Employers in Iowa reported 11 WARN Act notices in December 2018, displacing an estimated 274 workers — signaling a deceleration from November and up 54% versus December 2017. The average filing covered 25 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 4 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 4 workers across 1 notice.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 2 | 144 |
| Woodbury | 4 | 94 |
| Black Hawk | 4 | 36 |
Polk was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 53% of all affected workers with 144 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Johnston | 2 | 144 |
| Sioux City | 4 | 94 |
| Waterloo | 4 | 36 |
| Purchase dataset for city details | 1 | 0 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 56 |
Closures accounted for 20% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 72 | 2018-12-28 | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 72 | 2018-12-28 | |
| Sears Roebuck and Company | Sioux City | 43 | Closure | 2018-12-27 |
| Sears | Sioux City | 43 | 2018-12-27 | |
| Buffalo Weaver, Inc | Waterloo | 9 | Closure | 2018-12-13 |
| Buffalo Weaver, Inc | Waterloo | 9 | 2018-12-13 | |
| Buffalo Weaver, Inc | Waterloo | 9 | 2018-12-28 | |
| Buffalo Weaver, Inc | Waterloo | 9 | 2018-12-28 | |
| Sears Auto Store | Sioux City | 4 | Closure | 2018-12-27 |
| Sears | Sioux City | 4 | 2018-12-27 | |
| Buffalo Weaver, Inc | Purchase dataset for city details | N/A | 2018-12-13 |
The most significant filing came from Pioneer Hi-Bred International at its Johnston facility, reporting 72 affected workers. Pioneer Hi-Bred International followed with 72 workers.
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Retail 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.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
