US Layoffs — March 2015
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 343 WARN Act notices in March 2015, affecting an estimated 30,280 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to February and up 13% versus March 2014. Filings came from 34 states and territories, with an average of 88 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 100 | 8,482 |
| California | 77 | 5,223 |
| Georgia | 10 | 1,658 |
| Texas | 16 | 1,456 |
| Florida | 15 | 1,426 |
| Pennsylvania | 11 | 1,187 |
| Indiana | 6 | 1,154 |
| Virginia | 6 | 1,086 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 978 |
| Iowa | 6 | 918 |
| Ohio | 8 | 771 |
| Louisiana | 5 | 707 |
| Tennessee | 8 | 707 |
| Oklahoma | 8 | 695 |
| Illinois | 11 | 672 |
| Missouri | 4 | 524 |
| Alabama | 4 | 482 |
| Arizona | 4 | 349 |
| Idaho | 2 | 330 |
| Nebraska | 5 | 299 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 290 |
| Kentucky | 3 | 231 |
| Connecticut | 5 | 186 |
| Maryland | 1 | 122 |
| Utah | 1 | 95 |
| Oregon | 5 | 88 |
| Michigan | 1 | 50 |
| Washington | 2 | 40 |
| Delaware | 1 | 33 |
| Mississippi | 1 | 19 |
| Vermont | 1 | 11 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 11 |
| Colorado | 5 | 0 |
| Kansas | 2 | 0 |
New York led the nation with 8,482 workers affected across 100 notices , followed by California (5,223 workers) and Georgia (1,658 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 65 | 7,282 |
| Transportation | 46 | 5,502 |
| Information & Technology | 52 | 2,926 |
| Professional Services | 21 | 1,948 |
| Accommodation & Food | 9 | 1,758 |
| Finance & Insurance | 18 | 1,483 |
| Retail | 14 | 1,304 |
| Mining & Energy | 12 | 1,286 |
| Healthcare | 26 | 1,153 |
| Utilities | 9 | 948 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 7,282 workers across 65 notices. On a related front, Transportation reported 5,502 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 122 | 12,446 |
| Layoff | 118 | 6,474 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 201 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 75 |
Closures accounted for 41% of all affected workers nationally, indicating significant structural workforce adjustments.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service America | San Diego, California | 831 | Layoff |
| Sitel | Augusta, Georgia | 677 | |
| USS-POSCO Industries | Pittsburg, California | 666 | Closure |
| First Data | Melville, New York | 641 | Closure |
| DAL Global Services, LLC - Delta Air Lines - Cabin Services | Jamaica, New York | 576 | Closure |
| Pioneer Transportation | Staten Island, New York | 519 | Closure |
| John Deere Waterloo Works | Waterloo, Iowa | 499 | |
| Briggs and Stratton | McDonough, Georgia | 447 | |
| Norfolk Southern Corporation-NS | Roanoke, Virginia | 426 | Closure |
| JP Morgan Chase & Co. (Chase Mortgage Precisionmatics Banking) | Rochester, New York | 390 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Service America in San Diego, California, reporting 831 affected workers. Sitel followed with 677 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest 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 March 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 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.