California Layoffs — September 2018
Employers in California posted 33 WARN Act notices in September 2018, affecting an estimated 2,576 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to August and down 44% versus September 2017. The average filing covered 78 workers, with 17 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 9 | 1,022 |
| Information & Technology | 4 | 378 |
| Agriculture | 2 | 308 |
| Retail | 4 | 262 |
| Transportation | 3 | 175 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 107 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 103 |
| Healthcare | 5 | 103 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,022 workers across 9 notices. On a related front, Information & Technology reported 378 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda | 3 | 553 |
| San Diego | 7 | 483 |
| Monterey | 1 | 256 |
| Los Angeles | 5 | 222 |
| San Mateo | 2 | 171 |
Alameda was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 21% of all affected workers with 553 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 6 | 472 |
| Fremont | 1 | 343 |
| Gonzales | 1 | 256 |
| Hollister | 1 | 156 |
| Stockton | 1 | 131 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 17 | 1,643 |
| Layoff | 16 | 933 |
The high proportion of closures (64% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jabil | Fremont | 343 | Closure | |
| Jackpot Harvesting | Gonzales | 256 | Closure | |
| Peninsula Packaging | Hollister | 156 | Closure | |
| CentralSquare Technologies | San Diego | 144 | Closure | |
| Masonite | Stockton | 131 | Closure | |
| ThredUp | San Leandro | 118 | Closure | |
| Brinderson | Martinez | 98 | Layoff | |
| Qualcomm | San Diego | 94 | Layoff | |
| Jabil | Livermore | 92 | Closure | |
| Meta | San Mateo | 88 | Layoff | |
| Renovate America | San Diego | 83 | Layoff | |
| Vital Therapies | San Diego | 83 | Layoff | |
| Achaogen | South San | 83 | Layoff | |
| VeriFone | San Jose | 69 | Layoff | |
| Kmart | Pinole | 67 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Jabil at its Fremont facility, reporting 343 affected workers. Jackpot Harvesting followed with 256 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The trends suggest a easing in workforce disruptions across California, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. 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.