Yb-doped fiber lasers operating near 980 nm have exhibited great potential to replace laser diodes as high-brightness pump source for erbium or ytterbium-doped fiber lasers. We review the current status of fiber lasers operating near 980 nm employing different types of gain fiber, including single-mode single-clad Yb-doped fiber, conventional double-clad Yb-doped fiber, jacketed air-clad (JAC) Yb-doped fiber and ultra-large-core Yb-doped photonic crystal fiber. Also the problems existing in 980 nm fiber lasers are mentioned. In the end we speculate the approaches for future development.