US Layoffs — April 2015
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 284 WARN Act notices in April 2015, impacting roughly 38,268 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 40% versus April 2014. Filings came from 31 states and territories, with an average of 135 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 58 | 8,478 |
| New York | 46 | 6,178 |
| Texas | 34 | 5,230 |
| New Jersey | 8 | 3,388 |
| Arizona | 17 | 1,912 |
| Iowa | 7 | 1,741 |
| Pennsylvania | 13 | 1,518 |
| Florida | 7 | 984 |
| Michigan | 4 | 891 |
| Georgia | 11 | 886 |
| Ohio | 5 | 846 |
| Missouri | 5 | 709 |
| Utah | 4 | 655 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 511 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 503 |
| Washington | 4 | 463 |
| Colorado | 7 | 426 |
| Kansas | 5 | 415 |
| Virginia | 5 | 411 |
| Indiana | 4 | 393 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 283 |
| Maryland | 4 | 280 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 279 |
| Vermont | 6 | 251 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 250 |
| Mississippi | 5 | 119 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 88 |
| Oregon | 1 | 68 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 66 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 34 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 12 |
California led the nation with 8,478 workers affected across 58 notices , followed by New York (6,178 workers) and Texas (5,230 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 67 | 8,781 |
| Healthcare | 31 | 7,422 |
| Retail | 19 | 3,195 |
| Education | 20 | 3,123 |
| Construction | 5 | 2,139 |
| Transportation | 16 | 1,892 |
| Information & Technology | 17 | 1,493 |
| Professional Services | 20 | 1,474 |
| Finance & Insurance | 13 | 937 |
| Mining & Energy | 12 | 882 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 8,781 workers across 67 notices. In a parallel development, Healthcare reported 7,422 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 85 | 10,591 |
| Closure | 65 | 10,001 |
Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMG @ the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Nassau Coliseum) | Uniondale, New York | 2,540 | Closure |
| Saint Clare's Health Services | Denville, New Jersey | 2,511 | |
| RW Constructors | Weaver, Iowa | 1,606 | Layoff |
| Yeshiva University (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) | Bronx, New York | 1,546 | Closure |
| Health Net, Inc. (CANCELLED) | Woodland Hills, California | 1,217 | Layoff |
| Toyota Motor Credit | Torrance, California | 941 | Closure |
| Ford Motor Co. Michigan Assembly | Wayne, Michigan | 700 | Layoff |
| El Dorado Berry Farms | Santa Maria, California | 654 | Layoff |
| Allergan | Irvine, California | 577 | Layoff |
| Bell Helicopter-S Norwood | Hurst, Texas | 538 |
The single largest action involved SMG @ the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Nassau Coliseum) in Uniondale, New York, reporting 2,540 affected workers. Saint Clare's Health Services followed with 2,511 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 2015. 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.