US Layoffs — March 2023

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 362 WARN Act notices in March 2023, putting at risk an estimated 34,048 workers — up substantially from February and up 110% versus March 2022. Filings came from 40 states and territories, with an average of 94 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 7,513 workers affected across 124 notices , followed by Texas (2,645 workers) and Pennsylvania (2,303 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 7,945 workers across 87 notices. Separately, Retail reported 4,924 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 28% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was Walmart #1258 in Fort Worth, Texas, reporting 1,047 affected workers. Lucid USA followed with 968 workers.

Trend & Outlook

After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.

These figures highlight mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in March 2023. 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.