US Layoffs — January 1997
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers logged 10 WARN Act notices in January 1997, involving roughly 1,499 workers — climbing above December. Filings came from 1 states and territories, with an average of 150 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 10 | 1,499 |
Ohio led the nation with 1,499 workers affected across 10 notices .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | 758 |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 311 |
| Transportation | 3 | 207 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 152 |
The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 758 workers across 2 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 311 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkins Markets | Wooster, Ohio | 539 | |
| Incredible Universe | Hilliard, Ohio | 219 | |
| Hamilton Division & Hamilton Machine | Hamilton, Ohio | 154 | |
| Col Convention Ctr | Columbus, Ohio | 152 | |
| Laidlaw Transit Svc | Norwood, Ohio | 91 | |
| Sandusky Plastics Injection Molding | Sandusky, Ohio | 82 | |
| Miracle Adhesives | New Philadelphia, Ohio | 75 | |
| Mvn | Springfield, Ohio | 71 | |
| BMI Transportation | Oregon, Ohio | 62 | |
| BMI Transportation | Cleveland, Ohio | 54 |
The biggest impact was at Hawkins Markets in Wooster, Ohio, reporting 539 affected workers. Incredible Universe followed with 219 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 1997. 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.