Illinois Layoffs — September 2020
Employers in Illinois posted 28 WARN Act notices in September 2020, affecting an estimated 2,218 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to August and up 840% versus September 2019. The average filing covered 79 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 15 | 936 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 433 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 329 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 313 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 125 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 2 | 73 |
| Education | 1 | 9 |
The Accommodation & Food sector saw the heaviest impact with 936 workers across 15 notices. On a related front, Information & Technology reported 433 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 22 | 1,475 |
| Lake | 1 | 313 |
| DeWitt | 1 | 148 |
| Kane | 1 | 125 |
| DeKalb | 1 | 70 |
Cook absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 67% of all affected workers with 1,475 workers across 22 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 15 | 1,369 |
| Vernon Hills | 1 | 313 |
| Clinton | 1 | 148 |
| Aurora | 1 | 125 |
| Dekalb | 1 | 70 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 18 | 1,945 |
| Closure | 5 | 240 |
Closures accounted for 11% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Hotel Register | Vernon Hills | 313 | Layoff | |
| Hornblower Cruises & Events | Chicago | 296 | Layoff | |
| Aramark at Loyola University | Chicago | 240 | Layoff | |
| Sonesta Chicago, LLC DBA Royal Sonesta Chicago Riverfront | Chicago | 171 | Layoff | |
| Arcosa Wind Towers | Clinton | 148 | Layoff | |
| Two Rivers Head Start | Aurora | 125 | Layoff | |
| Compass Group USA, Inc. DBA Chartwells (at DePaul University) | Chicago | 111 | Layoff | |
| Holiday Inn Mart Plaza | Chicago | 97 | Layoff | |
| Hilton Chicago Magnificent Mile | Chicago | 72 | Layoff | |
| Nestlé USA | Dekalb | 70 | Closure | |
| Ace Hotel Chicago | Chicago | 64 | Layoff | |
| RCSH Operations, Inc. DBA Ruth’s Chris Steak House | Chicago | 59 | Closure | |
| Compass Group USA, Inc. DBA Flik Hospitality | Chicago | 56 | Layoff | |
| Compass Group USA, Inc. DBA Chartwells Dining Services (at Noble Network of Charter Schools) | Chicago | 51 | Layoff | |
| MSG Entertainment Group, LLC DBA MSG Chicago, LLC | Chicago | 46 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by American Hotel Register at its Vernon Hills facility, reporting 313 affected workers. Hornblower Cruises & Events followed with 296 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Illinois labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Accommodation & Food sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Illinois. 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 Illinois WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.