US Layoffs — December 2018
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 226 WARN Act notices in December 2018, displacing an estimated 24,885 workers — signaling an acceleration from November and up 44% versus December 2017. Filings came from 34 states and territories, with an average of 110 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 53 | 6,531 |
| Ohio | 5 | 3,858 |
| Michigan | 10 | 1,791 |
| Georgia | 15 | 1,722 |
| New York | 25 | 1,523 |
| Florida | 9 | 1,510 |
| New Jersey | 12 | 1,391 |
| Illinois | 9 | 1,310 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 815 |
| Texas | 7 | 478 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 430 |
| Minnesota | 8 | 411 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 302 |
| Missouri | 2 | 301 |
| Nebraska | 12 | 292 |
| Kentucky | 2 | 274 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 271 |
| Washington | 4 | 261 |
| Indiana | 2 | 202 |
| Mississippi | 2 | 200 |
| Kansas | 9 | 152 |
| Iowa | 5 | 137 |
| Maryland | 1 | 106 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 98 |
| Oregon | 5 | 98 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | 92 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 86 |
| Arizona | 1 | 67 |
| Maine | 7 | 64 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 60 |
| Delaware | 2 | 29 |
| Vermont | 1 | 14 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 9 |
| Colorado | 1 | 0 |
California led the nation with 6,531 workers affected across 53 notices , followed by Ohio (3,858 workers) and Michigan (1,791 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 61 | 11,117 |
| Healthcare | 40 | 5,444 |
| Professional Services | 16 | 1,818 |
| Information & Technology | 29 | 1,648 |
| Retail | 29 | 955 |
| Transportation | 5 | 820 |
| Finance & Insurance | 9 | 670 |
| Accommodation & Food | 8 | 663 |
| Wholesale Trade | 9 | 617 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 4 | 339 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 11,117 workers across 61 notices. Notably, Healthcare reported 5,444 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 79 | 6,677 |
| Layoff | 52 | 6,358 |
Closures accounted for 27% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| GM Lordstown Complex | Warren, Ohio | 1,607 | |
| General Motors | Warren, Ohio | 1,607 | |
| Verity Health System of California | San Jose, California | 1,326 | Layoff |
| Bay Medical Sacred | Panama City, Florida | 634 | |
| Aecom-Urs | Kennedy Space Center, Florida | 629 | |
| GM Detroit Hamtramck | Detroit, Michigan | 620 | Closure |
| General Motors | Detroit, Michigan | 620 | |
| Silver Lake Medical Center | Los Angeles, California | 573 | Layoff |
| Verity Health System of California | Gilroy, California | 493 | Layoff |
| Afco | Anderson, South Carolina | 395 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from GM Lordstown Complex in Warren, Ohio, reporting 1,607 affected workers. General Motors followed with 1,607 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate 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 December 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.