Nebraska Layoffs — March 2019
Employers in Nebraska reported 19 WARN Act notices in March 2019, displacing an estimated 392 workers — signaling an acceleration from February and up 340% versus March 2018. The average filing covered 21 workers, with 15 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 11 | 262 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 90 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 18 |
| Government | 3 | 12 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 6 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 4 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 262 workers across 11 notices. Notably, Healthcare reported 90 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | 6 | 133 |
| Cheyenne | 1 | 51 |
| Douglas | 2 | 48 |
| Box Butte | 1 | 42 |
| Knox | 1 | 39 |
Lancaster saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 34% of all affected workers with 133 workers across 6 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | 6 | 133 |
| Sidney | 1 | 51 |
| Omaha | 2 | 48 |
| Alliance | 1 | 42 |
| Wausa | 1 | 39 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 15 | 376 |
| Layoff | 4 | 16 |
The high proportion of closures (96% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Nebraska's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Care and Rehabilitation Center | Sidney | 51 | Closure | |
| Shopko xxxx | Lincoln | 48 | Closure | |
| Shopko Corporate Office | Lincoln | 48 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Alliance | 42 | Closure | |
| Sears | Omaha | 42 | Closure | |
| Wausa Care and Rehabilitation Center | Wausa | 39 | Closure | |
| Legends Patio Bar & Grill | Lincoln | 18 | Closure | |
| Shopko xxxx | Ord | 17 | Closure | |
| Shopko Corporate Office | Ord | 17 | Closure | |
| Shopko Hometown xxxx | Albion | 17 | Closure | |
| Shopko Corporate Office | Albion | 17 | Closure | |
| Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired | Lincoln | 8 | Layoff | |
| Payless ShoeSource | Lincoln | 7 | Closure | |
| Payless ShoeSource | Columbus | 6 | Closure | |
| SkateDaze | Omaha | 6 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Sidney Care and Rehabilitation Center at its Sidney facility, reporting 51 affected workers. Shopko xxxx followed with 48 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Nebraska 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 Nebraska. 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 Nebraska WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.