Iowa Layoffs — January 2009
Employers in Iowa filed 5 WARN Act notices in January 2009, impacting roughly 616 workers — representing a notable rise over December and up 152% versus January 2008. The average filing covered 123 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 522 |
| Government | 1 | 94 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 522 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Government reported 94 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Howard | 1 | 209 |
| Clay | 1 | 160 |
| Polk | 2 | 156 |
| Washington | 1 | 91 |
Howard was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 34% of all affected workers with 209 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cresco | 1 | 209 |
| Spencer | 1 | 160 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 94 |
| Washington | 1 | 91 |
| Urbandale | 1 | 62 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 316 |
| Layoff | 2 | 300 |
The high proportion of closures (51% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Featherlite | Cresco | 209 | Layoff | |
| RR Donnelley | Spencer | 160 | Closure | |
| Cahaba Government Benefit Admi | Des Moines | 94 | Closure | |
| Whitesell | Washington | 91 | Layoff | |
| Lennox Industries | Urbandale | 62 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Featherlite at its Cresco facility, reporting 209 affected workers. RR Donnelley followed with 160 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 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.