California Layoffs — May 2009
Employers in California reported 185 WARN Act notices in May 2009, displacing an estimated 12,370 workers — signaling an acceleration from April. The average filing covered 67 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 81 | 4,701 |
| Retail | 9 | 1,890 |
| Finance & Insurance | 31 | 1,197 |
| Information & Technology | 20 | 961 |
| Healthcare | 12 | 892 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 780 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 8 | 717 |
| Professional Services | 7 | 524 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 4,701 workers across 81 notices. Notably, Retail reported 1,890 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 40 | 2,564 |
| San Francisco | 5 | 1,764 |
| Santa Clara | 21 | 1,494 |
| Orange | 41 | 1,335 |
| Kern | 1 | 780 |
Los Angeles absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 21% of all affected workers with 2,564 workers across 40 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 5 | 1,764 |
| Bakersfield | 1 | 780 |
| Santa Clara | 7 | 616 |
| Hollywood | 2 | 479 |
| San Diego | 6 | 408 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in California this month.
Largest Layoffs
The most significant filing came from Macy'S West Central Headquarters at its San Francisco facility, reporting 1,503 affected workers. Nabors Well Services followed with 780 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the California 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 California. 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 California WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.