North Carolina Layoffs — March 2015
Employers in North Carolina filed 7 WARN Act notices in March 2015, impacting roughly 978 workers — representing a notable rise over February and up 41% versus March 2014. The average filing covered 140 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 614 |
| Retail | 1 | 250 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 114 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 614 workers across 5 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 250 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wake | 1 | 250 |
| Durham | 1 | 180 |
| Lincoln | 1 | 157 |
| Davidson | 1 | 121 |
| Mecklenburg | 1 | 114 |
Wake bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 26% of all affected workers with 250 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cary | 1 | 250 |
| Durham | 1 | 180 |
| Lincolnton | 1 | 157 |
| Denton | 1 | 121 |
| Charlotte | 1 | 114 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 548 |
| Layoff | 2 | 430 |
The high proportion of closures (56% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in North Carolina's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Pantry, Inc. (Kangaroo Express) | Cary | 250 | Layoff | |
| GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) | Durham | 180 | Layoff | |
| Mohican Mills | Lincolnton | 157 | Closure | |
| Councill | Denton | 121 | Closure | |
| Level One | Charlotte | 114 | Closure | |
| Bathcraft | Wilson | 87 | Closure | |
| Custom Products | Mooresville | 69 | Closure |
The single largest action involved The Pantry, Inc. (Kangaroo Express) at its Cary facility, reporting 250 affected workers. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) followed with 180 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 Manufacturing 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.