Iowa Layoffs — January 2010
Employers in Iowa submitted 3 WARN Act notices in January 2010, putting at risk an estimated 2,024 workers — up substantially from December and up 229% versus January 2009. The average filing covered 675 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 1,930 |
| Government | 1 | 94 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,930 workers across 2 notices. Separately, Government reported 94 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Woodbury | 1 | 1,450 |
| Pottawattamie | 1 | 480 |
| Polk | 1 | 94 |
Woodbury felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 72% of all affected workers with 1,450 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Sioux City | 1 | 1,450 |
| Council Bluffs | 1 | 480 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 94 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 1,544 |
| Layoff | 1 | 480 |
The high proportion of closures (76% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Morrell | Sioux City | 1,450 | Closure | |
| Tyson Foods | Council Bluffs | 480 | Layoff | |
| Cahaba Government Administrato | Des Moines | 94 | Closure |
Topping the list was John Morrell at its Sioux City facility, reporting 1,450 affected workers. Tyson Foods followed with 480 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight 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.