The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 59 WARN Act notices in February 1999, impacting roughly 8,600 workers — representing a notable rise over January and up 32% versus February 1998. Filings came from 6 states and territories, with an average of 146 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 9 | 3,154 |
| Ohio | 18 | 1,944 |
| Florida | 12 | 1,682 |
| Kentucky | 10 | 1,094 |
| Kansas | 8 | 588 |
| Alabama | 2 | 138 |
Texas led the nation with 3,154 workers affected across 9 notices , followed by Ohio (1,944 workers) and Florida (1,682 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 12 | 1,837 |
| Retail | 6 | 613 |
| Construction | 5 | 417 |
| Utilities | 1 | 250 |
| Agriculture | 2 | 230 |
| Transportation | 2 | 210 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 167 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 111 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 85 |
| Government | 1 | 56 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,837 workers across 12 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 613 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 935 |
| Layoff | 9 | 297 |
Closures accounted for 11% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guidant Corp./Sulzer Intermedics | Angleton, Texas | 2,000 | |
| Florida Coast Paper Comp., LLC | Port St. Joe, Florida | 550 | |
| Stroh's Brewery Co | Longview, Texas | 365 | |
| American Garment Finishers | El Paso, Texas | 300 | |
| Lockheed Martin Utility Svcs | Portsmouth, Ohio | 250 | |
| Flair Fold | Hiawatha, Kansas | 216 | |
| Cooper Bussmann | Kentucky | 200 | Closure |
| Cooper Bussmann | Kentucky | 200 | Closure |
| Affiliated Foods | Elwood, Kansas | 177 | |
| Kaiser Aluminum Chemical Corp | Canton, Ohio | 177 |
The single largest action involved Guidant Corp./Sulzer Intermedics in Angleton, Texas, reporting 2,000 affected workers. Florida Coast Paper Comp., LLC followed with 550 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in February 1999. 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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