Employers in Iowa posted 40 WARN Act notices in September 2024, affecting an estimated 1,035 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to August and down 38% versus September 2023. The average filing covered 26 workers, with 16 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 10 | 337 |
| Construction | 3 | 120 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 47 |
| Retail | 4 | 43 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 30 |
| Utilities | 2 | 6 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 337 workers across 10 notices. On a related front, Construction reported 120 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 6 | 345 |
| Page | 4 | 216 |
| Johnson | 3 | 120 |
| Davis | 3 | 90 |
| Dallas | 3 | 57 |
Polk saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 33% of all affected workers with 345 workers across 6 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Clarinda | 4 | 216 |
| Urbandale | 3 | 204 |
| West Des Moines | 3 | 141 |
| Iowa City | 3 | 120 |
| Bloomfield | 3 | 90 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 16 | 368 |
| Layoff | 2 | 136 |
Closures accounted for 36% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Manufacturing Corporation | Urbandale | 68 | Layoff | 2024-09-12 |
| Quality Manufacturing Corporation | Urbandale | 68 | Layoff | 2024-09-12 |
| Quality Manufacturing Corporation | Urbandale | 68 | 2024-09-12 | |
| NSK-AKS Precision Ball Company | Clarinda | 54 | Closure | 2024-09-19 |
| NSK-AKS Precision Ball Company | Clarinda | 54 | Closure | 2024-09-19 |
| NSK Americas | Clarinda | 54 | 2024-09-19 | |
| NSK-AKS Precision Ball Company | Clarinda | 54 | 2024-09-19 | |
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 47 | 2024-09-18 | |
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 47 | 2024-09-18 | |
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 47 | 2024-09-18 | |
| Knutson Construction Services Midwest Inc | Iowa City | 40 | Closure | 2024-09-03 |
| Knutson Construction Services Midwest Inc | Iowa City | 40 | Closure | 2024-09-03 |
| Knutson Construction Services Midwest Inc | Iowa City | 40 | 2024-09-03 | |
| Optimae LifeServices | Bloomfield | 30 | Closure | 2024-09-03 |
| Optimae LifeServices | Bloomfield | 30 | Closure | 2024-09-03 |
The largest notice was filed by Quality Manufacturing Corporation at its Urbandale facility, reporting 68 affected workers. Quality Manufacturing Corporation followed with 68 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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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