Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) and Other Dislocation Notices - Division of Workforce Development & Adult Learning

MD Labor can offer employers and their impacted workers a wide range of services. These offerings are called Rapid Response services, because we strive to get employers and workers the help they need as quickly as possible, to minimize the negative impacts of layoffs and closures.

Rapid Response services may include:

Support Services for Employers

• Strategic planning and analysis designed to prepare and manage economic change
• Information and access to unemployment insurance programs that can allow businesses to resume full operations more quickly, such as Work Sharing
• Strategic measures to help employers avoid layoffs that support workers and prevent or minimize the duration of unemployment
• Funding, and management support to upskill the existing workforce to prevent layoffs
• Strategies to maintain employee morale and productivity

Support Services for Impacted Workers

• Direct reemployment services and resources such as career guidance, resume preparation, interview practice, job fairs, and job search assistance
• Assistance with unemployment insurance claims
• Information on healthcare coverage and other benefits
• Training to support reemployment efforts
• Information on Pell Grants, the GI Bill, and other education resources
• Labor market information on market demand, salary expectations, and more to help workers fine-tune their job search
• Guidance and support on benefits available through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program for workers whose jobs have been impacted by foreign trade

For more information on how we can help impacted workers, visit MD Labor’s Employment Benefits Guide for the Worker in Transition.

In Maryland, the requirements and process for notifying the state of a layoff or closure event differ depending on the size of the organization and the number and percentage of employees impacted (see below). We offer Rapid Response activities for any layoff or closure event.

First, determine the appropriate type of notification required for your business or organization.

If your business or organization employs 50+ individuals and you are anticipating layoffs of at least 25% of your workforce or 15+ employees, (whichever is greater) over a 3-month period, you must follow the state requirements for Maryland’s Economic Stabilization Act (ESA). Submit notification to MD Labor’s Dislocation Services Unit as well as any employee representatives, and the chief local elected official of the impacted area 60 days prior to termination date.

Notifications to MD Labor’s Dislocation Services Unit must be emailed to dlwdalwarn-labor@maryland.gov or mailed to:
Maryland Department of Labor
Dislocation Services Unit
100 S. Charles Street
Tower 1, Suite 2000
Baltimore, MD 21201

If your business or organization has over 100 employees and is anticipating layoffs or 50+ workers or at least 33% of your active workforce, you must follow the federal requirements for a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN). Submit notification to MD Labor’s Dislocation Services Unit by email to dlwdalwarn-labor@maryland.gov or by mail to the Maryland Department of Labor Dislocation Services Unit at the address above.

For more information on layoff and closure notifications, see the Employer’s Guide for Advance Notice of Layoffs and Closures

When a federal agency separates 50 or more employees by RIF, the agency must notify MD Labor’s Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning, which serves as the State Workforce Agency. Submit notification to dlwdalwarn-labor@maryland.gov. There are also notice requirements to the Office of Personnel Management and to other Federal and non-Federal organizations.

Even if you are an employer facing a layoff or closure event that is not subject to WARN, ESA, or RIF requirements, we still encourage you to notify MD Labor of a dislocation so that your organization and your impacted workers can take advantage of Rapid Response services. This includes larger organizations laying off a small number of people, smaller organizations laying off any number of people, and others. Notifications can be submitted using the Notice of Dislocation Event Form.

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