Datasets:

Workopia
/

us-warn-layoffs

+---
+license: cc-by-4.0
+language:
+  - en
+pretty_name: US WARN Layoffs Dataset (Workopia)
+tags:
+  - labor-economics
+  - layoffs
+  - WARN
+  - employment
+  - united-states
+size_categories:
+  - 10K<n<100K
+task_categories:
+  - tabular-classification
+  - time-series-forecasting
+configs:
+  - config_name: default
+    data_files: data/layoffs_us_warn.parquet
+---
+# US WARN Layoffs Dataset
+A cleaned, event-level dataset of **United States layoff and plant-closure notices** filed under the
+[WARN Act](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/layoffs/warn) (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification),
+plus a small set of layoff disclosures from SEC 8-K filings. Compiled and maintained by
+[Workopia](https://workopia.io).
+WARN notices are **public records** that employers are legally required to file with state workforce
+agencies ahead of mass layoffs or plant closings. This dataset normalizes those filings across states
+into a single, analysis-ready table.
+## At a glance
+| | |
+|---|---|
+| Events | **18,468** |
+| Total employees affected | **2,306,915** |
+| Notice-date range | **2004-01-12 → 2026-06-10** |
+| Geographic coverage | United States, **35 states** |
+| Primary source | State WARN portals (CA, TX, NJ, IL, WA, MD, …) |
+| Secondary source | SEC 8-K Item 2.05 disclosures (140 events) |
+| Granularity | One row per filed notice |
+| PII | None — company / facility level only |
+> **Density note.** Coverage is sparse before ~2015 and dense from **2020 onward** (COVID-era spike,
+> then a 2025–2026 rise). Treat pre-2015 years as a thin historical tail, not a complete record.
+> The dataset reflects WARN's universe (large layoffs above state thresholds, plant closings) — it is
+> **not** a census of all U.S. job losses.
+## Schema
+| Column | Type | Description |
+|---|---|---|
+| `event_id` | string | Stable unique id for the notice |
+| `company` | string | Company name as filed (may include facility detail) |
+| `company_normalized` | string | Cleaned company name |
+| `employees` | int | Workers affected (present for 94% of rows) |
+| `kind` | string | Layoff / Closure / Unknown |
+| `permanence` | string | Permanent / Temporary / Unknown |
+| `notice_date` | date | Date the notice was filed |
+| `effective_date` | date | Date layoffs take effect |
+| `country` | string | Always `United States` |
+| `state` | string | US state (2-letter) |
+| `county` | string | County |
+| `city` | string | City |
+| `address` | string | Facility address (public WARN record) |
+| `naics2` | string | 2-digit NAICS sector (present for ~8% only) |
+| `sic` | string | SIC code where available |
+| `industry` | string | Industry label (present for ~51%) |
+| `ticker` | string | Stock ticker where mappable (~0.75% only) |
+| `cik` | string | SEC CIK where available |
+| `source_url` | string | Source filing / portal URL |
+| `source_type` | string | e.g. `WARN_CA`, `WARN_TX`, `SEC_8K` |
+| `sec_item_codes` | string | SEC 8-K item code(s) for 8-K-sourced rows |
+| `notice_year` | int | Year of `notice_date` (convenience) |
+## Known limitations
+- **U.S.-only.** Non-U.S. layoffs are not included in this release.
+- **Industry & ticker are sparse** (`naics2` ~8%, `industry` ~51%, `ticker` ~0.75%). Sector- and
+  equity-level analysis requires additional enrichment.
+- **WARN is not exhaustive** — thresholds, exemptions, and state-by-state filing differences mean
+  smaller layoffs and some states are underrepresented.
+## Suggested uses
+- Tracking U.S. layoff trends over time (national and by state)
+- Labor-market nowcasting and event studies
+- Training/evaluation data for entity normalization and employment NLP
+## Citation
+```
+Workopia (2026). US WARN Layoffs Dataset. https://workopia.io
+```
+## License
+Released under **CC BY 4.0**. Underlying WARN notices are public records; this distribution is the
+cleaned/normalized derivative compiled by Workopia.