Why It Matters
Thousands of Americans are poised to be impacted by layoffs after the holiday season this year. Layoffs can be viewed as a signal about how companies view economic headwinds, but they could also be due to restructuring or plans to maximize profits. More than 1.1 million layoffs occurred in 2025, according to a December 2025 report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
What to Know
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers to give 60 days’ notice ahead of mass layoffs.
Mass layoffs occur when at least 50 employees are laid off during a 30-day period, affecting one-third of the workforce, or when 500 employees of any company are laid off during a 30-day period, according to the organization Legal Aid at Work. They also occur when a work site is closed and at least 50 employees are laid off in a 30-day period.
More than 100 companies have filed WARN notices indicating plans to lay off workers in January 2026, according to WARNTracker.com. The following companies have filed a notice.
AARP
AbbVie
Adams County Public Hospital
AeroFarms1526 Cane Creek
Amazon
Amentum
American Signature, Inc.
Apogee Architectural Metals
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Atkore Plastics Southeast
Augusta Sportswear, Inc.
Bechtel National Inc.
Best Dressed Chicken, Inc.
Blue Plate Oysterette LLC
Blue Shield of California
Bond 45 National Harbor Restaurant
Braga Fresh Foods, LLC
Building Materials Manufacturing LLC
BWW Law Group, LLC
Catalent, Maryland, Inc.
Charles River Laboratories
Clari Inc.
CNO Financial Group
Colonial Savings, F.A.
ColWyo Coal Company LP
CommUnify
Consolidated Hospitality Supplies
Corteva
CoStar Group
Couchbase, Inc.
CRST Expedited, Inc.
Dental Benefit Management, Inc.
Dillard’s Inc.
Dometic Corporation
DRT, LLC
DSV Air & Sea Inc.
enDevelopment Logistics, LLC
FedEx
FreshRealm
Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission
Galleher LLC
General Motors
Giesecke + Devrient ePayments America Inc
Gilead Sciences
Grand Lux Café, LLC
Great Floors
H&M Fashion USA, Inc.
HD Supply
Heibar Installations Inc.
Henkel Corporation
HRL Laboratories
Hudson
Huntington National Bank
Illumina
ImmunityBio
Inline Plastics
Institute of International Education
International Paper
Invincible Boat Company
Kloeckner Meals
Lakeshore Learning Materials, LLC
Louis Vuitton USA Inc.
Lumileds
Maritime Applied Physics Corporation
Marshalls of CA, LLC
Mattel
McDonald’s
MDWise
Meteorcomm LLC
Mettler-Toledo Rainin, LLC
Michigan Sugar Company
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Nationstar Mortgage, LLC
NIKE Retail Services, Inc.
Nordstrom Portland Rack
Ojai Valley Inn
Palo Verde Hospital
Panasonic Well LLC
Peraton’s Environmental Integration Services III
Post Consumer Brands, LLC
Presbyterian Home for Central New York, Inc.
Providence Health & Services
Rad Power Bikes, Inc.
RATP Dev and Midtown Group
Raytheon Technologies
Rebel Restaurants, Inc.
Red Run Corporation T/A Food Depot
Regional Medical Center of Central Alabama
Retail Services WIS Corporation
Revity, Inc.
Roads Express, LLC
Saddle Creek Logistics Service
SC Industrial Holdings, LLC
SDH Education West, LLC
SDH Service East, LLC
Shell Recharge Solutions
SLO Brewing Co. LLC
Smokin Bear LLC
Smurfit Westrock
Sodexo
Spirit Airlines, LLC.
Synopsys, Inc.
Takeda Development Center Americas Inc.
Terzo Enterprises Incorporated
The Cheesecake Factory
The French Gourmet, Inc.
The Taubman Company
TJX Companies, Inc.
TransAlta
United Supermarkets
Van Law Food Products, Inc.
Verizon
Virginia Mason Franciscan
Warner Music Group
Wells Fargo
West Fraser, Inc.
White Coffee Corporation
WIS International
WWL Vehicle Services America, Inc.
What People Are Saying
Joanne Song McLaughlin, a labor economist at the University of Buffalo, previously told Newsweek in 2025: “The current economic uncertainty comes from volatility in trade and fiscal policies, and the government shutdown. We also experience underlying structural changes driven by AI, which I believe could have an interaction effect on the policy and political volatilities. Uncertainty makes it hard for employers to predict, so they will most likely reduce investment and employment.”
HR consultant Bryan Driscoll previously told Newsweek in 2025: “This isn’t some sign the whole economy’s falling apart. It’s a sign leadership is more focused on pleasing shareholders than supporting the workers who actually keep the place running.”
What Happens Next
In the week ending December 27, 199,000 Americans filed unemployment claims, The Associated Press reported. Layoff and unemployment claims will remain key metrics of the economy heading into the new year amid ongoing concerns about the cost of living.
