California Layoffs — August 2009
Employers in California reported 91 WARN Act notices in August 2009, displacing an estimated 6,796 workers — signaling an acceleration from July. The average filing covered 75 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 22 | 2,484 |
| Information & Technology | 38 | 1,441 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 752 |
| Transportation | 4 | 652 |
| Construction | 1 | 379 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 302 |
| Finance & Insurance | 8 | 262 |
| Education | 1 | 138 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 2,484 workers across 22 notices. Notably, Information & Technology reported 1,441 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 19 | 1,679 |
| Santa Clara | 15 | 1,520 |
| San Francisco | 11 | 860 |
| Placer | 1 | 750 |
| San Bernardino | 3 | 641 |
Los Angeles absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 25% of all affected workers with 1,679 workers across 19 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 11 | 860 |
| Woodland Hills | 3 | 817 |
| Roseville | 1 | 750 |
| San Jose | 6 | 711 |
| Los Angeles | 3 | 495 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in California this month.
Largest Layoffs
The most significant filing came from Farmers Group, Inc. ("Farmers") at its Woodland Hills facility, reporting 752 affected workers. Nec Electronics America followed with 750 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.