Iowa Layoffs — May 2006
Employers in Iowa filed 5 WARN Act notices in May 2006, impacting roughly 1,151 workers — representing a notable rise over April. The average filing covered 230 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 924 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 147 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 64 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 16 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 924 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Professional Services reported 147 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Jasper | 1 | 900 |
| Black Hawk | 1 | 147 |
| Scott | 2 | 80 |
| Montgomery | 1 | 24 |
Jasper bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 78% of all affected workers with 900 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Newton | 1 | 900 |
| Waterloo | 1 | 147 |
| Davenport | 2 | 80 |
| Red Oak | 1 | 24 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 1,071 |
| Layoff | 2 | 80 |
The high proportion of closures (93% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool | Newton | 900 | Closure | |
| APAC Customer Services | Waterloo | 147 | Closure | |
| G&K Services | Davenport | 64 | Layoff | |
| Romech | Red Oak | 24 | Closure | |
| Metrobank | Davenport | 16 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Whirlpool at its Newton facility, reporting 900 affected workers. APAC Customer Services followed with 147 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Iowa labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Iowa. 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 Iowa WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.