Maryland Layoffs — May 2014
Employers in Maryland reported 3 WARN Act notices in May 2014, displacing an estimated 553 workers — signaling an acceleration from April and up 281% versus May 2013. The average filing covered 184 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 1 | 325 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 172 |
| Retail | 1 | 56 |
The Information & Technology sector topped the list of affected industries with 325 workers across 1 notice. Notably, Manufacturing reported 172 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Howard | 2 | 497 |
| Anne Arundel | 1 | 56 |
Howard was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 90% of all affected workers with 497 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 1 | 325 |
| Annapolis Junction | 1 | 172 |
| Baltimore | 1 | 56 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 325 |
| Closure | 2 | 228 |
Closures accounted for 41% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nielsen Audio | Columbia | 325 | Layoff | |
| BAE Systems | Annapolis Junction | 172 | Closure | |
| PetSmart | Baltimore | 56 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Nielsen Audio at its Columbia facility, reporting 325 affected workers. BAE Systems followed with 172 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Maryland labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Information & Technology sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Maryland. 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 Maryland WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.