Employers in Illinois reported 38 WARN Act notices in January 2026, displacing an estimated 5,009 workers — signaling an acceleration from December and up 114% versus January 2025. The average filing covered 132 workers, with 11 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 9 | 1,353 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 506 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 109 |
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 96 |
| Transportation | 3 | 96 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,353 workers across 9 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 506 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 19 | 2,704 |
| Madison | 2 | 506 |
| DuPage | 2 | 236 |
| Will | 3 | 196 |
Cook bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 54% of all affected workers with 2,704 workers across 19 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Schaumburg | 5 | 620 |
| Alton | 2 | 506 |
| Oak Lawn | 2 | 440 |
| Naperville | 3 | 368 |
| Morton Grove | 2 | 358 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 11 | 1,638 |
| Layoff | 2 | 152 |
Closures accounted for 33% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alton Steel, Inc | Alton | 253 | Closure | 2026-01-27 |
| Alton Steel, Inc | Alton | 253 | 2026-01-27 | |
| Amazonfresh LLC | TH St Oak Lawn | 220 | 2026-01-28 | |
| Amazon Fresh | Oak Lawn | 220 | Closure | 2026-01-28 |
| Amazon | Oak Lawn | 220 | 2026-01-28 | |
| Amazonfresh LLC | Dempster St Morton Grove | 179 | 2026-01-28 | |
| Amazon Fresh | Morton Grove | 179 | Closure | 2026-01-28 |
| Amazon | Morton Grove | 179 | 2026-01-28 | |
| Panduit Corp | E Fairview Dr DeKalb | 178 | 2026-01-29 | |
| Amazonfresh LLC | N Harlem Ave Norridge | 173 | 2026-01-28 | |
| Amazon Fresh | Norridge | 173 | Closure | 2026-01-28 |
| Amazon | Harwood Heights | 173 | 2026-01-28 | |
| Amazonfresh LLC | Harlem Ave Tinley Park | 170 | 2026-01-28 | |
| Amazon Fresh | Tinley Park | 170 | Closure | 2026-01-28 |
| Amazon | Tinley Park | 170 | 2026-01-28 |
The most significant filing came from Alton Steel, Inc at its Alton facility, reporting 253 affected workers. Alton Steel, Inc followed with 253 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Illinois labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail 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.
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