US Layoffs — August 1996
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 12 WARN Act notices in August 1996, impacting roughly 1,506 workers — representing a notable rise over July. Filings came from 1 states and territories, with an average of 126 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 12 | 1,506 |
Ohio led the nation with 1,506 workers affected across 12 notices .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 7 | 1,254 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 93 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 92 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 66 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 1 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,254 workers across 7 notices. In a parallel development, Finance & Insurance reported 93 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amana Refrigeration | Delaware, Ohio | 580 | |
| Printpak | Dayton, Ohio | 186 | |
| Kuppenheimer | Wellston, Ohio | 170 | |
| American Pad & Paper | Miamisburg, Ohio | 148 | |
| Detwiler Manor | Wauseon, Ohio | 92 | |
| The Prudential | Akron, Ohio | 81 | |
| Pizza Hut | Westerville, Ohio | 66 | |
| Pilliod | Swanton, Ohio | 60 | |
| Colgate-Palmolive | Solon, Ohio | 56 | |
| Curtiss 1000 | Cleveland, Ohio | 54 |
The single largest action involved Amana Refrigeration in Delaware, Ohio, reporting 580 affected workers. Printpak followed with 186 workers.
Trend & Outlook
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 August 1996. 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, which also tracks SEC 8-K filings, bankruptcy proceedings, H-1B visa petitions, and unemployment claims across all six datasets. API access and data exports available.