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US Layoffs — May 2024

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 477 WARN Act notices in May 2024, putting at risk an estimated 50,554 workers — up substantially from April and up 72% versus May 2023. Filings came from 38 states and territories, with an average of 106 workers per notice.

477
Total Notices
50,554
Workers Affected
38
States Reporting
106
Avg per Notice
107
Closures

Top States by Workers Affected

State-by-state layoff summary
StateNoticesWorkers
California22610,877
Texas269,428
Nevada77,186
Tennessee133,101
New Jersey132,084
Georgia112,073
Florida131,209
Arizona131,063
Michigan91,003
Illinois7996
Colorado9893
Oregon8827
Pennsylvania8800
Maryland14791
Ohio8781
Hawaii1780
Washington7779
Minnesota18688
Massachusetts3649
North Carolina4625
Wisconsin8463
Missouri3409
Iowa13395
South Carolina4347
Kansas1318
Alabama2314
Kentucky9255
Virginia1235
Nebraska2228
New Hampshire2171
Indiana2170
Connecticut3151
Mississippi2144
Louisiana1113
Rhode Island3102
South Dakota159
Utah146
North Dakota11

California led the nation with 10,877 workers affected across 226 notices , followed by Texas (9,428 workers) and Nevada (7,186 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

Industry breakdown
IndustryNoticesWorkers
Manufacturing8410,428
Accommodation & Food295,386
Retail455,042
Construction64,629
Healthcare864,401
Mining & Energy64,353
Transportation293,681
Information & Technology402,399
Professional Services222,012
Finance & Insurance12714

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 10,428 workers across 84 notices. Separately, Accommodation & Food reported 5,386 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Layoff types breakdown
TypeNoticesWorkers
Closure10715,081
Layoff21611,434
Temporary Layoff178

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

Largest Layoffs

Largest layoff notices
CompanyLocationWorkersType
Zachry Industrial, Inc. (Sabine Pass)Sabine Pass, Texas4,072
The Mirage Casino-HotelLas Vegas, Nevada3,350Closure
LLC Las VegasClark, Nevada3,350Closure
National Aerospace SolutionsCoffee County, Tennessee1,700
Walmart (Munger Blvd.)Dallas, Texas1,266
Benchmark Hospitality of Hawaii, LLC DBA Turtle Bay ResortKahuku, Hawaii780
Bristol Myers SquibbLawrenceville, New Jersey776
Grocery Delivery E-Services USANewnan, Georgia727Closure
Aramark Baylor(1919 S.First Street)Waco, Texas691
Kalil BottlingTucson, Arizona546

Topping the list was Zachry Industrial, Inc. (Sabine Pass) in Sabine Pass, Texas, reporting 4,072 affected workers. The Mirage Casino-Hotel followed with 3,350 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.

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 May 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.

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