Iowa Layoffs — August 2015
Employers in Iowa submitted 4 WARN Act notices in August 2015, putting at risk an estimated 512 workers — up substantially from July. The average filing covered 128 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 404 |
| Transportation | 1 | 77 |
| Retail | 1 | 25 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 6 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 404 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Transportation reported 77 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Crawford | 1 | 404 |
| Johnson | 1 | 77 |
| Cerro Gordo | 1 | 25 |
| Polk | 1 | 6 |
Crawford saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 79% of all affected workers with 404 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Denison | 1 | 404 |
| Iowa City | 1 | 77 |
| Mason City | 1 | 25 |
| Johnston | 1 | 6 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 429 |
| Layoff | 1 | 77 |
The high proportion of closures (84% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyson Foods | Denison | 404 | Closure | |
| Schenker | Iowa City | 77 | Layoff | |
| Sears Holdings | Mason City | 25 | Closure | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 6 |
Topping the list was Tyson Foods at its Denison facility, reporting 404 affected workers. Schenker followed with 77 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight 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.