Iowa Layoffs — August 2012
Employers in Iowa submitted 5 WARN Act notices in August 2012, putting at risk an estimated 330 workers — up substantially from July and up 164% versus August 2011. The average filing covered 66 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 2 | 145 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 109 |
| Utilities | 1 | 76 |
The Information & Technology sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 145 workers across 2 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 109 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 3 | 188 |
| Linn | 2 | 142 |
Polk saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 57% of all affected workers with 188 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 2 | 179 |
| Cedar Rapids | 2 | 142 |
| Urbandale | 1 | 9 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 245 |
| Layoff | 1 | 76 |
The high proportion of closures (74% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagle Iron Works | Des Moines | 100 | Closure | |
| Regional Elite | Des Moines | 79 | Closure | |
| Clipper Windpower | Cedar Rapids | 76 | Layoff | |
| Regional Elite | Cedar Rapids | 66 | Closure | |
| Lennox | Urbandale | 9 |
Topping the list was Eagle Iron Works at its Des Moines facility, reporting 100 affected workers. Regional Elite followed with 79 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Iowa labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Information & Technology 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.