US Layoffs — May 1998
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers posted 23 WARN Act notices in May 1998, affecting an estimated 3,773 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to April and up 266% versus May 1997. Filings came from 2 states and territories, with an average of 164 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
| State | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 13 | 2,450 |
| Florida | 10 | 1,323 |
Ohio led the nation with 2,450 workers affected across 13 notices , followed by Florida (1,323 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 5 | 1,595 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 644 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 450 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 388 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 265 |
| Government | 2 | 142 |
| Transportation | 1 | 116 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 67 |
| Retail | 1 | 66 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 40 |
The Utilities sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,595 workers across 5 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 644 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Energy - Illuminating | Independence, Ohio | 986 | |
| Dania Jai-alai | Dania, Florida | 388 | |
| The Associates | Cincinnati, Ohio | 241 | |
| Kitchen of the Oceans | Deerfield Beach, Florida | 220 | |
| First Energy - Eastlake | Eastlake, Ohio | 207 | |
| International Paper | Hamilton, Ohio | 186 | |
| First Energy - Perry Nuclear | Perry, Ohio | 143 | |
| NAL Acceptance | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 138 | |
| Energizer Power System | Gainesville, Florida | 136 | |
| Liberty Intermediate Care Facility | Bristol, Florida | 125 |
The largest notice was filed by First Energy - Illuminating in Independence, Ohio, reporting 986 affected workers. Dania Jai-alai followed with 388 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Utilities sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in May 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.