Iowa Layoffs — March 2015
Employers in Iowa filed 6 WARN Act notices in March 2015, impacting roughly 918 workers — representing a notable rise over February and up 15% versus March 2014. The average filing covered 153 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 588 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 325 |
| Agriculture | 2 | 5 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 588 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Finance & Insurance reported 325 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk | 1 | 499 |
| Polk | 4 | 331 |
| Clinton | 1 | 88 |
Black Hawk saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 54% of all affected workers with 499 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 1 | 499 |
| Urbandale | 1 | 325 |
| Camanche | 1 | 88 |
| Johnston | 3 | 6 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 5 | 419 |
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Deere Waterloo Works | Waterloo | 499 | ||
| Citigroup | Urbandale | 325 | Layoff | |
| IPSCO Tubulars | Camanche | 88 | Layoff | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 4 | Layoff | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 1 | Layoff | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 1 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved John Deere Waterloo Works at its Waterloo facility, reporting 499 affected workers. Citigroup followed with 325 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 Manufacturing 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.