Alabama Layoffs — October 1998
Employers in Alabama posted 5 WARN Act notices in October 1998, affecting an estimated 662 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to September. The average filing covered 132 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 369 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 116 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 88 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 369 workers across 2 notices. On a related front, Information & Technology reported 116 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Talladega | 1 | 300 |
| Lee | 1 | 116 |
| Houston | 1 | 89 |
| Jefferson | 1 | 88 |
| Saint Clair | 1 | 69 |
Talladega saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 45% of all affected workers with 300 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Sylacauga | 1 | 300 |
| Opelika | 1 | 116 |
| Dothan | 1 | 89 |
| Graysville | 1 | 88 |
| Ashville | 1 | 69 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 362 |
| Layoff | 1 | 300 |
The high proportion of closures (55% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Alabama's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Corp..(Sylacauga) | Sylacauga | 300 | Layoff | |
| Imageware Technologies, L.L.C | Opelika | 116 | Closure | |
| Dothan Industries | Dothan | 89 | Closure | |
| Drummond | Graysville | 88 | Closure | |
| Walls Industries-Liberty Trousers | Ashville | 69 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Russell Corp..(Sylacauga) at its Sylacauga facility, reporting 300 affected workers. Imageware Technologies, L.L.C followed with 116 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Alabama labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Alabama. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Alabama WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.