Iowa Layoffs — August 2011
Employers in Iowa filed 2 WARN Act notices in August 2011, impacting roughly 125 workers — representing a pullback from July and up 21% versus August 2010. The average filing covered 62 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 95 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 30 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 95 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Professional Services reported 30 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fremont | 1 | 95 |
| Polk | 1 | 30 |
Fremont was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 76% of all affected workers with 95 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Hamburg | 1 | 95 |
| West Des Moines | 1 | 30 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 95 |
| Closure | 1 | 30 |
Closures accounted for 24% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ConAgra Foods | Hamburg | 95 | Layoff | |
| Westec Intelligent Surveillance | West Des Moines | 30 | Closure |
The single largest action involved ConAgra Foods at its Hamburg facility, reporting 95 affected workers. Westec Intelligent Surveillance followed with 30 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.