US Layoffs — March 2017

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 344 WARN Act notices in March 2017, putting at risk an estimated 28,332 workers — up substantially from February and up 11% versus March 2016. Filings came from 36 states and territories, with an average of 82 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

California led the nation with 5,221 workers affected across 68 notices , followed by Illinois (2,643 workers) and Florida (2,638 workers) .

Industry Breakdown

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 6,317 workers across 57 notices. Separately, Retail reported 4,449 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 33% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was GM - Lansing Ass'y (Delta) in Lansing, Michigan, reporting 1,146 affected workers. General Motors followed with 1,146 workers.

Trend & Outlook

After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.

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 March 2017. 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.