North Carolina Layoffs — October 2023
Employers in North Carolina logged 10 WARN Act notices in October 2023, involving roughly 1,038 workers — climbing above September and up 363% versus October 2022. The average filing covered 104 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 594 |
| Transportation | 1 | 217 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 123 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 85 |
| Government | 2 | 19 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 594 workers across 5 notices. Meanwhile, Transportation reported 217 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Rowan | 2 | 267 |
| Guilford | 1 | 217 |
| Mecklenburg | 2 | 195 |
| Durham | 1 | 123 |
| Wake | 2 | 95 |
Rowan was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 26% of all affected workers with 267 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Salisbury | 2 | 267 |
| High Point | 1 | 217 |
| Durham | 1 | 123 |
| Charlotte | 1 | 107 |
| Raleigh | 2 | 95 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 779 |
| Layoff | 3 | 259 |
The high proportion of closures (75% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in North Carolina's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gildan Yarn's | Salisbury | 258 | Closure | |
| National Distribution Centers | High Point | 217 | Closure | |
| AgBiome | Durham | 123 | Layoff | |
| Smithfield Packaged Meats | Charlotte | 107 | Closure | |
| Printpack | Hendersonville | 90 | Closure | |
| Hood Container | Matthews | 88 | Closure | |
| Epic Games | Raleigh | 85 | Layoff | |
| Coats American | Kings Mountain | 51 | Layoff | |
| Cygnus Home Service LLC DBA Yelloh | Raleigh | 10 | Closure | |
| Cygnus Home Service LLC DBA Yelloh | Salisbury | 9 | Closure |
The biggest impact was at Gildan Yarn's at its Salisbury facility, reporting 258 affected workers. National Distribution Centers followed with 217 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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.