US Layoffs — September 2013

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 238 WARN Act notices in September 2013, involving roughly 26,574 workers — climbing above August and up 1% versus September 2012. Filings came from 28 states and territories, with an average of 112 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 4,192 workers affected across 67 notices , followed by Texas (2,726 workers) and Mississippi (2,260 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 9,473 workers across 59 notices. Meanwhile, Education reported 2,671 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 26% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

The biggest impact was at Furniture Brands International in Tupelo, Mississippi, reporting 1,451 affected workers. International Paper-Courtland Mill followed with 1,100 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 September 2013. 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.