Employers in Iowa recorded 21 WARN Act notices in December 2023, covering approximately 680 workers — marking a sharp increase from November and down 26% versus December 2022. The average filing covered 32 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 3 | 255 |
| Healthcare | 9 | 225 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 65 |
| Retail | 1 | 1 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 1 |
The Transportation sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 255 workers across 3 notices. At the same time, Healthcare reported 225 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Webster | 3 | 255 |
| Washington | 3 | 195 |
| Des Moines | 6 | 192 |
| Lee | 3 | 33 |
| Marshall | 3 | 3 |
Webster was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 38% of all affected workers with 255 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Dodge | 3 | 255 |
| Washington | 3 | 195 |
| West Burlington | 6 | 192 |
| Fort Madison | 3 | 33 |
| Marshalltown | 3 | 3 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 302 |
| Layoff | 5 | 113 |
Closures accounted for 44% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oberg Freight Company | Fort Dodge | 85 | Closure | 2023-12-27 |
| Oberg Freight Company | Fort Dodge | 85 | Closure | 2023-12-27 |
| Oberg Freight Company | Fort Dodge | 85 | 2023-12-27 | |
| Jerome W. Vittetoe Pork, Ltd | Washington | 65 | Closure | 2023-12-29 |
| Jerome W. Vittetoe Pork, Ltd | Washington | 65 | Closure | 2023-12-29 |
| Jerome W. Vittetoe Pork, Ltd | Washington | 65 | 2023-12-29 | |
| Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center | West Burlington | 45 | Layoff | 2023-12-19 |
| Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center | West Burlington | 45 | Layoff | 2023-12-19 |
| Southeast Iowa Reginoal Medical Center | West Burlington | 45 | 2023-12-19 | |
| Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center | West Burlington | 45 | 2023-12-19 | |
| Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center | Fort Madison | 11 | Layoff | 2023-12-19 |
| Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center | Fort Madison | 11 | Layoff | 2023-12-19 |
| Southeast Iowa Reginoal Medical Center | West Burlington | 11 | 2023-12-19 | |
| Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center | Fort Madison | 11 | 2023-12-19 | |
| Cygnus Home Services, LLC d/b/a Yelloh | Marshalltown | 1 | Closure | 2023-12-11 |
Leading the list was Oberg Freight Company at its Fort Dodge facility, reporting 85 affected workers. Oberg Freight Company followed with 85 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Transportation 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.
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