US Layoffs — February 1998
The US labor market showed signs of rising strain as employers reported 32 WARN Act notices in February 1998, displacing an estimated 5,487 workers — signaling an acceleration from January and up 291% versus February 1997. Filings came from 2 states and territories, with an average of 171 workers per notice.
Top States by Workers Affected
Florida led the nation with 3,265 workers affected across 18 notices , followed by Ohio (2,222 workers) .
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 3 | 1,800 |
| Manufacturing | 13 | 1,761 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 642 |
| Retail | 3 | 435 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 228 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 215 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 117 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 95 |
| Construction | 1 | 64 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 60 |
The Transportation sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,800 workers across 3 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 1,761 workers.
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type data was not available for filings this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | Location | Workers | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pan American | Miami, Florida | 1,200 | |
| Doehler-Jarvis | Toledo, Ohio | 690 | |
| Greenwich Air Services | Miami, Florida | 550 | |
| CompuServe | Columbus, Ohio | 490 | |
| Kendall Healthcare Facility | Ocala, Florida | 215 | |
| JCPenney | Columbus, Ohio | 210 | |
| Russell | Milton, Florida | 200 | |
| Ramad Resort Deauville | Miami Beach, Florida | 200 | |
| Dillard's | Cleveland, Ohio | 143 | |
| Environmental Air Technologies | Sanford, Florida | 135 |
The most significant filing came from Pan American in Miami, Florida, reporting 1,200 affected workers. Doehler-Jarvis followed with 690 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the the nation labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This report covers all WARN Act filings with notice dates in February 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 LaborCurrent, 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.