Employers in Iowa posted 45 WARN Act notices in January 2026, affecting an estimated 1,395 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to December and up 20% versus January 2025. The average filing covered 31 workers, with 22 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 7 | 343 |
| Manufacturing | 10 | 244 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 47 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 33 |
The Healthcare sector saw the heaviest impact with 343 workers across 7 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 244 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 27 | 579 |
| Polk | 9 | 441 |
| Clinton | 3 | 153 |
| Wapello | 3 | 120 |
| Cerro Gordo | 3 | 102 |
Des Moines absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 42% of all affected workers with 579 workers across 27 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Burlington | 27 | 579 |
| Des Moines | 3 | 201 |
| Clinton | 3 | 153 |
| Grimes | 3 | 141 |
| Ottumwa | 3 | 120 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 22 | 560 |
| Layoff | 8 | 370 |
Closures accounted for 40% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center | Des Moines | 67 | Layoff | 2026-01-26 |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center | Des Moines | 67 | Layoff | 2026-01-26 |
| MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center | Des Moines | 67 | 2026-01-26 | |
| CNH Industrial America LLC | Burlington | 52 | Closure | 2026-01-20 |
| CNH Industrial America LLC | Burlington | 52 | Closure | 2026-01-20 |
| CNH Industrial America LLC | Burlington | 52 | 2026-01-20 | |
| Collis, LLC | Clinton | 51 | Layoff | 2026-01-20 |
| Collis, LLC | Clinton | 51 | Layoff | 2026-01-20 |
| Collis, LLC | Clinton | 51 | 2026-01-20 | |
| American Contract Systems | Grimes | 47 | Closure | 2026-01-27 |
| American Contract Systems | Grimes | 47 | Closure | 2026-01-27 |
| American Contract Systems | Grimes | 47 | 2026-01-27 | |
| CNH Industrial America LLC | Burlington | 42 | Closure | 2026-01-20 |
| CNH Industrial America LLC | Burlington | 42 | Closure | 2026-01-20 |
| CNH Industrial America LLC | Burlington | 42 | 2026-01-20 |
The largest notice was filed by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center at its Des Moines facility, reporting 67 affected workers. MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center followed with 67 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Iowa labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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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