US Layoffs — May 2026

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers logged 6 WARN Act notices in May 2026, involving roughly 692 workers — falling below April and down 99% versus May 2025. Filings came from 2 states and territories, with an average of 115 workers per notice.

6
Total Notices
692
Workers Affected
2
States Reporting
115
Avg per Notice
1
Closures

Weekly Reports

Week 1
4 notices · 527 workers
Week 2
1 notices · 58 workers
Week 3
1 notices · 107 workers
Week 4
0 notices · 0 workers

Top States by Workers Affected

StateNoticesWorkers
New Jersey5454
Pennsylvania1238

New Jersey led the nation with 454 workers affected across 5 notices , followed by Pennsylvania (238 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

IndustryNoticesWorkers
Retail4334
Healthcare1238
Finance & Insurance1120

The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 334 workers across 4 notices. Meanwhile, Healthcare reported 238 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

TypeNoticesWorkers
Closure1238

Closures accounted for 34% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

CompanyLocationWorkersType
Bradford Regional Medical CenterPennsylvania238Closure
JP Morgan ChaseJersey City, New Jersey120
TargetBurlington, New Jersey107
WalmartHoboken, New Jersey100
Saks Fifth AvenueHackensack, New Jersey69
Saks Fifth AvenueEast Rutherford, New Jersey58

The biggest impact was at Bradford Regional Medical Center in Pennsylvania, reporting 238 affected workers. JP Morgan Chase followed with 120 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This data points to a easing in workforce disruptions across the nation, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in May 2026. 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. Download the full dataset or explore state-by-state data.

Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox

Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.

Want the full dataset?

Browse Layoff Data Get API Access