California Layoffs — November 2015
Employers in California reported 39 WARN Act notices in November 2015, displacing an estimated 2,869 workers — signaling a deceleration from October and up 11% versus November 2014. The average filing covered 74 workers, with 15 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 12 | 744 |
| Information & Technology | 5 | 553 |
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 265 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 2 | 242 |
| Retail | 3 | 196 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 179 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 163 |
| Transportation | 3 | 116 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 744 workers across 12 notices. Notably, Information & Technology reported 553 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 17 | 968 |
| Alameda | 4 | 466 |
| Orange | 5 | 418 |
| Santa Clara | 4 | 356 |
| Kern | 2 | 165 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 34% of all affected workers with 968 workers across 17 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 3 | 251 |
| City of Industry | 2 | 222 |
| Irvine | 2 | 212 |
| Fremont | 1 | 204 |
| Oakland | 2 | 194 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 24 | 1,518 |
| Closure | 14 | 1,290 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 61 |
Closures accounted for 47% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plexus | Fremont | 204 | Closure | |
| Verizon | Irvine | 171 | Layoff | |
| JC Entertainment Lighting Services | Sun Valley | 169 | Layoff | |
| Kim Lighting | City of Industry | 160 | Closure | |
| Complete Genomics | Mountain View | 158 | Layoff | |
| Cisco Systems | San Jose | 126 | Layoff | |
| Rdio | San Francisco | 123 | Closure | |
| Wells Fargo | San Bernardino | 122 | Closure | |
| Macy's Century City Store | Los Angeles | 117 | Closure | |
| GMRI, Inc. d/b/a Yard House | San Diego | 110 | Closure | |
| Scott's Restaurants | Costa Mesa | 106 | Closure | |
| Golden State Drilling | Bakersfield | 104 | Layoff | |
| SWAY Management | Oakland | 102 | Layoff | |
| AT&T | Commerce | 99 | Layoff | |
| AT&T | Oakland | 92 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Plexus at its Fremont facility, reporting 204 affected workers. Verizon followed with 171 workers.
Trend & Outlook
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.