California Layoffs — July 2018

Employers in California submitted 46 WARN Act notices in July 2018, putting at risk an estimated 4,780 workers — up substantially from June and up 40% versus July 2017. The average filing covered 104 workers, with 28 closures among the notices.

Industry Breakdown

The Transportation sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,370 workers across 6 notices. Separately, Education reported 699 workers.

Geographic Hotspots

Los Angeles bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 35% of all affected workers with 1,676 workers across 10 notices.

Layoff Type Analysis

The high proportion of closures (58% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was Swissport SA at its Los Angeles facility, reporting 829 affected workers. DW Berry Farms followed with 380 workers.

Trend & Outlook

After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.

These figures highlight mounting pressure on the California labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation 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.