Iowa Layoffs — May 2018
Employers in Iowa filed 5 WARN Act notices in May 2018, impacting roughly 335 workers — representing a pullback from April and up 107% versus May 2017. The average filing covered 67 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Education | 1 | 190 |
| Retail | 3 | 102 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 43 |
The Education sector led the way in workforce reductions with 190 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Retail reported 102 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson | 1 | 190 |
| Polk | 1 | 60 |
| Clinton | 1 | 43 |
| Scott | 2 | 42 |
Johnson bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 57% of all affected workers with 190 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Coralville | 1 | 190 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 60 |
| Clinton | 1 | 43 |
| Davenport | 2 | 42 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 1 | 60 |
| Layoff | 1 | 43 |
Closures accounted for 18% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Iowa Health Ventures | Coralville | 190 | ||
| Kmart | Des Moines | 60 | Closure | |
| Mercy Medical Center | Clinton | 43 | Layoff | |
| Sears | Davenport | 38 | ||
| Sears | Davenport | 4 |
The single largest action involved University of Iowa Health Ventures at its Coralville facility, reporting 190 affected workers. Kmart followed with 60 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Education 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.