Iowa Layoffs — October 2018
Employers in Iowa posted 6 WARN Act notices in October 2018, affecting an estimated 338 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to September and down 48% versus October 2017. The average filing covered 56 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 1 | 161 |
| Retail | 3 | 95 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 75 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 7 |
The Healthcare sector saw the heaviest impact with 161 workers across 1 notice. On a related front, Retail reported 95 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk | 1 | 161 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 75 |
| Pottawattamie | 1 | 46 |
| Cherokee | 1 | 26 |
| Hamilton | 1 | 23 |
Black Hawk bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 48% of all affected workers with 161 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 1 | 161 |
| Burlington | 1 | 75 |
| Council Bluffs | 1 | 46 |
| Cherokee | 1 | 26 |
| Webster City | 1 | 23 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 170 |
| Layoff | 1 | 161 |
Closures accounted for 50% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country View Care Facility | Waterloo | 161 | Layoff | |
| Siemens | Burlington | 75 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Council Bluffs | 46 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Cherokee | 26 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Webster City | 23 | Closure | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 7 |
The largest notice was filed by Country View Care Facility at its Waterloo facility, reporting 161 affected workers. Siemens followed with 75 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for Iowa'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 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.