US Layoffs — April 2023
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 425 WARN Act notices in April 2023, displacing an estimated 41,735 workers — signaling an acceleration from March and up 140% versus April 2022. Filings came from 39 states and territories, with an average of 98 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 175 | 11,431 |
| Washington | 6 | 9,673 |
| Illinois | 19 | 2,621 |
| Nevada | 12 | 2,577 |
| New Jersey | 10 | 2,003 |
| Minnesota | 25 | 1,797 |
| Georgia | 6 | 1,782 |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | 1,391 |
| Texas | 10 | 1,124 |
| Ohio | 9 | 943 |
| Utah | 3 | 489 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 476 |
| Massachusetts | 13 | 473 |
| Virginia | 3 | 461 |
| Tennessee | 4 | 424 |
| Maryland | 4 | 403 |
| Florida | 50 | 384 |
| North Carolina | 6 | 360 |
| Alabama | 2 | 341 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 318 |
| Michigan | 3 | 293 |
| Kentucky | 5 | 274 |
| Iowa | 10 | 273 |
| Arizona | 3 | 267 |
| Mississippi | 6 | 209 |
| Indiana | 1 | 178 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 157 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 135 |
| New Mexico | 3 | 106 |
| Oregon | 7 | 99 |
| Nebraska | 2 | 93 |
| Louisiana | 3 | 73 |
| West Virginia | 2 | 66 |
| Delaware | 1 | 41 |
| Hawaii | 2 | 0 |
| Maine | 1 | 0 |
| Colorado | 2 | 0 |
| Alaska | 1 | 0 |
| Kansas | 1 | 0 |
California led the nation with 11,431 workers affected across 175 notices , followed by Washington (9,673 workers) and Illinois (2,621 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 61 | 17,301 |
| Manufacturing | 131 | 8,578 |
| Transportation | 31 | 3,963 |
| Information & Technology | 86 | 3,361 |
| Education | 18 | 1,532 |
| Mining & Energy | 6 | 1,317 |
| Healthcare | 21 | 1,097 |
| Professional Services | 15 | 1,084 |
| Finance & Insurance | 13 | 1,071 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 509 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 17,301 workers across 61 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 8,578 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 90 | 19,188 |
| Layoff | 183 | 12,327 |
Closures accounted for 46% of all affected workers nationally, indicating significant structural workforce adjustments.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| David's Bridal | Conshohocken, Washington | 9,266 | Closure |
| Bed Bath & Beyond | Buy Buy Baby Inc | BBB Value Services | Union, New Jersey | 1,293 | |
| HyLife Foods Windom | Windom, Minnesota | 1,007 | |
| Bed Bath & Beyond | Atlanta, Georgia | 1,000 | |
| Walmart | Chino, California | 953 | Layoff |
| Keolis Transit America | Las Vegas, Nevada | 708 | Closure |
| Las Vegas | Clark, Nevada | 708 | Closure |
| Virgin Orbit | Long Beach, California | 603 | Layoff |
| Gap | San Francisco, California | 569 | Layoff |
| Hollywood Palladium, a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment | Los Angeles, California | 509 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from David's Bridal in Conshohocken, Washington, reporting 9,266 affected workers. Bed Bath & Beyond | Buy Buy Baby Inc | BBB Value Services followed with 1,293 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in April 2023. 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 LaborCurrent, 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.