US Layoffs — October 2014
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 268 WARN Act notices in October 2014, displacing an estimated 32,227 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and up 1% versus October 2013. Filings came from 31 states and territories, with an average of 120 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 73 | 8,739 |
| New York | 48 | 4,654 |
| Arizona | 7 | 2,636 |
| Kentucky | 6 | 2,118 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 1,838 |
| Texas | 15 | 1,358 |
| Washington | 6 | 1,104 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | 945 |
| Virginia | 9 | 913 |
| Georgia | 9 | 907 |
| Michigan | 3 | 902 |
| Illinois | 6 | 723 |
| Florida | 9 | 582 |
| New Jersey | 5 | 552 |
| Missouri | 3 | 529 |
| Tennessee | 7 | 494 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 434 |
| Ohio | 3 | 425 |
| Mississippi | 5 | 422 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 372 |
| Nebraska | 10 | 350 |
| Indiana | 5 | 283 |
| Maryland | 1 | 261 |
| Oregon | 2 | 229 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | 207 |
| Alabama | 1 | 100 |
| Iowa | 7 | 74 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 46 |
| Utah | 1 | 30 |
| Maine | 1 | 0 |
| Kansas | 4 | 0 |
California led the nation with 8,739 workers affected across 73 notices , followed by New York (4,654 workers) and Arizona (2,636 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 84 | 8,201 |
| Information & Technology | 36 | 5,947 |
| Accommodation & Food | 12 | 3,976 |
| Healthcare | 25 | 3,456 |
| Retail | 28 | 2,379 |
| Transportation | 9 | 1,990 |
| Agriculture | 7 | 1,316 |
| Finance & Insurance | 16 | 1,171 |
| Mining & Energy | 3 | 793 |
| Professional Services | 10 | 786 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 8,201 workers across 84 notices. Notably, Information & Technology reported 5,947 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 90 | 13,232 |
| Layoff | 107 | 9,509 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 1,034 |
Closures accounted for 44% of all affected workers nationally, indicating significant structural workforce adjustments.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino | Coarsegold, California | 1,034 | Temporary Closure |
| Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino | Coarsegold, California | 1,034 | Closure |
| Cisco Systems | San Jose, California | 1,005 | Layoff |
| Xanterra L.L.C | Grand Canyon, Arizona | 978 | |
| Mid Hudson Medical Group, P. C | Fishkill, New York | 746 | Closure |
| GT Advanced Technologies | Mesa, Arizona | 727 | |
| TECO Coal Corporations (TECO Diversified, Inc.) | Louisville, Kentucky | 656 | Closure |
| [Unknown - KY] | Corbin, Kentucky | 656 | Closure |
| Microsoft | Redmond, Washington | 635 | Layoff |
| Mesa Airlines | Charlotte, North Carolina | 631 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in Coarsegold, California, reporting 1,034 affected workers. Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino followed with 1,034 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate 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 October 2014. 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.