In 1988, the federal government passed the Worker Adjustment and Retra
ining Notification Act. Previous to this action, several stares approv
ed their own laws requiring advance notice of plant closings and mass
layoffs. Implementation and enforcement of advance-notice laws have be
en weak and limited, due primarily to a policy design that includes nu
merous criteria for legal exclusion, as well as reliance on adjudicati
on as the primary means of such implementation and enforcement. Advanc
e-notice laws have had limited impact in averting plant closings and m
ass layoffs, but appear more successful in assisting displaced workers
find new employment. For employers, advance notice entails some costs
, although they do not appear excessive; less is known about costs in
the larger economy.