California Layoffs — May 2012
Employers in California posted 42 WARN Act notices in May 2012, affecting an estimated 4,076 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to April and down 15% versus May 2011. The average filing covered 97 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 19 | 1,062 |
| Finance & Insurance | 5 | 1,001 |
| Agriculture | 2 | 467 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 421 |
| Utilities | 3 | 404 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 264 |
| Information & Technology | 4 | 216 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 92 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,062 workers across 19 notices. On a related front, Finance & Insurance reported 1,001 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 7 | 990 |
| Orange | 9 | 591 |
| Santa Clara | 7 | 493 |
| Contra Costa | 1 | 450 |
| San Francisco | 3 | 298 |
Los Angeles felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 24% of all affected workers with 990 workers across 7 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Concord | 1 | 450 |
| San Jose | 3 | 382 |
| El Segundo | 2 | 344 |
| Santa Ana | 3 | 334 |
| San Francisco | 3 | 298 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in California this month.
Largest Layoffs
The largest notice was filed by Bank Of America (Customer Service Contact Center) at its Concord facility, reporting 450 affected workers. Wells Fargo (Customer Connection) followed with 318 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.