Employers in Iowa submitted 23 WARN Act notices in May 2024, putting at risk an estimated 703 workers — down from April and down 60% versus May 2023. The average filing covered 31 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 192 |
| Transportation | 3 | 90 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 41 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 31 |
| Retail | 3 | 29 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 24 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 192 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Transportation reported 90 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk | 4 | 400 |
| Polk | 8 | 141 |
| Dubuque | 2 | 90 |
| Mills | 2 | 62 |
| Humboldt | 1 | 5 |
Black Hawk bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 57% of all affected workers with 400 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 2 | 384 |
| Des Moines | 6 | 93 |
| Dubuque | 2 | 90 |
| Glenwood | 2 | 62 |
| West Des Moines | 2 | 48 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 14 | 565 |
| Closure | 2 | 90 |
Closures accounted for 13% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Deere Waterloo Works | Waterloo | 192 | Layoff | 2024-05-20 |
| John Deere Waterloo Works | Waterloo | 192 | Layoff | 2024-05-20 |
| Dauntless Delivery | Dubuque | 45 | Closure | 2024-05-02 |
| Dauntless Delivery | Dubuque | 45 | Closure | 2024-05-02 |
| Amcor | Des Moines | 41 | Layoff | 2024-05-01 |
| On With Life | Glenwood | 31 | Layoff | 2024-05-08 |
| On With Life | Glenwood | 31 | Layoff | 2024-05-08 |
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 24 | 2024-05-14 | |
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 24 | 2024-05-14 | |
| Cygnus Home Services, LLC d/b/a Yelloh | Des Moines | 16 | Layoff | 2024-05-28 |
| Cygnus Home Service, LLC dba Yelloh | Des Moines | 16 | Layoff | 2024-05-28 |
| Amcor | Des Moines | 10 | Layoff | 2024-05-01 |
| Amcor | Des Moines | 9 | Layoff | 2024-05-01 |
| Cygnus Home Services, LLC d/b/a Yelloh | Cedar Falls | 8 | Layoff | 2024-05-28 |
| Cygnus Home Service, LLC dba Yelloh | Cedar Falls | 8 | Layoff | 2024-05-28 |
Topping the list was John Deere Waterloo Works at its Waterloo facility, reporting 192 affected workers. John Deere Waterloo Works followed with 192 workers.
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
These figures highlight a easing in workforce disruptions across Iowa, 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 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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