California Layoffs — October 2018
Employers in California recorded 101 WARN Act notices in October 2018, covering approximately 8,774 workers — marking a sharp increase from September and up 50% versus October 2017. The average filing covered 87 workers, with 65 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 34 | 4,606 |
| Retail | 22 | 1,647 |
| Accommodation & Food | 5 | 381 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 381 |
| Construction | 3 | 324 |
| Healthcare | 9 | 311 |
| Transportation | 4 | 274 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 224 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 4,606 workers across 34 notices. At the same time, Retail reported 1,647 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 27 | 1,927 |
| Santa Clara | 13 | 1,457 |
| Kern | 7 | 1,028 |
| San Diego | 6 | 599 |
| Riverside | 6 | 492 |
Los Angeles felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 22% of all affected workers with 1,927 workers across 27 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose | 7 | 1,285 |
| Bakersfield | 5 | 959 |
| San Diego | 4 | 452 |
| Fresno | 1 | 323 |
| Long Beach | 4 | 281 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 65 | 6,603 |
| Layoff | 36 | 2,171 |
The high proportion of closures (75% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nestle USA | Bakersfield | 769 | Closure | |
| Jabil | San Jose | 562 | Closure | |
| Zacky & Sons Poultry | Fresno | 323 | Closure | |
| Jabil | San Jose | 289 | Closure | |
| Nestle USA | Tulare | 273 | Closure | |
| Levys | Inglewood | 272 | Closure | |
| Boardriders | Mira Loma | 270 | Layoff | |
| Bayer US | Berkeley | 227 | Layoff | |
| Jabil | San Jose | 220 | Closure | |
| Los Amigos Harvesting | Watsonville | 175 | Closure | |
| La Jolla Pharmaceutical | San Diego | 166 | Layoff | |
| MD2 Industries | Long Beach | 158 | Closure | |
| Twin Arbors Athletic Club | Lodi | 143 | Closure | |
| Zacky & Sons Poultry | Stockton | 142 | Closure | |
| Healthy Living Network | Newark | 128 | Closure |
Leading the list was Nestle USA at its Bakersfield facility, reporting 769 affected workers. Jabil followed with 562 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the California 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 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.