Illinois Layoffs — April 2023
Employers in Illinois filed 12 WARN Act notices in April 2023, impacting roughly 1,593 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 104% versus April 2022. The average filing covered 133 workers, with 11 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 4 | 764 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 521 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 150 |
| Transportation | 1 | 82 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 50 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 26 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 764 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 521 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 6 | 840 |
| Kane | 1 | 234 |
| Lake | 1 | 212 |
| Kankakee | 1 | 112 |
| Will | 1 | 82 |
Cook saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 53% of all affected workers with 840 workers across 6 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 4 | 764 |
| Aurora | 1 | 234 |
| Lincolnshire | 1 | 212 |
| Momence | 1 | 112 |
| Elwood | 1 | 82 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 11 | 1,518 |
| Layoff | 1 | 75 |
The high proportion of closures (95% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Illinois's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart | Chicago | 439 | Closure | |
| LTD Commodities | Aurora | 234 | Closure | |
| AmeriMark Interactive | Lincolnshire | 212 | Closure | |
| Walmart | Chicago | 132 | Closure | |
| Flanders | Momence | 112 | Closure | |
| Walmart | Chicago | 110 | Closure | |
| Walmart | Chicago | 83 | Closure | |
| CJ Logistics America | Elwood | 82 | Closure | |
| Newell Brands | Freeport | 75 | Layoff | |
| Compass Group USA, Inc. DBA Chartwells (at Community High School Dist. 218) | Oak Lawn | 50 | Closure | |
| Glen-Gery | Marseilles | 38 | Closure | |
| Makita U.S.A | Mt. Prospect | 26 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Walmart at its Chicago facility, reporting 439 affected workers. LTD Commodities followed with 234 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Illinois labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail 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.