North Carolina Layoffs — May 2016
Employers in North Carolina filed 4 WARN Act notices in May 2016, impacting roughly 818 workers — representing a pullback from April and up 718% versus May 2015. The average filing covered 204 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 629 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 189 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 629 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 189 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg | 1 | 386 |
| Buncombe | 1 | 189 |
| Catawba | 1 | 159 |
| Randolph | 1 | 84 |
Mecklenburg was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 47% of all affected workers with 386 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 1 | 386 |
| Asheville | 1 | 189 |
| Maiden | 1 | 159 |
| Asheboro | 1 | 84 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 734 |
| Layoff | 1 | 84 |
The high proportion of closures (90% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in North Carolina's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generics Bideo, II, LLC DBA Qualitest Pharmaceuticals | Charlotte | 386 | Closure | |
| Sitel Operating | Asheville | 189 | Closure | |
| Delta Apparel | Maiden | 159 | Closure | |
| Arrow International, Inc., a subsidiary of Teleflex | Asheboro | 84 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Generics Bideo, II, LLC DBA Qualitest Pharmaceuticals at its Charlotte facility, reporting 386 affected workers. Sitel Operating followed with 189 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 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.