Employers in California submitted 134 WARN Act notices in January 2018, putting at risk an estimated 7,219 workers — up substantially from December and down 47% versus January 2017. The average filing covered 54 workers, with 40 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 24 | 1,585 |
| Retail | 10 | 462 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 421 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 54 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 26 |
| Utilities | 3 | 9 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 0 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 0 |
The Healthcare sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,585 workers across 24 notices. Separately, Retail reported 462 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 21 | 1,912 |
| Orange | 14 | 1,160 |
| Santa Clara | 8 | 546 |
| Sacramento | 4 | 521 |
| Fresno | 7 | 451 |
Los Angeles saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 26% of all affected workers with 1,912 workers across 21 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Sacramento | 2 | 521 |
| Irvine | 2 | 436 |
| Monterey Park | 2 | 373 |
| Fresno | 3 | 327 |
| Roseville | 2 | 325 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 40 | 4,133 |
| Layoff | 31 | 3,086 |
The high proportion of closures (57% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allergan, Inc | Irvine | 421 | Layoff | 2018-01-12 |
| Walmart (#5230) | Sacramento | 359 | Closure | 2018-01-11 |
| SynerMed | Monterey Park | 275 | Layoff | 2018-01-11 |
| Brinderson | Wilmington | 256 | Layoff | 2018-01-16 |
| Adventist Health Corporate | Roseville | 229 | Layoff | 2018-01-19 |
| Adventist Health (Hanford) | Hanford | 205 | Layoff | 2018-01-05 |
| Adventist Health St. Helena | Saint Helena | 200 | Layoff | 2018-01-05 |
| Macys | San Francisco | 197 | Closure | 2018-01-09 |
| Aurora Vista Del Mar, LLC (Hospital) | Ventura | 194 | Layoff | 2018-01-09 |
| ABM Industry Groups, LLC | Fresno | 189 | Closure | 2018-01-23 |
| Sams Club (#6625) | San Fernando | 178 | Closure | 2018-01-11 |
| Creation Technologies | Milpitas | 177 | Closure | 2018-01-09 |
| Absolute Screenprint, Inc | Brea | 170 | Closure | 2018-01-30 |
| Adventist Health Glendale | Glendale | 167 | Closure | 2018-01-11 |
| Sams Club (#6623) | Sacramento | 162 | Closure | 2018-01-11 |
Topping the list was Allergan, Inc at its Irvine facility, reporting 421 affected workers. Walmart (#5230) followed with 359 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Healthcare 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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