Employers in Iowa reported 6 WARN Act notices in October 2017, displacing an estimated 1,290 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and up 14% versus October 2016. The average filing covered 215 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 2 | 800 |
The Healthcare sector topped the list of affected industries with 800 workers across 2 notices.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 2 | 800 |
| Union | 2 | 430 |
| Johnson | 2 | 60 |
Polk bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 62% of all affected workers with 800 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 2 | 800 |
| Creston | 2 | 430 |
| Iowa City | 2 | 60 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 430 |
| Closure | 1 | 215 |
Closures accounted for 17% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa | Des Moines | 400 | Layoff | 2017-10-31 |
| AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa | Des Moines | 400 | 2017-10-31 | |
| Ferrara Candy Company | Creston | 215 | Closure | 2017-10-02 |
| Ferrara Candy Company | Creston | 215 | 2017-10-02 | |
| Sheraton - Iowa City | Iowa City | 30 | Layoff | 2017-10-27 |
| Sheraton - Iowa City | Iowa City | 30 | 2017-10-27 |
The most significant filing came from AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa at its Des Moines facility, reporting 400 affected workers. AmeriHealth Caritas Iowa followed with 400 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Iowa labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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.
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