Guides · WARN Act explained

Layoff & WARN Act Guides

Plain-language guides to understanding mass layoffs, WARN Act rights, and how to use public data to research employer stability.

Amazon filing #1 is not United Airlines workers #1

According to WARN Act filings submitted to state workforce agencies, Amazon ranks #1 of 7,009 by recorded WARN filing count (114 notices, 41,969 workers, workers rank #2). United Airlines ranks #1 of 7,009 by workers on notice (42,706 workers across 9 filings, filing rank #35). The most frequent filer is not the largest worker total. These 10 guides use that split when reading notice rights, industry patterns, and employer-stability research.

  • Amazon 114 filings · workers rank #2
  • United Airlines 42,706 workers · filing rank #35

How 10 published guides split by purpose

Exclusive purpose partition from each card. Orthogonal to the AnswerCapsule filing dual above. Source: live guides catalog on this page.

Most filings is not most workers

Recorded WARN notice count for the filing #1 and workers #1 employers among 7,009 in this pool

filings

What this shows Amazon leads the filing-count ranking; United Airlines leads workers on notice in the same pool.

Source State WARN-Act dislocated-worker filings As of September 2026

Understanding the WARN Act

What the federal WARN Act requires, who it covers, and what workers are entitled to when mass layoffs or plant closings occur.

How to Analyze Mass Layoff Trends

A framework for interpreting WARN Act data, what industry patterns, seasonal cycles, and geographic concentrations reveal about economic shifts.

State WARN Laws vs. Federal WARN

Many states have their own mini-WARN laws with lower thresholds and broader coverage. Understanding the differences matters for workers in those states.

Navigating a Mass Layoff: A Practical Guide

Step-by-step actions workers should take when facing a WARN-covered layoff, from understanding your rights to accessing unemployment benefits.

Industry Layoff Patterns: What the Data Shows

Which industries have the highest WARN Act filing rates, seasonal patterns, and what drives cyclical vs. structural layoffs.

How to Research Employer Stability

Using WARN Act data, combined with other public signals, to assess an employer's layoff history before accepting a job offer.

AI and Mass Layoffs: Tracking the Impact

How artificial intelligence adoption is showing up in WARN Act data, which sectors and job types are most affected by automation-driven layoffs.

State WARN Laws Compared

Several states go beyond the federal WARN Act with lower thresholds, longer notice periods, and mandatory severance. Compare state mini-WARN laws side by side.

Layoff Trends by Industry

Sector-by-sector analysis of mass layoff patterns, which industries are cutting the most jobs, what is driving reductions, and what WARN Act data reveals.

Unemployment Benefits Guide by State

How unemployment insurance works in every US state, eligibility, benefit amounts, duration, and how to file after a layoff.

Methodology

Our guides draw on WARN Act notices filed with state labor agencies under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires 60 days' notice before a mass layoff affecting 50 or more workers, plus U.S. Department of Labor reporting. Every figure is sourced. Counts, dates, and worker totals come directly from those filings, referenced inline so each claim traces back to the originating notice.

The aim is plain language. We translate dense regulatory filings into explanations a general reader can act on, and when state agencies report differently or revise a notice, we flag the variation where it appears. Our editorial process includes regular reviews to keep figures accurate and current.

Where to start

Pick the guide that matches the decision you are making, then jump into the live filings.

Every guide figure that cites a live count traces to state WARN filings in this database; legal thresholds cite public statutes.

Download the compiled employer roster cited on this page: employers.csv (notice counts, workers affected, primary state and industry). Full CSV and JSON live on /data.