Maine Layoffs — April 2017
Employers in Maine filed 12 WARN Act notices in April 2017, impacting roughly 150 workers — representing a notable rise over March. The average filing covered 12 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 8 | 69 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 50 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 25 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 4 |
| Transportation | 1 | 2 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 69 workers across 8 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 50 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | 9 | 95 |
| Sagadahoc | 2 | 52 |
| Penobscot | 1 | 3 |
Cumberland absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 63% of all affected workers with 95 workers across 9 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | 8 | 91 |
| Bath | 2 | 52 |
| Westbrook | 1 | 4 |
| Bangor | 1 | 3 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in Maine this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biw | Bath | 50 | ||
| Penney OpCo LLC DBA JCPenney | Portland | 26 | ||
| Le Garage | Portland | 25 | ||
| Rue 21 | Portland | 15 | ||
| Dollar Express | Portland | 8 | ||
| Dollar Express | Portland | 5 | ||
| Payless Shoes | Portland | 5 | ||
| Payless | Portland | 4 | ||
| The Yard at the Mill | Westbrook | 4 | ||
| Payless Shoes | Portland | 3 | ||
| Rue 21 | Bangor | 3 | ||
| Chaffee Transport | Bath | 2 |
The single largest action involved Biw at its Bath facility, reporting 50 affected workers. Penney OpCo LLC DBA JCPenney followed with 26 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Maine labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Maine. 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 Maine WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.