Iowa Layoffs — March 2019
Employers in Iowa reported 15 WARN Act notices in March 2019, displacing an estimated 414 workers — signaling a deceleration from February and up 20600% versus March 2018. The average filing covered 28 workers, with 10 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 8 | 258 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 44 |
| Government | 1 | 39 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 30 |
| Utilities | 2 | 21 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 19 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 3 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 258 workers across 8 notices. Notably, Finance & Insurance reported 44 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Dubuque | 2 | 89 |
| Polk | 4 | 72 |
| Woodbury | 1 | 57 |
| Cerro Gordo | 1 | 54 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 30 |
Dubuque felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 21% of all affected workers with 89 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Dubuque | 2 | 89 |
| Sioux City | 1 | 57 |
| Mason City | 1 | 54 |
| Ankeny | 1 | 39 |
| Burlington | 1 | 30 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 10 | 307 |
| Layoff | 4 | 104 |
The high proportion of closures (74% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShopKo | Sioux City | 57 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Mason City | 54 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Dubuque | 45 | Closure | |
| MidWestOne Bank | Dubuque | 44 | Layoff | |
| Iowa Alchoholic Beverage Division (ABD) | Ankeny | 39 | Layoff | |
| LaMont | Burlington | 30 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Dyersville | 28 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Waukon | 22 | Closure | |
| Pae | Urbandale | 19 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Harlan | 19 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Perry | 17 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Sheldon | 16 | Closure | |
| A-TEC Energy | Urbandale | 11 | Layoff | |
| A-TEC Energy | Rock Valley | 10 | Layoff | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 3 |
The most significant filing came from ShopKo at its Sioux City facility, reporting 57 affected workers. ShopKo followed with 54 workers.
Trend & Outlook
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.