North Carolina Layoffs — February 2015
Employers in North Carolina filed 6 WARN Act notices in February 2015, impacting roughly 783 workers — representing a pullback from January and up 104% versus February 2014. The average filing covered 130 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 262 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 216 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 122 |
| Transportation | 1 | 113 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 70 |
The Wholesale Trade sector led the way in workforce reductions with 262 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Finance & Insurance reported 216 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg | 5 | 713 |
| Cleveland | 1 | 70 |
Mecklenburg felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 91% of all affected workers with 713 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 4 | 600 |
| Pineville | 1 | 113 |
| Shelby | 1 | 70 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 499 |
| Layoff | 2 | 284 |
The high proportion of closures (64% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in North Carolina's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiquita Brands International | Charlotte | 262 | Closure | |
| Bank of America | Charlotte | 216 | Layoff | |
| Belk Ecommerce Fulfillment Center | Pineville | 113 | Closure | |
| Ultra Machine & Fabrication, Inc. and Ultra Armoring | Shelby | 70 | Closure | |
| Charlotte Marriott City Center Hotel | Charlotte | 68 | Layoff | |
| Emeril's Charlotte LLC DBA e2 Emeril's Eatery | Charlotte | 54 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Chiquita Brands International at its Charlotte facility, reporting 262 affected workers. Bank of America followed with 216 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The data underscores a mixed picture for North Carolina's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Wholesale Trade 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.