Employers in California submitted 1470 WARN Act notices in May 2020, putting at risk an estimated 130,068 workers — down from April and up 2047% versus May 2019. The average filing covered 88 workers, with 99 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 182 | 21,465 |
| Manufacturing | 70 | 4,264 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 64 | 3,876 |
| Healthcare | 87 | 3,641 |
| Retail | 32 | 2,737 |
| Education | 24 | 2,572 |
| Information & Technology | 14 | 897 |
| Transportation | 15 | 858 |
The Accommodation & Food sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 21,465 workers across 182 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 4,264 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 395 | 46,601 |
| Alameda | 36 | 13,380 |
| San Diego | 119 | 13,219 |
| Orange | 104 | 10,131 |
| San Francisco | 95 | 8,926 |
Los Angeles felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 36% of all affected workers with 46,601 workers across 395 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 104 | 17,833 |
| Fremont | 7 | 11,566 |
| San Francisco | 59 | 8,926 |
| San Diego | 51 | 5,746 |
| Universal City | 7 | 4,061 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 965 | 115,259 |
| Closure | 99 | 14,809 |
Closures accounted for 11% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla, Inc | Fremont | 11,083 | Layoff | 2020-05-12 |
| Fox Sports Productions, LLC | Los Angeles | 3,595 | Layoff | 2020-05-02 |
| Universal City Studios DBA Universal Studios Hollywood | Universal City | 3,025 | Layoff | 2020-05-13 |
| Cal Poly Corporation | San Luis Obispo | 2,626 | Layoff | 2020-05-26 |
| The California Commerce Club DBA The Commerce Casuno & Hotel | Los Angeles | 1,884 | Closure | 2020-05-19 |
| GSW Arena LLC-Chase Center | San Francisco | 1,720 | Layoff | 2020-05-09 |
| YMCA of Silicon Valley | Santa Clara | 1,657 | Layoff | 2020-05-15 |
| HCAL, LLC dba Harrah's Resort Southern California | Funner | 1,440 | Closure | 2020-05-01 |
| LDD Long Point Management LLC @ Terranea Resort | Rancho Palos Verdes | 1,107 | Closure | 2020-05-21 |
| Santa Cruz Seaside Company | Santa Cruz | 1,097 | Layoff | 2020-05-11 |
| Darden Restaurant, Inc | Moreno Valley | 984 | Layoff | 2020-05-21 |
| Associated Students of San Diego State University | San Diego | 965 | Layoff | 2020-05-27 |
| YMCA Child Care | Aliso Viejo | 837 | Closure | 2020-05-09 |
| The Brigantine, Inc | Del Mar | 792 | Layoff | 2020-05-15 |
| Omni La Costa Resort & Spa | Carlsbad | 760 | Closure | 2020-05-18 |
Topping the list was Tesla, Inc at its Fremont facility, reporting 11,083 affected workers. Fox Sports Productions, LLC followed with 3,595 workers.
These figures highlight a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Accommodation & Food 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.
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