The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 44 WARN Act notices in October 1998, covering approximately 4,791 workers — marking a sharp increase from September and up 125% versus October 1997. Filings came from 5 states and territories, with an average of 109 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 13 | 1,542 |
| Kentucky | 9 | 1,408 |
| Florida | 5 | 823 |
| Alabama | 5 | 662 |
| Kansas | 12 | 356 |
Ohio led the nation with 1,542 workers affected across 13 notices , followed by Kentucky (1,408 workers) and Florida (823 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 3 | 250 |
| Government | 1 | 132 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 116 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 100 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 79 |
| Transportation | 2 | 70 |
The Healthcare sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 250 workers across 3 notices. At the same time, Government reported 132 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 8 | 746 |
| Layoff | 9 | 700 |
Closures accounted for 16% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorola | Boynton Beach, Florida | 450 | |
| Southern Air Transport | Columbus, Ohio | 393 | |
| Commonwealth General Corp | Louisville, Kentucky | 360 | |
| Russell Corp..(Sylacauga) | Sylacauga, Alabama | 300 | Layoff |
| Tecumseh Products | Kentucky | 200 | Layoff |
| Tecumseh Products | Somerset, Kentucky | 200 | Layoff |
| National Garment Company | Chanute, Kansas | 187 | |
| The Lake Terminal Railroad Center | Lorain, Ohio | 134 | |
| Lear Siegler Services, Inc | Pensacola, Florida | 132 | |
| Gamble Brothers (Burruss Co.) | Kentucky | 132 |
Leading the list was Motorola in Boynton Beach, Florida, reporting 450 affected workers. Southern Air Transport followed with 393 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in October 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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