California Layoffs — May 2017
Employers in California recorded 58 WARN Act notices in May 2017, covering approximately 5,025 workers — marking a sharp increase from April and down 12% versus May 2016. The average filing covered 87 workers, with 24 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 22 | 1,979 |
| Information & Technology | 13 | 1,132 |
| Agriculture | 5 | 501 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 349 |
| Retail | 3 | 222 |
| Government | 2 | 205 |
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 203 |
| Construction | 1 | 170 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 1,979 workers across 22 notices. At the same time, Information & Technology reported 1,132 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 16 | 1,160 |
| Contra Costa | 2 | 743 |
| Santa Clara | 9 | 743 |
| Kern | 4 | 554 |
| San Diego | 4 | 356 |
Orange absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 23% of all affected workers with 1,160 workers across 16 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose | 3 | 680 |
| Pittsburg | 1 | 635 |
| Bakersfield | 2 | 387 |
| San Diego | 3 | 298 |
| La Palma | 1 | 280 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 34 | 3,026 |
| Closure | 24 | 1,999 |
Closures accounted for 40% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USS-POSCO Industries | Pittsburg | 635 | Layoff | |
| Kellogg | La Palma | 280 | Closure | |
| Cisco Systems | San Jose | 250 | Layoff | |
| Cisco Systems | San Jose | 250 | Layoff | |
| Kellogg | Roseville | 230 | Closure | |
| Grimmway Farms | Bakersfield | 217 | Layoff | |
| Charter Communications | Palm Desert | 206 | Closure | |
| Keurig Green Mountain | Castroville | 183 | Closure | |
| Le Technology, Inc.d.b.a Le Eco | San Jose | 180 | Layoff | |
| Braden Partners L.P., DBA Pacific | Bakersfield | 170 | Layoff | |
| Angelica Textile Services | Gilroy | 160 | Closure | |
| St. John Knits | Irvine | 130 | Layoff | |
| Fjs | Anaheim | 121 | Layoff | |
| Hines Growers | San Juan | 115 | Closure | |
| Grimmway Farms | Arvin | 114 | Layoff |
Leading the list was USS-POSCO Industries at its Pittsburg facility, reporting 635 affected workers. Kellogg followed with 280 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect 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.