The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers recorded 39 WARN Act notices in December 1999, covering approximately 4,274 workers — marking a sharp increase from November and up 22% versus December 1998. Filings came from 6 states and territories, with an average of 110 workers per notice.
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 7 | 1,643 |
| Texas | 13 | 1,055 |
| Kentucky | 8 | 760 |
| Florida | 8 | 646 |
| Alabama | 1 | 121 |
| Kansas | 2 | 49 |
Ohio led the nation with 1,643 workers affected across 7 notices , followed by Texas (1,055 workers) and Kentucky (760 workers) .
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 7 | 639 |
| Retail | 2 | 170 |
| Government | 1 | 120 |
| Utilities | 1 | 116 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 109 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 55 |
The Healthcare sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 639 workers across 7 notices. At the same time, Retail reported 170 workers.
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 813 |
| Relocation | 1 | 0 |
| Layoff | 1 | 0 |
Closures accounted for 19% of all affected workers nationally, with the majority of events being layoffs rather than full closures.
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| INTERMET Corp. (Ironton Iron) | Ironton, Ohio | 619 | |
| AGCO Corporation | Coldwater, Ohio | 450 | |
| Ardco, Inc | Kentucky | 335 | Closure |
| Ardco, Inc | Kentucky | 335 | Closure |
| Telxon | Fairlawn, Ohio | 183 | |
| Bay County Behavioral Health Center | Panama City, Florida | 179 | |
| Baylor Medical Center - Ellis County | Ennis, Texas | 153 | |
| Saint Luke's Medical Center | Cleveland, Ohio | 134 | |
| Martin Industries | Huntsville, Alabama | 121 | Closure |
| Angelica Textile Services | Miami, Florida | 120 |
Leading the list was INTERMET Corp. (Ironton Iron) in Ironton, Ohio, reporting 619 affected workers. AGCO Corporation followed with 450 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 December 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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