US Layoffs — November 2011

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 239 WARN Act notices in November 2011, involving roughly 23,575 workers — climbing above October and up 33% versus November 2010. Filings came from 27 states and territories, with an average of 99 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 6,087 workers affected across 71 notices , followed by New York (3,800 workers) and Illinois (2,273 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 4,698 workers across 56 notices. Meanwhile, Accommodation & Food reported 4,009 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 28% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

The biggest impact was at Interstate Brands Companies in Oswego, Illinois, reporting 1,390 affected workers. Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority (MTA LI Bus) followed with 981 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 Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in November 2011. 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.