California Layoffs — October 2016
Employers in California reported 56 WARN Act notices in October 2016, displacing an estimated 5,419 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and down 9% versus October 2015. The average filing covered 97 workers, with 27 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 19 | 2,577 |
| Transportation | 2 | 594 |
| Information & Technology | 8 | 575 |
| Retail | 3 | 454 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 193 |
| Healthcare | 8 | 184 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 139 |
| Construction | 1 | 106 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 2,577 workers across 19 notices. Notably, Transportation reported 594 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 11 | 1,569 |
| San Diego | 5 | 1,043 |
| Orange | 5 | 663 |
| Alameda | 4 | 410 |
| San Mateo | 2 | 290 |
Los Angeles felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 29% of all affected workers with 1,569 workers across 11 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 3 | 895 |
| Los Angeles | 4 | 754 |
| Azusa | 1 | 647 |
| Anaheim | 2 | 408 |
| San Francisco | 7 | 298 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 27 | 2,721 |
| Layoff | 29 | 2,698 |
Closures accounted for 50% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Steel and Shipbuilding | San Diego | 844 | Layoff | |
| TreeHouse Private Brands | Azusa | 647 | Closure | |
| Shire | Los Angeles | 360 | Layoff | |
| First Transit | Anaheim | 319 | Closure | |
| Alaska Air Group | Burlingame | 275 | Layoff | |
| Kmart | Los Angeles | 234 | Closure | |
| Channel Technologies Group | Santa Barbara | 198 | Closure | |
| Associated Third Party Administrators | Alameda | 192 | Closure | |
| Ricoh Electronics | Tustin | 147 | Layoff | |
| Kmart | Fontana | 133 | Closure | |
| Red Lion Hotel Woodlake Center | Sacramento | 120 | Closure | |
| NPL Construction | Union City | 106 | Closure | |
| Bert-Co Industries | Ontario | 106 | Layoff | |
| athenahealth | San Francisco | 103 | Layoff | |
| AT&T | San Ramon | 102 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from National Steel and Shipbuilding at its San Diego facility, reporting 844 affected workers. TreeHouse Private Brands followed with 647 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
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.