California Layoffs — March 2024
Employers in California posted 117 WARN Act notices in March 2024, affecting an estimated 7,228 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to February and down 4% versus March 2023. The average filing covered 62 workers, with 41 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 20 | 2,391 |
| Retail | 6 | 1,199 |
| Transportation | 6 | 572 |
| Information & Technology | 16 | 527 |
| Healthcare | 10 | 479 |
| Professional Services | 4 | 381 |
| Education | 5 | 345 |
| Accommodation & Food | 5 | 243 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 2,391 workers across 20 notices. On a related front, Retail reported 1,199 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 50 | 2,552 |
| San Bernardino | 4 | 1,241 |
| San Diego | 9 | 604 |
| Orange | 8 | 590 |
| San Mateo | 5 | 395 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 35% of all affected workers with 2,552 workers across 50 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Redondo Beach | 5 | 842 |
| San Bernardino | 1 | 784 |
| Ontario | 2 | 364 |
| San Francisco | 5 | 286 |
| Cypress | 1 | 281 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 76 | 4,092 |
| Closure | 41 | 3,136 |
Closures accounted for 43% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nordstrom | San Bernardino | 784 | Closure | |
| Northrop Grumman | Redondo Beach | 731 | Layoff | |
| UPS | Ontario | 333 | Layoff | |
| Safran Cabin | Cypress | 281 | Closure | |
| Bristol Myers Squibb | San Diego | 252 | Layoff | |
| Walmart | West Covina | 233 | Closure | |
| Northrop Grumman | Manhattan Beach | 227 | Layoff | |
| Abbott Laboratories | Fairfield | 195 | Closure | |
| Kett Engineering | Santa Clara | 180 | Layoff | |
| IKEA Distribution Services | American Canyon | 147 | Closure | |
| Levi Strauss & | San Francisco | 146 | Layoff | |
| Delta Dental Plan of California | Rancho Cordova | 137 | Layoff | |
| Scripps Health | Chula Vista | 134 | Layoff | |
| The Ronin Project | San Mateo | 131 | Closure | |
| Northrop Grumman | Redondo Beach | 105 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Nordstrom at its San Bernardino facility, reporting 784 affected workers. Northrop Grumman followed with 731 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The trends suggest a easing in workforce disruptions across California, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Manufacturing 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.