Employers in Iowa submitted 16 WARN Act notices in January 2025, putting at risk an estimated 1,160 workers — up substantially from December and up 616% versus January 2024. The average filing covered 72 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 6 | 554 |
| Construction | 1 | 28 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 28 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 23 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 554 workers across 6 notices. Separately, Construction reported 28 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Poweshiek | 2 | 596 |
| Wapello | 2 | 150 |
| Polk | 4 | 112 |
| Iowa | 2 | 106 |
| Ida | 2 | 82 |
Poweshiek absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 51% of all affected workers with 596 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Grinnell | 2 | 596 |
| Ottumwa | 2 | 150 |
| Williamsburg | 2 | 106 |
| Galva | 2 | 82 |
| Clarinda | 2 | 68 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 724 |
| Layoff | 10 | 436 |
The high proportion of closures (62% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JELD-WEN Inc | Grinnell | 298 | Closure | 2025-01-20 |
| JELD-WEN Inc | Grinnell | 298 | Closure | 2025-01-20 |
| John Deere Ottumwa Works | Ottumwa | 75 | Layoff | 2025-01-06 |
| John Deere Ottumwa Works | Ottumwa | 75 | Layoff | 2025-01-07 |
| Kinze Manufacturing, Inc | Williamsburg | 53 | Layoff | 2025-01-15 |
| Kinze Manufacturing, Inc | Williamsburg | 53 | Layoff | 2025-01-15 |
| Quad County Corn Processors Cooperative | Galva | 41 | Closure | 2025-01-24 |
| Quad County Corn Processors Cooperative | Galva | 41 | Closure | 2025-01-24 |
| NSK Americas | Clarinda | 34 | Layoff | 2025-01-27 |
| NSK Americas | Clarinda | 34 | Layoff | 2025-01-27 |
| IES Communications, LLC | Altoona | 28 | Layoff | 2025-01-10 |
| IES Communications, LLC | Altoona | 28 | Layoff | 2025-01-10 |
| Dotdash Meredith | Des Moines | 28 | Layoff | 2025-01-16 |
| Dotdash Meredith | Des Moines | 28 | Layoff | 2025-01-16 |
| SpartanNash | Glenwood | 23 | Closure | 2025-01-15 |
Topping the list was JELD-WEN Inc at its Grinnell facility, reporting 298 affected workers. JELD-WEN Inc followed with 298 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Iowa labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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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