Kentucky Layoffs — July 2018
Employers in Kentucky filed 15 WARN Act notices in July 2018, impacting roughly 1,746 workers — representing a notable rise over June and up 496% versus July 2017. The average filing covered 116 workers, with 11 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 9 | 1,051 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 200 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 76 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,051 workers across 9 notices. In a parallel development, Finance & Insurance reported 200 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 4 | 470 |
| Jefferson County - Louisville | 4 | 470 |
| Boyle | 1 | 275 |
| Fayette | 1 | 203 |
| Warren | 2 | 200 |
Jefferson was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 27% of all affected workers with 470 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 4 | 649 |
| Jefferson County - Louisville | 4 | 597 |
| Warren | 1 | 100 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 11 | 1,252 |
The high proportion of closures (72% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Kentucky's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Greetings | Louisville | 275 | Closure | |
| Walmart | Jefferson County - Louisville | 206 | ||
| WAL-MART Store #1269 | Louisville | 206 | Closure | |
| Walmart | Jefferson County - Louisville | 203 | Closure | |
| US BANK -Bowling Green | 100 | Closure | ||
| U.S. Bank | Warren | 100 | ||
| Walmart | Jefferson County - Louisville | 96 | ||
| WAL-MART Store #4523 | 96 | Closure | ||
| Walmart | Jefferson County - Louisville | 92 | ||
| WAL-MART Store #3841 | Louisville | 92 | Closure | |
| Dean Milk | Louisville | 76 | Closure | |
| Dean Dairy Holding | 76 | Closure | ||
| Taylor & Francis Group | 68 | Closure | ||
| Magic Mart Store #960 | 31 | Closure | ||
| Magic Mart Store #650 | 29 | Closure |
The single largest action involved American Greetings at its Louisville facility, reporting 275 affected workers. Walmart followed with 206 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Kentucky labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Kentucky. 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 Kentucky WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.