These Kansas businesses laid off more than 3,500 employees in ‘mass layoffs’ in 2024
Kansas employers laid off over 3,500 people in mass layoffs and workplace closures in 2024, according to federally required WARN notices. Many of the layoffs occurred in the Kansas City metro area.
Tyson Foods announced layoffs of more than 800 people from its Emporia facility on Monday, Dec. 2, pushing the state over the 2023 total of layoffs announced through WARN notices.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act was passed in 1988 to ensure workers who are about to face layoffs have enough time to transition to new jobs or industries before they lose their current employment.
Not all businesses are subject to WARN notifications. These warnings are generally only required when companies plan to lay off 50 or more employees from a single work site. This usually happens when plants or facilities close down or labor gets dramatically reorganized within a company.
WARN notifications are also not required when the layoff represents less than a third of an employer’s total workforce at a site, such as when airplane manufacturer Spirit laid off 310 workers in Wichita, where it employs about 9,500.
Kansas workers received 12 WARN notifications in 2024, announcing the layoffs of an estimated 3,542 people — higher than the 2023 total of 2,923. Here’s where this year’s layoffs happened.
Where did the most mass layoffs occur in Kansas?
The majority of Kansas’ mass layoffs announced through WARN notices this year happened in Kansas City, Kansas. The largest was from General Motors, which announced layoffs of an estimated 1,695 people Sept. 19.
The logistics industry had numerous layoffs in Kansas City, Kansas, this year. Distribution warehouse Legacy announced layoffs of 76 people June 13, Penske Logistics announced 70 layoffs Sept. 16 and Comprehensive Logistics announced 18 on Sept. 20. While fewer than 50 workers lost their jobs in the last case, a WARN notification was likely required due to an entire plant or facility shutting down.
Finally, French automotive supplier OPmobility announced it was laying off 72 employees Sept. 18, bringing the total layoffs announced through WARN notices in Kansas City, Kansas, up to 1,931.
Where else did mass layoffs happen in Kansas?
The second-largest mass layoff in Kansas in 2024 was by Tyson Foods Inc., which announced it would lay off an estimated 809 people from its Emporia facility Monday, Dec. 2. Walmart also announced layoffs of an estimated 318 people in Edgerton on May 17.
Fort Scott in southeast Kansas was hit by two mass layoffs announced on the same day in early 2024. Industrial machinery parts supplier Timken Belts announced layoffs of an estimated 152 people. Valu Merchandisers Company, a wholesale merchandiser, announced it was shutting down its Fort Scott facility on the same day, causing all 118 employees to lose their jobs.
Finally, Hostess Brands announced layoffs of 79 people in Lenexa on July 29, and food service company Unidine announced layoffs of 67 people in Wichita on Jan. 2.
Eaton Corporation, an electrical engineering company, also announced layoffs of an estimated 68 people in Kansas, although a facility location and date were not provided in the federal WARN database.
Of course, many more Kansans lost their jobs this year in smaller layoffs that didn’t meet the WARN notification threshold.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 8:48 AM.
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