California Layoffs — May 2011
Employers in California submitted 59 WARN Act notices in May 2011, putting at risk an estimated 4,793 workers — up substantially from April and up 22% versus May 2010. The average filing covered 81 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 23 | 2,144 |
| Retail | 8 | 670 |
| Finance & Insurance | 5 | 391 |
| Healthcare | 6 | 369 |
| Information & Technology | 5 | 355 |
| Government | 1 | 153 |
| Professional Services | 4 | 148 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 145 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 2,144 workers across 23 notices. Separately, Retail reported 670 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 17 | 1,135 |
| San Diego | 5 | 1,126 |
| Orange | 12 | 896 |
| San Bernardino | 5 | 507 |
| Santa Clara | 3 | 200 |
Los Angeles felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 24% of all affected workers with 1,135 workers across 17 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 4 | 1,125 |
| Chino | 3 | 313 |
| Los Angeles | 3 | 300 |
| Anaheim | 3 | 284 |
| Irvine | 4 | 249 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in California this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Dynamics ("Nassco") | San Diego | 900 | ||
| Best Buy | Chino | 262 | ||
| Alstyle Apparel | Anaheim | 215 | ||
| Unitedhealth Corportion | Santa Ana | 156 | ||
| Los Angeles Urban League | Los Angeles | 153 | ||
| Sears Holdings | Mountain View | 135 | ||
| Angelica Textile Services | Colton | 134 | ||
| Mitsubishi Electric | Irvine | 130 | ||
| Issi Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital | Valencia | 128 | ||
| Tickets.Com | Concord | 125 | ||
| Wellpoint | Newbury Park | 120 | ||
| Boeing | Long Beach | 115 | ||
| Disney Interactive Media Group | North Hollywood | 103 | ||
| The Bicycle Casino | Bell | 99 | ||
| Boeing | Huntington Beach | 99 |
Topping the list was General Dynamics ("Nassco") at its San Diego facility, reporting 900 affected workers. Best Buy followed with 262 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight 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.