Iowa Layoffs — March 2008
Employers in Iowa submitted 4 WARN Act notices in March 2008, putting at risk an estimated 442 workers — up substantially 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 emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 237 workers across 2 notices. Separately, 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 |
Topping the list was 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.
These figures highlight 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.