US Layoffs — March 2019

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 348 WARN Act notices in March 2019, involving roughly 34,603 workers — climbing above February and up 18% versus March 2018. Filings came from 37 states and territories, with an average of 99 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 6,544 workers affected across 76 notices , followed by Ohio (2,748 workers) and Wisconsin (2,697 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 9,214 workers across 67 notices. Meanwhile, Information & Technology reported 5,311 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 34% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

The biggest impact was at Shopko in Abbotsford, Wisconsin, reporting 1,715 affected workers. GM Lordstown Complex followed with 1,607 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.

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 March 2019. 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.