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US Layoffs — August 2024

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 293 WARN Act notices in August 2024, covering approximately 24,654 workers — marking a sharp increase from July and down 38% versus August 2023. Filings came from 37 states and territories, with an average of 84 workers per notice.

293
Total Notices
24,654
Workers Affected
37
States Reporting
84
Avg per Notice
74
Closures

Top States by Workers Affected

State-by-state layoff summary
StateNoticesWorkers
California805,411
Texas402,231
Ohio142,108
New Jersey101,454
Michigan91,309
Illinois91,241
Arizona61,064
Nevada6806
Florida10762
Massachusetts8698
Georgia5640
Minnesota17572
Virginia3551
North Carolina3544
Pennsylvania5479
Idaho4472
Alabama4396
Wisconsin10376
Tennessee3356
Maryland5345
Rhode Island2322
Iowa9319
Indiana2306
South Carolina7302
Colorado6291
Hawaii2192
New Mexico2176
Washington2161
Oregon1158
South Dakota1111
Louisiana199
Missouri296
Oklahoma185
Connecticut178
Kentucky158
West Virginia152
Washington DC133

California led the nation with 5,411 workers affected across 80 notices , followed by Texas (2,231 workers) and Ohio (2,108 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

Industry breakdown
IndustryNoticesWorkers
Manufacturing545,422
Healthcare303,884
Information & Technology292,757
Professional Services241,791
Wholesale Trade121,458
Accommodation & Food191,116
Retail11888
Arts & Entertainment4868
Transportation12718
Mining & Energy11659

The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 5,422 workers across 54 notices. At the same time, Healthcare reported 3,884 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Layoff types breakdown
TypeNoticesWorkers
Closure746,015
Layoff745,709
Temporary Layoff2142

Closures accounted for 24% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Largest layoff notices
CompanyLocationWorkersType
Texas Children's Hopsital (Texas Medical Center)Houston, Texas997
Steward Health CareWarren, Ohio765
GM Global Tech CenterWarren, Michigan634Layoff
Prileo Home CarePhoenix, Arizona510
JabilSan Jose, California472Closure
Northrop GrummanRedondo Beach, California430Layoff
Pitney BowesMonroe, New Jersey413
ABM Aviation, Inc. and ABM Industry Groups, LLC (collectively, “ABM”)Georgia353
Charter CommunicationsRochester, Minnesota330
Stewart-Haas RacingKannapolis, North Carolina323Closure

Leading the list was Texas Children's Hopsital (Texas Medical Center) in Houston, Texas, reporting 997 affected workers. Steward Health Care followed with 765 workers.

Trend & Outlook

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

The filings reflect 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 August 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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