US Layoffs — April 1997
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers filed 8 WARN Act notices in April 1997, impacting roughly 1,146 workers — representing a notable rise over March. Filings came from 1 states and territories, with an average of 143 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 8 | 1,146 |
Ohio led the nation with 1,146 workers affected across 8 notices .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 3 | 604 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 487 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 55 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 604 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 487 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cub Foods | Columbus, Ohio | 450 | |
| Dayton Walther | Portsmouth, Ohio | 188 | |
| Bailey | Lancaster, Ohio | 131 | |
| Angelica Textile | Mt. Vernon, Ohio | 103 | |
| Kmart | Maple Heights, Ohio | 90 | |
| Catalina Cylinders | Eastlake, Ohio | 65 | |
| Things Remembered | Warrensville Heights, Ohio | 64 | |
| Carlisle Fin. HMZ Inc. - HALCO | Akron, Ohio | 55 |
The single largest action involved Cub Foods in Columbus, Ohio, reporting 450 affected workers. Dayton Walther followed with 188 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores 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 April 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.