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US Layoffs — July 2009

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers logged 363 WARN Act notices in July 2009, involving roughly 24,374 workers — falling below June and down 22% versus July 2008. Filings came from 26 states and territories, with an average of 67 workers per notice.

363
Total Notices
24,374
Workers Affected
26
States Reporting
67
Avg per Notice
49
Closures

Top States by Workers Affected

State-by-state layoff summary
StateNoticesWorkers
California1036,682
Ohio163,949
New York322,475
Florida141,305
Georgia61,226
Texas921,187
Alabama71,072
Michigan10947
Indiana9744
Kentucky12641
Illinois5620
New Jersey7510
Pennsylvania9507
Louisiana4503
Washington6408
Iowa4309
South Dakota2272
District of Columbia3205
Arizona3175
Missouri3170
Utah2131
Delaware1122
Oklahoma299
Kansas762
Rhode Island236
Maryland217

California led the nation with 6,682 workers affected across 103 notices , followed by Ohio (3,949 workers) and New York (2,475 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

Industry breakdown
IndustryNoticesWorkers
Manufacturing12910,210
Information & Technology303,489
Transportation102,124
Professional Services181,500
Finance & Insurance281,317
Healthcare191,205
Accommodation & Food5796
Retail83564
Real Estate2468
Wholesale Trade7462

The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 10,210 workers across 129 notices. Meanwhile, Information & Technology reported 3,489 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Layoff types breakdown
TypeNoticesWorkers
Closure494,562
Layoff522,882

Closures accounted for 19% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Largest layoff notices
CompanyLocationWorkersType
ABX AirWilmington, Ohio1,034
Ormet Primary AluminumHannibal, Ohio982
Cisco SystemsSan Jose, California704
NcrDayton, Ohio644
Pilgrim’S PrideAthens, Alabama640Closure
Lockheed MartinOwego, New York502Layoff
Veolia Transportation ServicesIrvine, California500
Parking Company Of AmericaAtlanta, Georgia460
Mohawk IndustriesDublin, Georgia400
Day and ZimmermannTexarkana, Texas380

The biggest impact was at ABX Air in Wilmington, Ohio, reporting 1,034 affected workers. Ormet Primary Aluminum followed with 982 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 July 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.

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