Georgia layoffs climb as U.S. job losses hit 92,000

Georgia is facing job loss as the latest federal employment report shows the U.S. economy shed about 92,000 jobs in January.

According to GPB, layoffs in Georgia have also begun to climb. Records filed under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN Act, show companies in the state with at least 100 employees cut more than 1,700 jobs at the start of the year. That figure represents the highest number of large layoffs recorded in a January over the past decade.

Economists say several factors may be driving the cuts. Thomas Smith, an economist at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, told GPB that some companies likely reduced staff earlier this year to offset rising costs tied to tariffs, even after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that many of the Trump administration’s tariffs were illegal.

Smith also warned that additional layoffs could follow if energy costs continue to rise. Increasing fuel prices linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran could make companies more cautious about hiring and expansion.

According to GPB, layoffs slowed slightly in February to just over 1,200 job cuts, but new filings are already emerging in March. One notice includes 958 layoffs at the SK Battery plant in Commerce.

That means Georgia is on track for one of its highest quarterly totals of large layoffs outside of the COVID-19 pandemic.