US Layoffs — May 2017
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 257 WARN Act notices in May 2017, involving roughly 28,170 workers — climbing above April and up 5% versus May 2016. Filings came from 33 states and territories, with an average of 110 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 58 | 5,025 |
| Indiana | 6 | 2,601 |
| Texas | 20 | 2,280 |
| New York | 29 | 1,965 |
| Virginia | 15 | 1,744 |
| Pennsylvania | 15 | 1,634 |
| North Carolina | 11 | 1,549 |
| Florida | 7 | 1,329 |
| Washington | 4 | 1,253 |
| Ohio | 9 | 1,186 |
| Georgia | 11 | 787 |
| Tennessee | 6 | 780 |
| Oregon | 4 | 661 |
| Michigan | 6 | 606 |
| Louisiana | 4 | 562 |
| Connecticut | 5 | 455 |
| Kentucky | 5 | 450 |
| Missouri | 2 | 375 |
| Maryland | 3 | 370 |
| Nevada | 4 | 324 |
| Wisconsin | 4 | 321 |
| Colorado | 2 | 318 |
| New Jersey | 2 | 292 |
| Kansas | 5 | 281 |
| Utah | 1 | 247 |
| Arizona | 2 | 213 |
| Iowa | 3 | 162 |
| Alaska | 1 | 147 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 97 |
| Maine | 7 | 72 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 43 |
| Vermont | 1 | 37 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 4 |
California led the nation with 5,025 workers affected across 58 notices , followed by Indiana (2,601 workers) and Texas (2,280 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 71 | 8,261 |
| Retail | 42 | 5,027 |
| Transportation | 18 | 3,050 |
| Information & Technology | 23 | 1,960 |
| Professional Services | 9 | 1,386 |
| Accommodation & Food | 8 | 1,344 |
| Healthcare | 14 | 1,303 |
| Finance & Insurance | 11 | 639 |
| Agriculture | 6 | 566 |
| Education | 8 | 484 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 8,261 workers across 71 notices. Meanwhile, Retail reported 5,027 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 105 | 10,787 |
| Layoff | 62 | 4,898 |
Closures accounted for 38% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marsh Supermarket | Indiana | 1,535 | |
| Menzies Aviation | SeaTac, Washington | 949 | |
| USS-POSCO Industries | Pittsburg, California | 635 | Layoff |
| Carrier | Indianapolis, Indiana | 632 | |
| Wexford Health Sources | Miami, Florida | 540 | |
| Aramark-Univ. of Houston | Houston, Texas | 407 | |
| Sodexo | Cleveland, Ohio | 383 | |
| Aircraft Service International, Inc. d/b/a ASIG | Jamaica, New York | 378 | Closure |
| SolarWorld | Hillsboro, Oregon | 360 | Layoff |
| Itron | Owen, Kentucky | 309 |
The biggest impact was at Marsh Supermarket in Indiana, reporting 1,535 affected workers. Menzies Aviation followed with 949 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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 May 2017. 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.