Kansas Layoffs — December 2018
Employers in Kansas filed 9 WARN Act notices in December 2018, impacting roughly 152 workers — representing a pullback from November and up 95% versus December 2017. The average filing covered 17 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 6 | 115 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 32 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 5 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 115 workers across 6 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 32 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Shawnee | 3 | 78 |
| Sedgwick | 5 | 62 |
| Wyandotte | 1 | 12 |
Shawnee was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 51% of all affected workers with 78 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Topeka | 3 | 78 |
| Wichita | 5 | 62 |
| Kansas City | 1 | 12 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in Kansas this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sears | Topeka | 60 | ||
| Formation Plastics | Wichita | 32 | ||
| Big Lots Stores | Wichita | 19 | ||
| Shopko Hometown | Topeka | 13 | ||
| Save A Lot | Kansas City | 12 | ||
| Sears | Wichita | 6 | ||
| Sears | Topeka | 5 | ||
| Dr. Clay Sligh | Wichita | 4 | ||
| Midwest Pathology Consultants | Wichita | 1 |
The single largest action involved Sears at its Topeka facility, reporting 60 affected workers. Formation Plastics followed with 32 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Kansas's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Kansas. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Kansas WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.