California Layoffs — April 2015
Employers in California posted 58 WARN Act notices in April 2015, affecting an estimated 8,478 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to March and up 86% versus April 2014. The average filing covered 146 workers, with 16 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 4 | 2,156 |
| Manufacturing | 13 | 2,026 |
| Retail | 8 | 861 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 821 |
| Professional Services | 9 | 782 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 654 |
| Transportation | 2 | 465 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 204 |
The Healthcare sector saw the heaviest impact with 2,156 workers across 4 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 2,026 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 18 | 3,766 |
| Orange | 5 | 1,181 |
| Sacramento | 3 | 924 |
| Ventura | 1 | 654 |
| Santa Clara | 7 | 578 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 44% of all affected workers with 3,766 workers across 18 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Woodland Hills | 1 | 1,217 |
| Irvine | 3 | 1,128 |
| Torrance | 1 | 941 |
| Rancho Cordova | 2 | 905 |
| Santa Maria | 1 | 654 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 42 | 6,334 |
| Closure | 16 | 2,144 |
Closures accounted for 25% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Net, Inc. (CANCELLED) | Woodland Hills | 1,217 | Layoff | |
| Toyota Motor Credit | Torrance | 941 | Closure | |
| El Dorado Berry Farms | Santa Maria | 654 | Layoff | |
| Allergan | Irvine | 577 | Layoff | |
| Walmart | Pico Rivera | 533 | Layoff | |
| Health Net, Inc. (CANCELLED) | Rancho Cordova | 520 | Layoff | |
| Northrop Grumman | Fort Irwin | 476 | Layoff | |
| MV Transportation | Irvine | 436 | Closure | |
| Health Net, Inc. (CANCELLED) | Rancho Cordova | 385 | Layoff | |
| Deluxe3DLLCd/b/aStereoD | Burbank | 227 | Layoff | |
| Deluxe 3D LLC DBA Stereo D | Burbank | 227 | Layoff | |
| NYC Food and Beverage | San Jose | 144 | Closure | |
| Western Digital Technologies | Irvine | 115 | Layoff | |
| Technicolor USA | Burbank | 106 | Closure | |
| Sutton Place Management | San Francisco | 98 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Health Net, Inc. (CANCELLED) at its Woodland Hills facility, reporting 1,217 affected workers. Toyota Motor Credit followed with 941 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the California labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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.