US Layoffs — November 2005

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 92 WARN Act notices in November 2005, involving roughly 14,557 workers — climbing above October and up 23% versus November 2004. Filings came from 16 states and territories, with an average of 158 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

Pennsylvania led the nation with 6,096 workers affected across 15 notices , followed by Ohio (2,397 workers) and Texas (1,432 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Healthcare sector dominated layoff filings with 6,167 workers across 12 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 3,975 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 14% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

The biggest impact was at Mercy Health Partners Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, reporting 913 affected workers. Mercy Health Partners Mercy Med-Care followed with 913 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.

This data points to mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in November 2005. 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 LaborCurrent, 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.