US Layoffs — January 2009

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 544 WARN Act notices in January 2009, involving roughly 62,875 workers — climbing above December and up 197% versus January 2008. Filings came from 28 states and territories, with an average of 116 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 12,254 workers affected across 189 notices , followed by Illinois (5,211 workers) and New York (4,749 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 28,071 workers across 207 notices. Meanwhile, Retail reported 7,214 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 23% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

The biggest impact was at Cessna in Wichita, Kansas, reporting 2,800 affected workers. Freeport-McMoRan Morenci followed with 1,550 workers.

Trend & Outlook

After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.

This data points to 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 January 2009. 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.