November 19 Is the Heaviest Fully Upcoming Layoff Week: 8,412 Workers Scheduled

The next six weeks of scheduled US layoffs total 35,195 reported workers, according to current WARN notice data. The single heaviest week still entirely ahead of us is the week of November 19, 2026, with 8,412 workers carrying effective dates in that week. Only the current week, starting October 29, is larger, at 8,520 workers — and that week is already underway.

These figures come from Layoff Atlas, which tracks WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notices filed with state labor agencies. The registry's current 90-day window covers 664 notices and 62,049 reported workers, with 30 notices carrying no worker count, last updated October 28, 2026. All figures below describe reported plans, not confirmed job losses — a WARN filing is an advance notice of a planned layoff or closure, and plans can change before the effective date.

The six-week outlook

Here is the week-by-week picture, by effective date:

• Week of October 29: 8,520 workers
• Week of November 5: 3,302 workers
• Week of November 12: 7,472 workers
• Week of November 19: 8,412 workers
• Week of November 26: 5,819 workers
• Week of December 3: 1,670 workers

The shape of this outlook is uneven. After the current week's 8,520, the schedule drops sharply to 3,302 in the week of November 5 — the quietest week in the window after December 3 — then climbs back through 7,472 in the week of November 12 to the November 19 peak. The week of November 26, which includes Thanksgiving, still carries 5,819 workers, before the schedule falls to 1,670 in the week of December 3, the lightest week in the outlook.

Why November 19 stands out

November 19 is not just the heaviest week still fully ahead — it is the peak of a three-week climb. From the November 5 low of 3,302, scheduled workers more than double by November 12 (7,472) and rise again to 8,412 by November 19. That makes the middle of November the densest stretch of planned layoffs in the current outlook, with 15,884 workers scheduled across the weeks of November 12 and November 19 combined — about 45 percent of the entire six-week total.

It is worth noting how close the top two weeks are. The current week (8,520) edges out November 19 (8,412) by just 108 workers. In practical terms, the country is entering a two-peak stretch: one happening now, and one three weeks out.

The state picture behind the national total

Within the connected sources, Washington leads the current 90-day window with 17,050 reported workers, followed by California at 13,335, Illinois at 4,626, Texas at 3,652, and Georgia at 2,492. Washington and California together account for roughly half of all reported workers in the window, which means the national weekly totals are heavily shaped by filings in those two states.

That concentration is also a reminder of how WARN data works. Coverage and reporting rules vary by state: some states publish detailed, timely notices, while others report little or nothing. A state with a low total may simply report less, not lay off less. The registry covers 51 jurisdictions, and 48 have imported records.

How to read these numbers

Three things matter when reading a week-ahead outlook like this one.

First, effective dates are not notice dates. A worker counted in the week of November 19 may have been notified weeks or months earlier — the standard federal WARN notice period is 60 days, though state mini-WARN laws and specific circumstances vary. The week-ahead view shows when the job losses are scheduled to take effect, not when workers learned about them.

Second, these are reported plans, not confirmed job losses. Companies sometimes revise, delay, or cancel planned layoffs, and some notices cover temporary layoffs. The weekly totals will shift as new notices arrive and old ones are updated.

Third, the totals exclude unavailable counts. Thirty notices in the current window carry no worker number, so the true planned total is somewhat higher than 62,049. The weekly figures likewise reflect only notices with published effective dates and reported worker counts.

What to watch next

The November 19 peak will be worth revisiting as new notices arrive. If filings scheduled for that week keep growing, it could overtake the current week's 8,520 and become the heaviest week in the outlook outright. If instead new notices cluster in December, the peak could shift later. Either way, the mid-November concentration — nearly half the six-week total in just two weeks — is the story to follow.

Data source: Layoff Atlas