Iowa Layoffs — August 2018
Employers in Iowa submitted 5 WARN Act notices in August 2018, putting at risk an estimated 74 workers — down from July and down 69% versus August 2017. The average filing covered 15 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 30 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 25 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 10 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 8 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 1 |
The Wholesale Trade sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 30 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Finance & Insurance reported 25 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 2 | 33 |
| Woodbury | 1 | 30 |
| Fayette | 1 | 10 |
| Dubuque | 1 | 1 |
Polk saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 45% of all affected workers with 33 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Sioux City | 1 | 30 |
| West Des Moines | 1 | 25 |
| Oelwein | 1 | 10 |
| Johnston | 1 | 8 |
| Asbury | 1 | 1 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 40 |
| Layoff | 2 | 26 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US. Foods | Sioux City | 30 | Closure | |
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 25 | Layoff | |
| Humach | Oelwein | 10 | Closure | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 8 | ||
| Luther Manor - Grand Meadows | Asbury | 1 | Layoff |
Topping the list was US. Foods at its Sioux City facility, reporting 30 affected workers. Wells Fargo followed with 25 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
These figures highlight a easing in workforce disruptions across Iowa, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Wholesale Trade 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.