US Layoffs — October 1997

The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 12 WARN Act notices in October 1997, impacting roughly 2,133 workers — representing a notable rise over September and down 55% versus October 1996. Filings came from 1 states and territories, with an average of 178 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

State	Notices	Workers
Ohio	12	2,133

Ohio led the nation with 2,133 workers affected across 12 notices .

Industry Breakdown

Industry	Notices	Workers
Information & Technology	3	409
Manufacturing	1	375

The Information & Technology sector led the way in workforce reductions with 409 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 375 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.

Largest Layoffs

Company	Location	Workers	Type
Millennium Petrochemicals	Cincinnati, Ohio	375
Prudential	Cincinnati, Ohio	282
NYMA, Inc	Brookpark, Ohio	264
Epic Technical	Dover, Ohio	248
Rockwell Automation	Ashtabula, Ohio	209
Teleflex	Van Wert, Ohio	171
Bucyrus Inernational	Marion, Ohio	159
Acme Food Service	Akron, Ohio	114
Ameritech	Cleveland, Ohio	97
Woody's Market	West Carrollton, Ohio	80

The single largest action involved Millennium Petrochemicals in Cincinnati, Ohio, reporting 375 affected workers. Prudential followed with 282 workers.

Trend & Outlook

After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.

The data underscores a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Information & Technology sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in October 1997. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is sourced from official state filings and updated daily by WARN Firehose. Download the full dataset or explore state-by-state data.