | Layoff | |
| Federal Mogul | Smithville | 175 | Layoff | |
| Well Care Health | Franklin | 100 | Layoff | |
| Sears Holding | Franklin | 75 | Closure | |
| JC Penny Store #1975 | Chattanooga | 70 | Layoff | |
| Kroger | Sparta | 62 | Closure | |
| Pepsi Beverages | Collierville | 55 | Closure | |
| Siskin Children's Institute | Chattanooga | 39 | Layoff | |
| RockTenn | Humboldt | 36 | Layoff | |
| Fresenius Medical Care, North America / Knox Billing Group | Knoxville | 23 | Layoff | |
| Frost Arnett | Knoxville | 17 | Layoff | |
| Union City Urology | Union City | 5 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Sharp Manufacturing Company of America at its Memphis facility, reporting 311 affected workers. Federal Mogul followed with 175 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for Tennessee's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Tennessee. 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 Tennessee WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.