North Carolina Layoffs — April 2019
Employers in North Carolina posted 12 WARN Act notices in April 2019, affecting an estimated 1,322 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to March and up 241% versus April 2018. The average filing covered 110 workers, with 10 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 680 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 220 |
| Retail | 2 | 219 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 148 |
| Transportation | 1 | 55 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 680 workers across 5 notices. On a related front, Information & Technology reported 220 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg | 4 | 355 |
| McDowell | 1 | 325 |
| Surry | 1 | 222 |
| Lincoln | 1 | 220 |
| Wayne | 2 | 115 |
Mecklenburg absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 27% of all affected workers with 355 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 5 | 423 |
| Morganton | 1 | 325 |
| Mt. Airy | 1 | 222 |
| Mooresville | 2 | 219 |
| Sanford | 1 | 100 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 10 | 979 |
| Layoff | 2 | 343 |
The high proportion of closures (74% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in North Carolina's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan Allen Operations, Inc. (Pine Valley Case Goods Manufacturing Division) | Morganton | 325 | Layoff | |
| Hanesbrands Inc (Mt. Airy) | Mt. Airy | 222 | Closure | |
| UTC Fire & Security Americas | Charlotte | 220 | Closure | |
| Lowe's | Mooresville | 207 | Closure | |
| Cooper Standard Automotive | Sanford | 100 | Closure | |
| Cda | Charlotte | 70 | Closure | |
| Cda | Charlotte | 69 | Closure | |
| FedEx Supply Chain | Charlotte | 55 | Closure | |
| Arysta Lifescience North America | Cary | 18 | Layoff | |
| Cooper Standard Automotive | Smithfield | 15 | Closure | |
| Lowe's | Mooresville | 12 | Closure | |
| Cda | Charlotte | 9 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Ethan Allen Operations, Inc. (Pine Valley Case Goods Manufacturing Division) at its Morganton facility, reporting 325 affected workers. Hanesbrands Inc (Mt. Airy) followed with 222 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the North Carolina labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.