Nebraska Layoffs — February 2019
Employers in Nebraska reported 7 WARN Act notices in February 2019, displacing an estimated 69 workers — signaling a deceleration from January and down 61% versus February 2018. The average filing covered 10 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 6 | 68 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 1 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 68 workers across 6 notices. Notably, Arts & Entertainment reported 1 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Kimball | 2 | 32 |
| Hall | 1 | 27 |
| Custer | 2 | 6 |
| Brown | 1 | 3 |
| Knox | 1 | 1 |
Kimball saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 46% of all affected workers with 32 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Kimball | 2 | 32 |
| Grand Island | 1 | 27 |
| Broken Bow | 2 | 6 |
| Ainsworth | 1 | 3 |
| Crofton | 1 | 1 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 69 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Nebraska's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sears | Grand Island | 27 | Closure | |
| Shopko Corporate Office | Kimball | 16 | Closure | |
| Shopko xxxx | Kimball | 16 | Closure | |
| Shopko Corporate Office | Broken Bow | 3 | Closure | |
| Shopko Hometown xxxx | Broken Bow | 3 | Closure | |
| Shopko xxxx | Ainsworth | 3 | Closure | |
| Corps of Discovery Welcome Center | Crofton | 1 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Sears at its Grand Island facility, reporting 27 affected workers. Shopko Corporate Office followed with 16 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate a easing in workforce disruptions across Nebraska, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Nebraska. 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 Nebraska WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.