US Layoffs — January 2016

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 356 WARN Act notices in January 2016, putting at risk an estimated 42,755 workers — up substantially from December and up 37% versus January 2015. Filings came from 40 states and territories, with an average of 120 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 7,427 workers affected across 82 notices , followed by Texas (4,631 workers) and New York (3,366 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 11,321 workers across 69 notices. Separately, Retail reported 10,399 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 33% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was Cardone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reporting 1,366 affected workers. Daimler Trucks North America followed with 936 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.

These figures highlight 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 January 2016. 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.