US Layoffs — January 2016

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 367 WARN Act notices in January 2016, putting at risk an estimated 42,627 workers — up substantially from December and up 41% versus January 2015. Filings came from 42 states and territories, with an average of 116 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 7,353 workers affected across 81 notices , followed by Texas (4,341 workers) and New York (3,366 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 14,022 workers across 95 notices. Separately, Retail reported 10,785 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 34% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was Cardone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reporting 1,366 affected workers. Daimler Trucks North America followed with 936 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.

These figures highlight 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 2016. 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.