California Layoffs — April 2018
Employers in California filed 57 WARN Act notices in April 2018, impacting roughly 6,022 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 22% versus April 2017. The average filing covered 106 workers, with 24 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 19 | 2,057 |
| Healthcare | 7 | 1,073 |
| Retail | 9 | 742 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 650 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 529 |
| Manufacturing | 8 | 476 |
| Transportation | 3 | 238 |
| Education | 3 | 101 |
The Information & Technology sector led the way in workforce reductions with 2,057 workers across 19 notices. In a parallel development, Healthcare reported 1,073 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 5 | 2,026 |
| Los Angeles | 14 | 1,300 |
| Orange | 7 | 766 |
| Santa Clara | 3 | 390 |
| Ventura | 3 | 338 |
San Diego absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 34% of all affected workers with 2,026 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 2 | 1,261 |
| Jamul | 1 | 650 |
| Anaheim | 3 | 559 |
| Valencia | 2 | 362 |
| Long Beach | 1 | 353 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 33 | 3,856 |
| Closure | 24 | 2,166 |
Closures accounted for 36% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm | San Diego | 1,231 | Layoff | |
| San Diego Gaming Ventures | Jamul | 650 | Layoff | |
| Rainforest Cafe | Anaheim | 356 | Closure | |
| Community Medical Center Long Beach | Long Beach | 353 | Closure | |
| Concentra | Valencia | 182 | Layoff | |
| Concentra | Valencia | 180 | Layoff | |
| Adventist Health Bakersfield | Bakersfield | 174 | Layoff | |
| CKE Restaurant Holdings | Anaheim | 173 | Layoff | |
| Qualcomm | San Jose | 169 | Layoff | |
| Four Seasons General Merchandise | Los Angeles | 150 | Closure | |
| Marys Gone Crackers | Gridley | 137 | Closure | |
| DHL Supply Chain | Moreno Valley | 136 | Closure | |
| Walmart | Simi Valley | 130 | Closure | |
| Roman Catholic Welfare Corporation of | Richmond | 128 | Closure | |
| Roth Staffing Companies, L.P., DBA Ultimate | Irvine | 128 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Qualcomm at its San Diego facility, reporting 1,231 affected workers. San Diego Gaming Ventures followed with 650 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the California labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Information & Technology 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.