California Layoffs — March 2009
Employers in California posted 226 WARN Act notices in March 2009, affecting an estimated 12,760 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to February. The average filing covered 56 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 67 | 3,480 |
| Retail | 30 | 2,455 |
| Finance & Insurance | 35 | 2,428 |
| Information & Technology | 52 | 2,340 |
| Transportation | 8 | 453 |
| Healthcare | 7 | 384 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 216 |
| Professional Services | 6 | 173 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 3,480 workers across 67 notices. On a related front, Retail reported 2,455 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 74 | 2,855 |
| Alameda | 12 | 1,505 |
| Orange | 37 | 1,356 |
| Santa Clara | 23 | 1,191 |
| Sacramento | 10 | 918 |
Los Angeles bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 22% of all affected workers with 2,855 workers across 74 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pleasanton | 3 | 712 |
| San Diego | 10 | 542 |
| San Jose | 12 | 519 |
| Los Angeles | 14 | 497 |
| Irvine | 10 | 490 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in California this month.
Largest Layoffs
The largest notice was filed by Jpmorgan Chase Bank (Jpmorgan Chase & Co.) at its Pleasanton facility, reporting 654 affected workers. JCPenney followed with 433 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the California 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 California. 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 California WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.