US Layoffs — May 2002

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers logged 123 WARN Act notices in May 2002, involving roughly 18,398 workers — falling below April and down 17% versus May 2001. Filings came from 11 states and territories, with an average of 150 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

Texas led the nation with 5,484 workers affected across 32 notices , followed by Pennsylvania (3,387 workers) and Ohio (2,056 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 9,126 workers across 56 notices. Meanwhile, Information & Technology reported 2,300 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 Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in Austin, Texas, reporting 800 affected workers. Kaufmann's (Central Office) followed with 784 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.

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

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in May 2002. 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.