North Carolina Layoffs — March 2023
Employers in North Carolina reported 10 WARN Act notices in March 2023, displacing an estimated 1,957 workers — signaling an acceleration from February and up 341% versus March 2022. The average filing covered 196 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 8 | 1,512 |
| Transportation | 2 | 445 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,512 workers across 8 notices. Notably, Transportation reported 445 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Haywood | 2 | 1,050 |
| Wake | 1 | 265 |
| Rutherford | 1 | 180 |
| Gaston | 1 | 135 |
| Guilford | 1 | 123 |
Haywood bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 54% of all affected workers with 1,050 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Canton | 1 | 900 |
| Raleigh | 1 | 265 |
| Rutherfordton | 1 | 180 |
| Waynesville | 1 | 150 |
| Bessemer City | 1 | 135 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 1,616 |
| Layoff | 4 | 341 |
The high proportion of closures (83% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in North Carolina's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pactiv Evergreen Inc. Canton Paper Mill | Canton | 900 | Closure | |
| Transdev Services | Raleigh | 265 | Closure | |
| FreightWorks | Rutherfordton | 180 | Layoff | |
| Pactiv Evergreen Inc. Canton Paper Mill | Waynesville | 150 | Layoff | |
| Hunter Douglas Window Designs | Bessemer City | 135 | Closure | |
| Precor Manufacturing | Whitsett | 123 | Closure | |
| Krispy Kreme Doughnut | Concord | 102 | Closure | |
| Cornell Dubilier Electronics | Snow Hill | 91 | Closure | |
| Collins Aerospace | Winston Salem | 6 | Layoff | |
| Collins Aerospace | Winston Salem | 5 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Pactiv Evergreen Inc. Canton Paper Mill at its Canton facility, reporting 900 affected workers. Transdev Services followed with 265 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the North 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 North 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 North Carolina WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.