US Layoffs — April 2020

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers reported 3,147 WARN Act notices in April 2020, displacing an estimated 1,013,571 workers — signaling a deceleration from March and up 3214% versus April 2019. Filings came from 49 states and territories, with an average of 322 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

South Carolina led the nation with 630,718 workers affected across 32 notices , followed by California (137,604 workers) and Nevada (36,709 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Accommodation & Food sector topped the list of affected industries with 92,435 workers across 518 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 69,076 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 4% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

The most significant filing came from The YMCA in South Carolina, reporting 624,190 affected workers. Tesla followed with 11,083 workers.

Trend & Outlook

The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Accommodation & Food sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 2020. 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.