US Layoffs — January 1998
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers submitted 14 WARN Act notices in January 1998, putting at risk an estimated 2,488 workers — up substantially from December and up 66% versus January 1997. Filings came from 2 states and territories, with an average of 178 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 12 | 2,241 |
| Ohio | 2 | 247 |
Florida led the nation with 2,241 workers affected across 12 notices , followed by Ohio (247 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 1,101 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 495 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 329 |
| Retail | 3 | 203 |
| Construction | 1 | 201 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 159 |
The Finance & Insurance sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,101 workers across 3 notices. Separately, Healthcare reported 495 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nations Bank | Jacksonville, Florida | 912 | |
| Quest Diagnostic | Tampa, Florida | 300 | |
| Raytheon Engineers & Constructors | Tampa, Florida | 201 | |
| Health Task Corporation Halifax Medical Center | Daytona Beach, Florida | 195 | |
| Bordon Foods | Columbus, Ohio | 162 | |
| Unisys | Tallahassee, Florida | 159 | |
| GC Services | Tampa, Florida | 112 | |
| K-Mart | Sunrise, Florida | 96 | |
| K-Mart | Hallandale, Florida | 93 | |
| Kimro | Moraine, Ohio | 85 |
Topping the list was Nations Bank in Jacksonville, Florida, reporting 912 affected workers. Quest Diagnostic followed with 300 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Finance & Insurance sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in January 1998. 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.