Illinois Layoffs — December 2024
Employers in Illinois filed 15 WARN Act notices in December 2024, impacting roughly 1,350 workers — representing a pullback from November and up 20% versus December 2023. The average filing covered 90 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 9 | 769 |
| Retail | 1 | 306 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 170 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 105 |
The Accommodation & Food sector led the way in workforce reductions with 769 workers across 9 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 306 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 5 | 431 |
| Will | 3 | 406 |
| Lake | 1 | 306 |
| Kane | 3 | 116 |
| Peoria | 3 | 91 |
Cook was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 32% of all affected workers with 431 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 4 | 583 |
| Joliet | 2 | 283 |
| Evanston | 2 | 154 |
| Bolingbrook | 1 | 123 |
| Elgin | 3 | 116 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 518 |
| Layoff | 2 | 44 |
Closures accounted for 38% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandra Holdings | Chicago | 306 | Closure | |
| Compass Group USA | Joliet | 249 | ||
| Compass Group USA | Chicago | 192 | ||
| Compass Group USA | Evanston | 126 | ||
| Hyzon Motors USA | Bolingbrook | 123 | Closure | |
| Compass Group USA | Elgin | 77 | ||
| Rocket Travel | Chicago | 61 | ||
| Natural Fiber Welding | Peoria | 47 | ||
| Natural Fiber Welding | Peoria | 38 | Layoff | |
| Compass Group USA | Elgin | 36 | ||
| Compass Group DBA TouchPoint Support Services at Ascension Saint Joseph | Joliet | 34 | Closure | |
| Compass Group DBA TouchPoint Support Services at Ascension Saint Francis | Evanston | 28 | Closure | |
| Compass Group DBA TouchPoint Support Services at Ascension Resurrection | Chicago | 24 | Closure | |
| Natural Fiber Welding | Peoria | 6 | Layoff | |
| Compass Group DBA TouchPoint Support Services at Ascension Saint Joseph | Elgin | 3 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Sandra Holdings at its Chicago facility, reporting 306 affected workers. Compass Group USA followed with 249 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a mixed picture for Illinois's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Accommodation & Food 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.