South Carolina Layoffs — April 2019
Employers in South Carolina filed 10 WARN Act notices in April 2019, impacting roughly 1,044 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 1011% versus April 2018. The average filing covered 104 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 451 |
| Construction | 2 | 388 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 205 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 451 workers across 5 notices. In a parallel development, Construction reported 388 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Aiken | 3 | 426 |
| Pickens | 1 | 249 |
| Cherokee | 1 | 126 |
| Greenville | 1 | 108 |
| Kershaw | 1 | 62 |
Aiken bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 41% of all affected workers with 426 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Aiken | 3 | 426 |
| Central | 1 | 249 |
| Gaffney | 1 | 126 |
| Greenville | 1 | 108 |
| Lugoff | 1 | 62 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 7 | 561 |
| Closure | 3 | 483 |
Closures accounted for 46% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB&I Project Services Group | Aiken | 369 | Layoff | |
| Shaw Industries Group | Central | 249 | Closure | |
| The RADGroup | Gaffney | 126 | Closure | |
| VF Jeanswear | Greenville | 108 | Closure | |
| Invista Sarl | Lugoff | 62 | Layoff | |
| Thesys CAT | Charleston | 41 | Layoff | |
| Orano Federal Services | Aiken | 38 | Layoff | |
| ACS Industries | Manning | 31 | Layoff | |
| CB&I Project Services Group | Aiken | 19 | Layoff | |
| Spectrum Pharmaceuticals | Bluffton | 1 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved CB&I Project Services Group at its Aiken facility, reporting 369 affected workers. Shaw Industries Group followed with 249 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the South 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 South 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 South Carolina WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.