US Layoffs — August 2018

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers recorded 241 WARN Act notices in August 2018, covering approximately 23,879 workers — marking a decline from July and down 9% versus August 2017. Filings came from 35 states and territories, with an average of 99 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 6,729 workers affected across 57 notices , followed by New York (2,946 workers) and Florida (1,826 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 5,891 workers across 39 notices. At the same time, Retail reported 4,540 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 35% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Leading the list was National Steel and Shipbuilding in San Diego, California, reporting 1,493 affected workers. Alorica followed with 635 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.

The filings reflect a easing in workforce disruptions across the nation, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in August 2018. 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.