US Layoffs — January 2015
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 287 WARN Act notices in January 2015, involving roughly 31,077 workers — climbing above December and up 20% versus January 2014. Filings came from 34 states and territories, with an average of 108 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 64 | 4,734 |
| New York | 42 | 3,386 |
| Alabama | 6 | 2,501 |
| Texas | 15 | 2,204 |
| Illinois | 8 | 2,107 |
| New Jersey | 7 | 1,741 |
| Pennsylvania | 10 | 1,432 |
| Ohio | 7 | 1,374 |
| Indiana | 9 | 1,359 |
| Kansas | 4 | 992 |
| North Carolina | 8 | 963 |
| Iowa | 4 | 873 |
| Georgia | 6 | 821 |
| Washington | 6 | 809 |
| Kentucky | 14 | 766 |
| Tennessee | 9 | 703 |
| Virginia | 5 | 595 |
| Florida | 7 | 560 |
| Missouri | 8 | 555 |
| Michigan | 4 | 379 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 336 |
| Oklahoma | 5 | 319 |
| Mississippi | 4 | 302 |
| Utah | 4 | 289 |
| Oregon | 3 | 253 |
| Vermont | 6 | 125 |
| Maryland | 3 | 116 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 111 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 96 |
| Colorado | 8 | 69 |
| Montana | 1 | 65 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 64 |
| Idaho | 1 | 61 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 17 |
California led the nation with 4,734 workers affected across 64 notices , followed by New York (3,386 workers) and Alabama (2,501 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 81 | 13,020 |
| Retail | 46 | 3,510 |
| Information & Technology | 36 | 2,301 |
| Healthcare | 17 | 2,133 |
| Professional Services | 16 | 1,944 |
| Mining & Energy | 15 | 1,503 |
| Finance & Insurance | 18 | 1,438 |
| Transportation | 14 | 1,231 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 1,100 |
| Accommodation & Food | 12 | 715 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 13,020 workers across 81 notices. Meanwhile, Retail reported 3,510 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 93 | 10,375 |
| Closure | 97 | 9,216 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 67 |
Closures accounted for 30% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| U. S. Steel | Fairfield, Alabama | 1,923 | Layoff |
| US Steel | Granite City, Illinois | 1,562 | Closure |
| New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority | East Rutherford, New Jersey | 1,100 | |
| US Steel Tubular Products- Lone Star | Lone Star, Texas | 1,095 | |
| Federation Employment and Guidance Services, Inc. (Health & Human Services) | New York, New York | 974 | Layoff |
| Learjet | Wichita, Kansas | 720 | Layoff |
| United States Steel Corporation Lorain | Lorain, Ohio | 636 | |
| Shire Pharmaceuticals | Wayne, Pennsylvania | 600 | |
| John Deere Waterloo Works | Waterloo, Iowa | 565 | Layoff |
| InDyne | Vandenberg AFB, California | 541 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at U. S. Steel in Fairfield, Alabama, reporting 1,923 affected workers. US Steel followed with 1,562 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 January 2015. 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.