The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 11 WARN Act notices in January 1998, putting at risk an estimated 1,485 workers — up substantially from December and roughly flat versus January 1997. Filings came from 2 states and territories, with an average of 135 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 9 | 1,238 |
| Ohio | 2 | 247 |
Florida led the nation with 1,238 workers affected across 9 notices , followed by Ohio (247 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 1 | 195 |
| Retail | 2 | 189 |
The Healthcare sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 195 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Retail reported 189 workers.
Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quest Diagnostic | Tampa, Florida | 300 | |
| Raytheon Engineers & Constructors | Tampa, Florida | 201 | |
| Health Task Corporation Halifax Medical Center | Daytona Beach, Florida | 195 | |
| Bordon Foods Corporation | Columbus, Ohio | 162 | |
| Unisys | Tallahassee, Florida | 159 | |
| GC Services | Tampa, Florida | 112 | |
| K-Mart | Sunrise, Florida | 96 | |
| K-Mart | Hallandale, Florida | 93 | |
| Kimro | Moraine, Ohio | 85 | |
| Bagcraft Corp. of America | Hialeah, Florida | 76 |
Topping the list was Quest Diagnostic in Tampa, Florida, reporting 300 affected workers. Raytheon Engineers & Constructors followed with 201 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight a mixed picture for the nation's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 1998. 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
