California Layoffs — April 2016
Employers in California posted 62 WARN Act notices in April 2016, affecting an estimated 5,279 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to March and down 38% versus April 2015. The average filing covered 85 workers, with 37 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 17 | 1,257 |
| Manufacturing | 12 | 1,210 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 830 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 380 |
| Transportation | 6 | 328 |
| Professional Services | 4 | 320 |
| Education | 1 | 244 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2 | 204 |
The Retail sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,257 workers across 17 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 1,210 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 19 | 1,964 |
| Santa Clara | 7 | 893 |
| San Bernardino | 10 | 626 |
| Orange | 6 | 396 |
| San Diego | 5 | 339 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 37% of all affected workers with 1,964 workers across 19 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 6 | 528 |
| San Jose | 6 | 496 |
| Gardena | 1 | 380 |
| San Diego | 4 | 338 |
| Santa Clara | 1 | 296 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 37 | 3,206 |
| Layoff | 25 | 2,073 |
The high proportion of closures (61% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normandie Casino | Gardena | 380 | Closure | |
| Intel | Santa Clara | 296 | Layoff | |
| Intel | Folsom | 269 | Layoff | |
| ICDC College | Huntington Park | 244 | Closure | |
| MSE Technologies | Van Nuys | 205 | Layoff | |
| Sonora Packing | Gonzales | 176 | Closure | |
| World Service West | Los Angeles | 137 | Closure | |
| Unified Grocers | Los Angeles | 132 | Closure | |
| Abbott Vascular | Temecula | 131 | Layoff | |
| First Student | Santa Rosa | 131 | Closure | |
| Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies | Lake Forest | 110 | Closure | |
| IBM | San Jose | 109 | Layoff | |
| ecoATM | San Diego | 107 | Layoff | |
| Burke Williams Day Spa | Los Angeles | 101 | Closure | |
| Kohl's Department Stores | West Hills | 99 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Normandie Casino at its Gardena facility, reporting 380 affected workers. Intel followed with 296 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The trends suggest a easing in workforce disruptions across California, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. 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.