US Layoffs — December 2020
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 498 WARN Act notices in December 2020, covering approximately 42,465 workers — marking a sharp increase from November and up 100% versus December 2019. Filings came from 38 states and territories, with an average of 85 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 239 | 17,410 |
| Texas | 46 | 5,423 |
| New Jersey | 17 | 2,273 |
| Florida | 9 | 1,778 |
| Louisiana | 6 | 1,633 |
| Maryland | 23 | 1,380 |
| Illinois | 17 | 1,346 |
| Hawaii | 7 | 1,221 |
| New York | 29 | 1,148 |
| Michigan | 6 | 1,041 |
| Pennsylvania | 15 | 1,037 |
| Colorado | 4 | 876 |
| South Carolina | 4 | 866 |
| North Carolina | 4 | 610 |
| Indiana | 4 | 601 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 505 |
| Ohio | 5 | 417 |
| Virginia | 3 | 308 |
| Wisconsin | 6 | 288 |
| Georgia | 4 | 232 |
| Washington | 6 | 220 |
| Mississippi | 5 | 201 |
| Arizona | 4 | 198 |
| Nevada | 7 | 187 |
| Missouri | 2 | 184 |
| Kentucky | 3 | 173 |
| Kansas | 1 | 162 |
| Oregon | 2 | 152 |
| Montana | 2 | 135 |
| Massachusetts | 2 | 132 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 104 |
| Iowa | 2 | 65 |
| Alabama | 1 | 55 |
| Maine | 2 | 32 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 27 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 24 |
| Tennessee | 1 | 11 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 10 |
California led the nation with 17,410 workers affected across 239 notices , followed by Texas (5,423 workers) and New Jersey (2,273 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 173 | 14,346 |
| Transportation | 51 | 6,826 |
| Manufacturing | 52 | 5,373 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 18 | 2,266 |
| Mining & Energy | 23 | 2,222 |
| Healthcare | 26 | 2,201 |
| Information & Technology | 26 | 2,157 |
| Retail | 29 | 1,431 |
| Utilities | 10 | 1,132 |
| Professional Services | 13 | 1,024 |
The Accommodation & Food sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 14,346 workers across 173 notices. At the same time, Transportation reported 6,826 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 209 | 18,497 |
| Closure | 118 | 6,504 |
| Temporary Closure | 7 | 307 |
| Temporary Layoff | 2 | 46 |
Closures accounted for 16% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| SeaWorld | San Diego, California | 827 | Layoff |
| Cohn Restaurant Group | San Diego, California | 758 | Layoff |
| Hackensack Meridian Health | Edison, New Jersey | 754 | |
| Shell Convent Refinery | Convent, Louisiana | 698 | |
| Exxon Mobil Campus | Spring, Texas | 677 | |
| ExxonMobil | Spring, Texas | 677 | |
| Allied Universal | Bay City, Michigan | 664 | Layoff |
| The Boca Raton | Boca Raton, Florida | 664 | |
| Southwest Airlines - Los Angeles International Airport | Los Angeles, California | 632 | Layoff |
| Southwest Airlines - Metropolitan Oakland International Airport | Oakland, California | 573 | Layoff |
Leading the list was SeaWorld in San Diego, California, reporting 827 affected workers. Cohn Restaurant Group followed with 758 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Accommodation & Food sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in December 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.