California Layoffs — September 2015
Employers in California filed 48 WARN Act notices in September 2015, impacting roughly 5,053 workers — representing a pullback from August and up 9% versus September 2014. The average filing covered 105 workers, with 11 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 10 | 1,969 |
| Manufacturing | 19 | 1,560 |
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 719 |
| Retail | 7 | 246 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 127 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 105 |
| Transportation | 2 | 92 |
| Utilities | 1 | 52 |
The Information & Technology sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,969 workers across 10 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 1,560 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 6 | 1,629 |
| Los Angeles | 16 | 874 |
| Orange | 5 | 734 |
| Santa Clara | 8 | 651 |
| San Mateo | 2 | 491 |
San Diego bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 32% of all affected workers with 1,629 workers across 6 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 6 | 1,629 |
| Dana Point | 1 | 610 |
| South San | 1 | 377 |
| Los Angeles | 2 | 265 |
| San Ramon | 1 | 219 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 37 | 3,302 |
| Closure | 11 | 1,751 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm | San Diego | 1,314 | Layoff | |
| Sheraton Operating | Dana Point | 610 | Closure | |
| Onyx Pharmaceuticals | South San | 377 | Closure | |
| AT&T | San Ramon | 219 | Layoff | |
| Packaging Advantage | Los Angeles | 192 | Closure | |
| Western Digital Technologies | Irvine | 143 | Layoff | |
| M.E. Fox & | San Jose | 127 | Layoff | |
| Flagship Food Group | Chatsworth | 123 | Closure | |
| San Diego Sports | San Diego | 123 | Closure | |
| Acclarent | Menlo Park | 114 | Layoff | |
| Brake Parts | Chowchilla | 107 | Layoff | |
| Boeing | El Segundo | 106 | Layoff | |
| AbilityFirst | Woodland Hills | 105 | Closure | |
| CareFusion | San Diego | 95 | Layoff | |
| Space Systems/Loral | Palo Alto | 90 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Qualcomm at its San Diego facility, reporting 1,314 affected workers. Sheraton Operating followed with 610 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The data underscores a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Information & Technology 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.