Employers in California filed 147 WARN Act notices in December 2015, impacting roughly 20,234 workers — representing a notable rise over November and up 103% versus December 2014. The average filing covered 138 workers, with 49 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 8 | 7,040 |
| Accommodation & Food | 6 | 5,380 |
| Healthcare | 6 | 288 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 167 |
| Utilities | 2 | 32 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 31 |
| Education | 2 | 6 |
The Agriculture sector led the way in workforce reductions with 7,040 workers across 8 notices. In a parallel development, Accommodation & Food reported 5,380 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fresno | 5 | 5,253 |
| Los Angeles | 22 | 3,085 |
| Santa Barbara | 10 | 1,946 |
| Orange | 15 | 1,505 |
| Kern | 8 | 720 |
Fresno bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 26% of all affected workers with 5,253 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Yosemite National | 3 | 5,154 |
| Kerman | 2 | 5,102 |
| Los Angeles | 7 | 2,322 |
| Santa Maria | 4 | 1,758 |
| Irvine | 3 | 579 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 48 | 10,773 |
| Layoff | 47 | 3,238 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 113 |
| Temporary Layoff | 2 | 63 |
The high proportion of closures (54% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerawan Farming, Inc | Kerman | 2,551 | Closure | 2015-12-18 |
| Gerawan Farming, Inc | Kerman | 2,551 | 2015-12-18 | |
| DNCParks&ResortsatYosemite,Inc | Yosemite National | 1,718 | Closure | 2015-12-22 |
| DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc | Yosemite National | 1,718 | 2015-12-22 | |
| DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc | Yosemite National | 1,718 | Closure | 2015-12-28 |
| Hyatt Regency Century Plaza | Los Angeles | 796 | Closure | 2015-12-17 |
| Hyatt Regency Century Plaza | Los Angeles | 796 | Closure | 2015-12-23 |
| El Dorado Berry Farms, LLC | Santa Maria | 654 | Layoff | 2015-12-31 |
| El Dorado Berry Farms, LLC | Santa Maria | 654 | 2015-12-31 | |
| Hudsloan Enterprises, Inc | Los Angeles | 265 | Closure | 2015-12-09 |
| Hudsloan Enterprises, Inc | Los Angeles | 265 | Closure | 2015-12-15 |
| Superior Farming, LLC | Santa Maria | 225 | Layoff | 2015-12-31 |
| Superior Farming, LLC | Santa Maria | 225 | 2015-12-31 | |
| Parker Hannifin Corporation | Anaheim | 197 | Closure | 2015-12-30 |
| Parker Hannifin Corporation | Anaheim | 197 | 2015-12-30 |
The single largest action involved Gerawan Farming, Inc at its Kerman facility, reporting 2,551 affected workers. Gerawan Farming, Inc followed with 2,551 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the California labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Agriculture 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.
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