California Layoffs — September 2014
Employers in California posted 56 WARN Act notices in September 2014, affecting an estimated 4,643 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to August and up 11% versus September 2013. The average filing covered 83 workers, with 19 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 13 | 1,736 |
| Information & Technology | 17 | 910 |
| Retail | 4 | 481 |
| Healthcare | 4 | 328 |
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 191 |
| Agriculture | 3 | 185 |
| Admin & Support Services | 1 | 184 |
| Transportation | 2 | 172 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,736 workers across 13 notices. On a related front, Information & Technology reported 910 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 10 | 645 |
| Contra Costa | 1 | 643 |
| Santa Clara | 8 | 613 |
| San Diego | 7 | 550 |
| Orange | 9 | 504 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 14% of all affected workers with 645 workers across 10 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburg | 1 | 643 |
| Mountain View | 3 | 406 |
| El Centro | 2 | 368 |
| San Francisco | 4 | 322 |
| La Mesa | 1 | 281 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 36 | 2,937 |
| Closure | 19 | 1,627 |
Closures accounted for 35% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USS-POSCO Industries | Pittsburg | 643 | Layoff | |
| Security Industry Specialists | Mountain View | 310 | Layoff | |
| Drew Ford | La Mesa | 281 | Closure | |
| BAE Systems | San Francisco | 201 | Layoff | |
| Asset Protection and Security | El Centro | 184 | Closure | |
| Asset Protection and Security | El Centro | 184 | Closure | |
| Silgan Containers | Riverbank | 178 | Layoff | |
| Exelixis | South San | 152 | Layoff | |
| Allergan | Irvine | 129 | Layoff | |
| Nor-Cal Beverage | Loomis | 118 | Layoff | |
| Stingaree | San Diego | 111 | Closure | |
| Envoy Air | Los Angeles | 107 | Layoff | |
| Arcata Associates | Edwards | 101 | Layoff | |
| Antelope Valley Hospital | Lancaster | 99 | Layoff | |
| Microsoft and Nokia | Mountain View | 94 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by USS-POSCO Industries at its Pittsburg facility, reporting 643 affected workers. Security Industry Specialists followed with 310 workers.
Trend & Outlook
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.