North Carolina Layoffs — March 2026
Employers in North Carolina reported 10 WARN Act notices in March 2026, displacing an estimated 1,440 workers — signaling an acceleration from February and up 17% versus March 2025. The average filing covered 144 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 373 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 200 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 105 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 9 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 373 workers across 1 notice. Notably, Manufacturing reported 200 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg | 3 | 647 |
| Wake | 3 | 359 |
| Guilford | 1 | 200 |
| Sampson | 1 | 121 |
| Hertford | 1 | 104 |
Mecklenburg bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 45% of all affected workers with 647 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Matthews | 1 | 373 |
| Cary | 2 | 316 |
| Charlotte | 2 | 274 |
| Whitsett | 1 | 200 |
| Clinton | 1 | 121 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 9 | 1,336 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 104 |
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family Dollar | Matthews | 373 | Layoff | |
| Epic Games | Cary | 211 | Layoff | |
| Prepac Manufacturing US | Whitsett | 200 | Layoff | |
| AmeriPark LLC and Republic Parking System LLC dba Reimagined Parking | Charlotte | 188 | Layoff | |
| Fortrex | Clinton | 121 | Layoff | |
| Red Storm Entertainment | Cary | 105 | Layoff | |
| Perdue Foods Feed Mill | Cofield | 104 | Temporary Layoff | |
| Kenco Logistic Services | Charlotte | 86 | Layoff | |
| Saks & | Raleigh | 43 | Layoff | |
| C² Technologies | 9 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Family Dollar at its Matthews facility, reporting 373 affected workers. Epic Games followed with 211 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the North Carolina labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail 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.