US Layoffs — December 1997

The US labor market showed continued flux as employers reported 10 WARN Act notices in December 1997, displacing an estimated 1,083 workers — signaling a deceleration from November and up 6% versus December 1996. Filings came from 1 states and territories, with an average of 108 workers per notice.

Top States by Workers Affected

State	Notices	Workers
Ohio	10	1,083

Ohio led the nation with 1,083 workers affected across 10 notices .

Industry Breakdown

Industry	Notices	Workers
Manufacturing	1	106
Utilities	1	80

The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 106 workers across 1 notice. Notably, Utilities reported 80 workers.

Layoff Type Analysis

Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.

Largest Layoffs

Company	Location	Workers	Type
Bosch Braking	Frankfort, Ohio	213
Lazarus	Dayton, Ohio	140
Velva Sheen	Fairfax, Ohio	129
Jacob.,May.,Tusc.,& Kalur	Cleveland, Ohio	109
Universal Electronics	Twinsburg, Ohio	106
BTR Auto - Sealing Sys Group	West Unity, Ohio	100
Huntsman Packing	Carrollton, Ohio	98
Centerior Energy	Seven Hills, Ohio	80
DAP,Inc	Tipp City, Ohio	58
ISK Biosciences	Mentor, Ohio	50

The most significant filing came from Bosch Braking in Frankfort, Ohio, reporting 213 affected workers. Lazarus followed with 140 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.

The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in December 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.