US Layoffs — April 2023
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 412 WARN Act notices in April 2023, displacing an estimated 41,332 workers — signaling an acceleration from March and up 140% versus April 2022. Filings came from 36 states and territories, with an average of 100 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 182 | 11,665 |
| Washington | 6 | 9,673 |
| Nevada | 12 | 2,577 |
| New Jersey | 10 | 2,003 |
| Minnesota | 22 | 1,797 |
| Georgia | 6 | 1,782 |
| Illinois | 12 | 1,593 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | 1,391 |
| Texas | 10 | 1,124 |
| Ohio | 9 | 943 |
| Utah | 3 | 489 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 476 |
| Massachusetts | 13 | 473 |
| Virginia | 3 | 461 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 424 |
| Maryland | 4 | 403 |
| Florida | 50 | 384 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 360 |
| Alabama | 2 | 341 |
| Colorado | 2 | 336 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 318 |
| Michigan | 3 | 293 |
| Kentucky | 5 | 274 |
| Iowa | 10 | 273 |
| Arizona | 3 | 267 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 209 |
| Indiana | 1 | 178 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 157 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 135 |
| Kansas | 2 | 108 |
| Oregon | 7 | 99 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 93 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 73 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 66 |
| New Mexico | 1 | 53 |
| Delaware | 1 | 41 |
California led the nation with 11,665 workers affected across 182 notices , followed by Washington (9,673 workers) and Nevada (2,577 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 54 | 16,693 |
| Manufacturing | 95 | 6,305 |
| Transportation | 29 | 3,778 |
| Information & Technology | 68 | 2,610 |
| Education | 16 | 1,417 |
| Mining & Energy | 6 | 1,317 |
| Finance & Insurance | 13 | 1,071 |
| Professional Services | 13 | 1,037 |
| Healthcare | 20 | 983 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 509 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 16,693 workers across 54 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 6,305 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 88 | 18,646 |
| Layoff | 186 | 12,084 |
Closures accounted for 45% of all affected workers nationally, indicating significant structural workforce adjustments.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| David's Bridal | Conshohocken, Washington | 9,266 | Closure |
| Bed Bath & Beyond | Buy Buy Baby Inc | BBB Value Services | Union, New Jersey | 1,293 | |
| HyLife Foods Windom | Windom, Minnesota | 1,007 | |
| Bed Bath & Beyond | Georgia | 1,000 | |
| Walmart | Chino, California | 953 | Layoff |
| Keolis Transit America | Las Vegas, Nevada | 708 | Closure |
| Las Vegas | Clark, Nevada | 708 | Closure |
| Virgin Orbit | Long Beach, California | 603 | Layoff |
| Gap | San Francisco, California | 569 | Layoff |
| Hollywood Palladium, a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment | Los Angeles, California | 509 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from David's Bridal in Conshohocken, Washington, reporting 9,266 affected workers. Bed Bath & Beyond | Buy Buy Baby Inc | BBB Value Services followed with 1,293 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 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.