US Layoffs — April 2006
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 114 WARN Act notices in April 2006, impacting roughly 15,014 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 40% versus April 2005. Filings came from 14 states and territories, with an average of 132 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 13 | 3,045 |
| Georgia | 9 | 2,413 |
| Pennsylvania | 22 | 1,902 |
| Oklahoma | 2 | 1,665 |
| New Jersey | 13 | 1,212 |
| Illinois | 8 | 1,045 |
| Michigan | 7 | 943 |
| Texas | 13 | 777 |
| Iowa | 5 | 744 |
| Florida | 9 | 634 |
| Maryland | 4 | 277 |
| Washington | 4 | 255 |
| Alaska | 1 | 102 |
| Kansas | 4 | 0 |
Ohio led the nation with 3,045 workers affected across 13 notices , followed by Georgia (2,413 workers) and Pennsylvania (1,902 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 56 | 8,787 |
| Transportation | 10 | 1,801 |
| Information & Technology | 15 | 1,659 |
| Finance & Insurance | 10 | 893 |
| Wholesale Trade | 5 | 533 |
| Accommodation & Food | 5 | 352 |
| Retail | 6 | 310 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 260 |
| Education | 1 | 253 |
| Utilities | 1 | 92 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 8,787 workers across 56 notices. In a parallel development, Transportation reported 1,801 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 33 | 4,336 |
| Layoff | 21 | 830 |
Closures accounted for 29% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Motor Company | Hapeville, Georgia | 1,652 | |
| Dayton Tire/Bridgestone Firestone | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 1,475 | |
| UPS Cartage Services | Vandalia, Ohio | 1,210 | |
| Verizon Business | Sergeant Bluff, Iowa | 569 | Closure |
| Federal Mogul | St. Johns, Michigan | 425 | Closure |
| Idt | Newark, New Jersey | 320 | |
| Yorktowne, Inc. Plant 4 | Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania | 300 | Closure |
| Armstrong Air Conditioning, a.k.a. Allied Air Enterprises, a Lennox International | Bellevue, Ohio | 300 | |
| Chicago Castings | Cicero, Illinois | 297 | Closure |
| Sony American Video Glass | Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania | 276 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Ford Motor Company in Hapeville, Georgia, reporting 1,652 affected workers. Dayton Tire/Bridgestone Firestone followed with 1,475 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 2006. 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.