The US labor market showed continued flux as employers reported 23 WARN Act notices in August 1998, displacing an estimated 3,051 workers — signaling a deceleration from July and up 7% versus August 1997. Filings came from 4 states and territories, with an average of 133 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 6 | 1,322 |
| Alabama | 5 | 949 |
| Florida | 10 | 700 |
| Kansas | 2 | 80 |
Ohio led the nation with 1,322 workers affected across 6 notices , followed by Alabama (949 workers) and Florida (700 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 850 |
| Transportation | 3 | 310 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 295 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 198 |
| Admin & Support Services | 1 | 52 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 50 |
| Government | 1 | 34 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 850 workers across 1 notice. Notably, Transportation reported 310 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 949 |
| Layoff | 1 | 0 |
Closures accounted for 31% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercantile Stores/Dilliard's Inc | Fairfield, Ohio | 850 | |
| Rheem Manufacturing Company | Greenville, Alabama | 295 | Closure |
| Gayfers, South Group Office | Mobile, Alabama | 250 | Closure |
| Russell Corporation-Slocomb | Slocomb, Alabama | 200 | Closure |
| Allied Healthcare | Toledo, Ohio | 158 | |
| Russell Corp. Distribution Center | Marianna, Florida | 150 | |
| Lockheed Martin | Portsmouth, Ohio | 125 | |
| Earthgrains Baking | Montgomery, Alabama | 104 | Closure |
| Gayfers, Montgomery Distribution Center | Montgomery, Alabama | 100 | Closure |
| CA One Services/Palm Beach Airport | West Palm Beach, Florida | 91 |
The most significant filing came from Mercantile Stores/Dilliard's Inc in Fairfield, Ohio, reporting 850 affected workers. Rheem Manufacturing Company followed with 295 workers.
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 Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in August 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.
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