The Week of December 10: 1,959 Workers, a Quiet Close to a Heavy Six Weeks

After a November packed with scheduled layoffs, the calendar finally eases. Layoff Atlas data puts 1,959 reported workers with effective dates in the week of December 10, 2026, making it the second-lightest week in the current six-week outlook — behind only the week of December 3, at 1,819 workers.

That is a sharp change of pace. The three middle weeks of the outlook carry the bulk of the scheduled cuts: November 12 has 7,578 workers, November 19 has 8,412, and November 26 has 6,032. December 10, at 1,959, is less than a quarter of the November 19 peak. For workers, employers, and local support services, the December weeks look less like a new wave and more like the tail end of one.

The six-week picture

Across the six weeks in the current outlook, Layoff Atlas counts 29,102 reported workers:

• Week of November 5: 3,302 workers
• Week of November 12: 7,578 workers
• Week of November 19: 8,412 workers
• Week of November 26: 6,032 workers
• Week of December 3: 1,819 workers
• Week of December 10: 1,959 workers

November alone accounts for 25,324 of those workers — about 87 percent of the six-week total. The two December weeks combined, at 3,778 workers, amount to less than half of the November 19 week on its own. December 10 itself is about 7 percent of the six-week total.

The pattern matters because effective dates cluster. When thousands of workers share the same effective week, unemployment offices, retraining programs, and job markets in the affected areas feel the pressure at the same time. A quiet week like December 10 spreads that pressure out — fewer people entering the job market in the same few days, and more breathing room for the services that help them.

Why the calendar drops off in December

A drop like this does not necessarily mean layoffs are stopping. It usually means fewer notices have effective dates that far out yet. WARN notices are filed weeks before the effective date — the federal law generally requires 60 days' notice — so the December weeks will fill in as new notices arrive during November. The week of December 10 could still grow.

What the current numbers do show is timing. Employers that filed notices in September and October set most of their effective dates in November. That is why November dominates the outlook. The December figures reflect only the notices filed early enough, or with long enough notice periods, to reach into December so far.

Recent filings show that pipeline is still active. Notices dated November 2 include Amazon's 95-worker Washington filing effective December 7, GEICO's 114-worker Lakeland, Florida filing effective December 31, and International Automotive Components Group's 83-worker Cottondale, Alabama filing effective December 31. None of those fall in the December 10 week, but they illustrate how new notices keep landing and how effective dates keep stretching further into December and beyond.

The national backdrop

In the current 90-day window, Layoff Atlas counts 676 notices covering 64,762 reported workers, with 26 counts unavailable. Those unavailable counts are excluded from the totals, so the real number of affected workers is slightly higher than the published figure. The data was last updated on November 4, 2026.

Two states dominate the national picture. California leads with 20,969 reported workers, followed by Washington with 17,320. Together they account for 38,289 workers — about 59 percent of the national total. Illinois (3,649), Texas (2,863), and Virginia (2,373) round out the top five. That concentration is worth keeping in mind: a quiet national week can still be a heavy week in a single state or city, depending on where the filings land.

What these numbers are — and are not

These figures come from WARN notices, the advance notifications employers file with state labor agencies ahead of qualifying mass layoffs and plant closures. They are reported plans, not confirmed job losses. A filing can be amended, delayed, or cancelled, and the number of workers listed in a notice is not always the number who ultimately lose their jobs.

Coverage also varies by state. Reporting rules differ, some states publish notices faster than others, and some filings arrive without a worker count. WARN data is a floor, not a census: it captures the large, formal layoffs that trigger notice requirements, and misses smaller cuts that fall below the thresholds.

What to watch next

Three things will decide whether December 10 stays quiet. First, new notices filed in the coming weeks could add workers to that week directly. Second, employers can amend existing notices, moving effective dates earlier or later. Third, the December 3 week — currently the lightest at 1,819 — could grow faster than December 10, swapping their order.

For now, though, the message of the calendar is clear. November is the heavy month, with 25,324 workers scheduled across its four weeks. December opens quietly, and the week of December 10, at 1,959 workers, looks like the slow end of a busy stretch rather than the start of another one. Workers with effective dates in that week still face the same practical steps as anyone else — checking unemployment eligibility, reviewing health coverage options, and confirming final pay — but they will be doing so in a week when far fewer people are in the same position at the same time.

Data source: Layoff Atlas