Iowa Layoffs — March 2008
Employers in Iowa reported 4 WARN Act notices in March 2008, displacing an estimated 442 workers — signaling an acceleration from February and up 68% versus March 2007. The average filing covered 110 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 237 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 205 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 237 workers across 2 notices. Notably, Information & Technology reported 205 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Webster | 1 | 210 |
| Marshall | 1 | 120 |
| Polk | 1 | 85 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 27 |
Webster was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 48% of all affected workers with 210 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Dodge | 1 | 210 |
| Marshalltown | 1 | 120 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 85 |
| Burlington | 1 | 27 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 237 |
| Closure | 2 | 205 |
Closures accounted for 46% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Gypsum | Fort Dodge | 210 | Layoff | |
| Prc | Marshalltown | 120 | Closure | |
| Prc | Des Moines | 85 | Closure | |
| GE Consumer & Industrial | Burlington | 27 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from United States Gypsum at its Fort Dodge facility, reporting 210 affected workers. Prc followed with 120 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate 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.