US Layoffs — January 2024

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 605 WARN Act notices in January 2024, involving roughly 43,762 workers — climbing above December and down 17% versus January 2023. Filings came from 41 states and territories, with an average of 72 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 16,188 workers affected across 307 notices , followed by Texas (2,942 workers) and New Jersey (2,209 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 9,450 workers across 93 notices. Meanwhile, Information & Technology reported 7,971 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 30% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

The biggest impact was at Broadcom in Palo Alto, California, reporting 1,267 affected workers. Wayfair followed with 936 workers.

Trend & Outlook

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

This data points to a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 2024. 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.