US Layoffs — October 2018
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 346 WARN Act notices in October 2018, impacting roughly 30,155 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 20% versus October 2017. Filings came from 42 states and territories, with an average of 87 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 101 | 8,774 |
| New York | 54 | 3,810 |
| Illinois | 22 | 2,125 |
| Texas | 13 | 1,310 |
| Florida | 13 | 1,245 |
| Kentucky | 8 | 1,055 |
| Virginia | 4 | 955 |
| Utah | 4 | 905 |
| Washington DC | 1 | 898 |
| Wisconsin | 8 | 760 |
| Ohio | 9 | 739 |
| Washington | 4 | 561 |
| Connecticut | 7 | 497 |
| Indiana | 3 | 438 |
| Alabama | 3 | 435 |
| North Carolina | 3 | 429 |
| New Mexico | 1 | 381 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 354 |
| Georgia | 5 | 341 |
| Iowa | 6 | 338 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 333 |
| Maryland | 4 | 300 |
| New Jersey | 4 | 296 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 293 |
| Oregon | 4 | 276 |
| Nebraska | 7 | 247 |
| Vermont | 3 | 232 |
| Michigan | 5 | 226 |
| Arizona | 2 | 185 |
| Mississippi | 3 | 182 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 180 |
| Missouri | 3 | 168 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | 156 |
| Maine | 5 | 140 |
| Louisiana | 2 | 128 |
| South Carolina | 1 | 126 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 81 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 67 |
| Colorado | 4 | 65 |
| Kansas | 5 | 60 |
| New Hampshire | 1 | 50 |
| Nevada | 1 | 14 |
California led the nation with 8,774 workers affected across 101 notices , followed by New York (3,810 workers) and Illinois (2,125 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 83 | 8,611 |
| Retail | 84 | 6,781 |
| Healthcare | 42 | 3,542 |
| Information & Technology | 27 | 2,736 |
| Accommodation & Food | 14 | 1,316 |
| Wholesale Trade | 18 | 1,242 |
| Transportation | 12 | 1,082 |
| Professional Services | 10 | 846 |
| Finance & Insurance | 10 | 759 |
| Agriculture | 5 | 658 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 8,611 workers across 83 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 6,781 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 163 | 14,930 |
| Layoff | 70 | 4,183 |
Closures accounted for 50% of all affected workers nationally, indicating significant structural workforce adjustments.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Providence Hospital | Washington, Washington DC | 898 | |
| Lord and Taylor | New York, New York | 853 | Closure |
| Nestle USA | Bakersfield, California | 769 | Closure |
| NetflixCS | Slc, Utah | 574 | |
| Jabil | San Jose, California | 562 | Closure |
| DH Leesburg Managment, LLC @ Lansdowne Resort & Spa | Leesburg, Virginia | 401 | Layoff |
| Molina Healthcare | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 381 | |
| Nokia | Naperville, Illinois | 345 | |
| Zacky & Sons Poultry | Fresno, California | 323 | Closure |
| Bristol Compressors | Bristol, Virginia | 303 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Providence Hospital in Washington, Washington DC, reporting 898 affected workers. Lord and Taylor followed with 853 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores 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 2018. 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.