California Layoffs — March 2018
Employers in California posted 38 WARN Act notices in March 2018, affecting an estimated 4,739 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to February and down 9% versus March 2017. The average filing covered 125 workers, with 22 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 10 | 2,538 |
| Information & Technology | 10 | 530 |
| Retail | 5 | 488 |
| Utilities | 2 | 317 |
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 262 |
| Healthcare | 4 | 196 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 129 |
| Transportation | 1 | 113 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 2,538 workers across 10 notices. On a related front, Information & Technology reported 530 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Stanislaus | 1 | 1,975 |
| Los Angeles | 10 | 881 |
| Orange | 3 | 333 |
| Santa Clara | 4 | 332 |
| San Bernardino | 3 | 302 |
Stanislaus was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 42% of all affected workers with 1,975 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Modesto | 1 | 1,975 |
| Rialto | 2 | 280 |
| Anaheim | 1 | 216 |
| Sylmar | 1 | 197 |
| Palo Alto | 1 | 140 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 22 | 3,822 |
| Layoff | 16 | 917 |
The high proportion of closures (81% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca Foods | Modesto | 1,975 | Closure | |
| Toys R Us | Rialto | 241 | Closure | |
| Zone Enterprises of Anaheim | Anaheim | 216 | Closure | |
| Johanson Dielectrics | Sylmar | 197 | Layoff | |
| The Cheesecake Factory Restaurants | Palo Alto | 140 | Closure | |
| iQor Holdings US | Simi Valley | 129 | Layoff | |
| General Electric | San Ramon | 120 | Layoff | |
| Pathways Continuous Care DBA Pathways | Sunnyvale | 116 | Closure | |
| H and M International Transportation | Commerce | 113 | Closure | |
| Aryzta | Los Angeles | 109 | Closure | |
| Sandberg Furniture Manufacturing | Vernon | 105 | Closure | |
| Jonathan Louis International | Gardena | 100 | Closure | |
| Foothill Distributing | Redding | 95 | Closure | |
| Toys R Us | Stockton | 88 | Closure | |
| Claim Jumper | Temecula | 77 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Seneca Foods at its Modesto facility, reporting 1,975 affected workers. Toys R Us followed with 241 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing 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.