Iowa Layoffs — October 2021
Employers in Iowa filed 6 WARN Act notices in October 2021, impacting roughly 1,353 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 751% versus October 2020. The average filing covered 226 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 1,204 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 60 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 30 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,204 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Real Estate reported 60 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Jasper | 1 | 710 |
| Scott | 1 | 247 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 247 |
| Linn | 1 | 60 |
| Emmet | 1 | 59 |
Jasper saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 52% of all affected workers with 710 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Newton | 1 | 710 |
| Davenport | 1 | 247 |
| West Burlington | 1 | 247 |
| Cedar Rapids | 1 | 60 |
| Estherville | 1 | 59 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 769 |
| Layoff | 1 | 60 |
The high proportion of closures (57% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TPI Composites | Newton | 710 | Closure | |
| Abb | Davenport | 247 | ||
| ABB | West Burlington | 247 | ||
| CHEP Services | Cedar Rapids | 60 | Layoff | |
| Sequel Youth Services of Forest Ridge Youth Services | Estherville | 59 | Closure | |
| Principal Life Insurance | Des Moines | 30 |
The single largest action involved TPI Composites at its Newton facility, reporting 710 affected workers. Abb followed with 247 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Iowa labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing 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.