Iowa Layoffs — May 2014
Employers in Iowa filed 3 WARN Act notices in May 2014, impacting roughly 216 workers and up 209% versus May 2013. The average filing covered 72 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 1 | 152 |
| Agriculture | 2 | 64 |
The Information & Technology sector led the way in workforce reductions with 152 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Agriculture reported 64 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Woodbury | 1 | 152 |
| Henry | 1 | 56 |
| Polk | 1 | 8 |
Woodbury absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 70% of all affected workers with 152 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Sergeant Bluff | 1 | 152 |
| Mount Pleasant | 1 | 56 |
| Johnston | 1 | 8 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 160 |
| Closure | 1 | 56 |
Closures accounted for 26% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convergys | Sergeant Bluff | 152 | Layoff | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Mount Pleasant | 56 | Closure | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 8 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Convergys at its Sergeant Bluff facility, reporting 152 affected workers. Pioneer Hi-Bred International followed with 56 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores 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.