California Layoffs — October 2015
Employers in California filed 68 WARN Act notices in October 2015, impacting roughly 5,957 workers — representing a notable rise over September and down 32% versus October 2014. The average filing covered 88 workers, with 21 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 4 | 1,085 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2 | 986 |
| Manufacturing | 16 | 844 |
| Information & Technology | 5 | 580 |
| Accommodation & Food | 5 | 502 |
| Transportation | 6 | 298 |
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 173 |
| Professional Services | 4 | 129 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,085 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Wholesale Trade reported 986 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 21 | 1,378 |
| Orange | 7 | 1,181 |
| Santa Clara | 8 | 841 |
| Riverside | 1 | 806 |
| San Francisco | 8 | 603 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 23% of all affected workers with 1,378 workers across 21 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Laguna Woods | 1 | 968 |
| Riverside | 1 | 806 |
| Los Angeles | 7 | 525 |
| San Francisco | 6 | 454 |
| Santa Clara | 3 | 423 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 46 | 3,331 |
| Closure | 21 | 2,463 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 163 |
Closures accounted for 41% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pcm | Laguna Woods | 968 | Layoff | |
| Fresh & Easy | Riverside | 806 | Closure | |
| Vishay Siliconix | Santa Clara | 292 | Layoff | |
| San Francisco | 240 | Layoff | ||
| TTM Technologies | Milpitas | 175 | Closure | |
| Bae Systems | San Francisco | 163 | Temporary Layoff | |
| Svenhard's Swedish Bakery | Oakland | 162 | Closure | |
| Marine Terminal | Los Angeles | 136 | Closure | |
| Tra Vigne | Saint Helena | 136 | Closure | |
| Cisco Systems | San Jose | 126 | Layoff | |
| Triple B | Irwindale | 124 | Closure | |
| Kohl's Department Stores | Santa Clara | 119 | Closure | |
| Kythera Biopharmaceuticals | Westlake Village | 117 | Layoff | |
| Western Digital | Fremont | 109 | Layoff | |
| Boeing | El Segundo | 109 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Pcm at its Laguna Woods facility, reporting 968 affected workers. Fresh & Easy followed with 806 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Retail 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.