California Layoffs — December 2014
Employers in California reported 69 WARN Act notices in December 2014, displacing an estimated 5,512 workers — signaling an acceleration from November and down 17% versus December 2013. The average filing covered 80 workers, with 26 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 21 | 1,632 |
| Accommodation & Food | 9 | 926 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 700 |
| Information & Technology | 14 | 576 |
| Professional Services | 5 | 544 |
| Healthcare | 6 | 364 |
| Retail | 3 | 199 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 159 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,632 workers across 21 notices. Notably, Accommodation & Food reported 926 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 20 | 1,006 |
| Kern | 1 | 700 |
| Santa Clara | 13 | 684 |
| San Diego | 4 | 552 |
| San Joaquin | 2 | 523 |
Los Angeles bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 18% of all affected workers with 1,006 workers across 20 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | 1 | 700 |
| Lodi | 1 | 410 |
| Ontario | 1 | 312 |
| San Diego | 2 | 286 |
| Long Beach | 3 | 235 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 42 | 2,814 |
| Closure | 26 | 2,694 |
Closures accounted for 49% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ensign United States Drilling | Bakersfield | 700 | Layoff | |
| General Mills Operations | Lodi | 410 | Closure | |
| Intellisource | Ontario | 312 | Closure | |
| Qualcomm | San Diego | 178 | Layoff | |
| Aramark | Mountain View | 175 | Closure | |
| Intermune | Brisbane | 170 | Layoff | |
| Hcc Investors | Rancho Santa Fe | 156 | Closure | |
| Aramark | Wheatland | 152 | Closure | |
| Trinity Sports | Los Angeles | 135 | Closure | |
| Aramark Sports And | Monterey | 119 | Closure | |
| Bowhead Support Group | Herlong | 119 | Closure | |
| Boeing | Long Beach | 119 | Layoff | |
| Hormel Foods | Stockton | 113 | Layoff | |
| Aramark | Chula Vista | 110 | Closure | |
| Seaworld | San Diego | 108 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Ensign United States Drilling at its Bakersfield facility, reporting 700 affected workers. General Mills Operations followed with 410 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate 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.