Iowa Layoffs — November 2008
Employers in Iowa filed 4 WARN Act notices in November 2008, impacting roughly 398 workers — representing a notable rise over October and up 1006% versus November 2007. The average filing covered 100 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 213 |
| Retail | 1 | 108 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 56 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 21 |
The Mining & Energy sector led the way in workforce reductions with 213 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Retail reported 108 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Winneshiek | 1 | 213 |
| Jefferson | 1 | 108 |
| Polk | 1 | 56 |
| Black Hawk | 1 | 21 |
Winneshiek was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 54% of all affected workers with 213 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Decorah | 1 | 213 |
| Fairfield | 1 | 108 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 56 |
| Waterloo | 1 | 21 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 377 |
The high proportion of closures (95% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knife River | Decorah | 213 | Closure | |
| Books Are Fun | Fairfield | 108 | Closure | |
| Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago | Des Moines | 56 | Closure | |
| Eagle Ottawa | Waterloo | 21 |
The single largest action involved Knife River at its Decorah facility, reporting 213 affected workers. Books Are Fun followed with 108 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Iowa labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Mining & Energy 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.