Iowa Layoffs — January 2018
Employers in Iowa filed 9 WARN Act notices in January 2018, impacting roughly 680 workers — representing a notable rise over December and up 320% versus January 2017. The average filing covered 76 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 319 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 207 |
| Retail | 2 | 121 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 33 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 319 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Professional Services reported 207 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Lee | 1 | 202 |
| Woodbury | 1 | 178 |
| Polk | 3 | 141 |
| Linn | 1 | 62 |
| Sioux | 1 | 36 |
Lee was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 30% of all affected workers with 202 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Madison | 1 | 202 |
| Sergeant Bluff | 1 | 178 |
| Johnston | 2 | 82 |
| Cedar Rapids | 1 | 62 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 59 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 364 |
| Layoff | 3 | 288 |
The high proportion of closures (54% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siemens | Fort Madison | 202 | Layoff | |
| Convergys | Sergeant Bluff | 178 | Closure | |
| Younkers | Cedar Rapids | 62 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Des Moines | 59 | Closure | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 53 | Layoff | |
| Colorfx | Boyden | 36 | Closure | |
| Rock Communications | Newton | 33 | Layoff | |
| The Sandbox Agency | Johnston | 29 | Closure | |
| DuPont | Nevada | 28 |
The single largest action involved Siemens at its Fort Madison facility, reporting 202 affected workers. Convergys followed with 178 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores 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.