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US Layoffs — April 2021

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers filed 200 WARN Act notices in April 2021, impacting roughly 18,925 workers — representing a pullback from March and down 98% versus April 2020. Filings came from 36 states and territories, with an average of 95 workers per notice.

200
Total Notices
18,925
Workers Affected
36
States Reporting
95
Avg per Notice
70
Closures

Top States by Workers Affected

State-by-state layoff summary
StateNoticesWorkers
California483,405
Florida122,023
Texas211,672
New York181,519
Virginia91,206
Illinois91,087
Oklahoma4894
Missouri2751
Maryland10695
Pennsylvania6689
Oregon4660
Idaho2604
Iowa4526
North Carolina3375
South Carolina2336
Colorado4273
Vermont2247
Kansas2246
Alaska2244
Indiana2190
Georgia3151
Maine5140
Tennessee2136
Wisconsin2123
Washington3123
Kentucky2123
PR197
Massachusetts175
Utah173
Ohio163
Delaware162
Connecticut159
Mississippi742
Nevada29
Michigan16
New Jersey11

California led the nation with 3,405 workers affected across 48 notices , followed by Florida (2,023 workers) and Texas (1,672 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

Industry breakdown
IndustryNoticesWorkers
Professional Services193,034
Manufacturing302,834
Healthcare242,819
Accommodation & Food212,350
Information & Technology232,018
Retail121,546
Utilities6876
Transportation12801
Finance & Insurance24370
Education6306

The Professional Services sector led the way in workforce reductions with 3,034 workers across 19 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 2,834 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Layoff types breakdown
TypeNoticesWorkers
Closure705,816
Layoff443,784

Closures accounted for 31% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Largest layoff notices
CompanyLocationWorkersType
ABM Industry GroupsJacksonville, Florida960
Ascension TechnologiesSt. Louis, Missouri651Layoff
Concentrix CVGLaredo, Texas422
Siemens Energy, Inc. (Olean)Olean, New York421Closure
PerspectaNorfolk, Virginia374Layoff
Perpsecta Inc. DBA Peraton IncNorfolk, Virginia374
Eastern Regional Medical Center, LLC DBA Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA, Philadelphia)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania365Closure
Westchester Community Opportunity Program (WestCOP) (Head Start-Early Head Start Program)Elmsford, New York346Closure
DynCorp InternationalMilton, Florida333
WalmartColumbia, South Carolina332Closure

The single largest action involved ABM Industry Groups in Jacksonville, Florida, reporting 960 affected workers. Ascension Technologies followed with 651 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.

The data underscores a easing in workforce disruptions across the nation, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Professional Services sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 2021. 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.

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