Illinois Layoffs — October 2018
Employers in Illinois filed 20 WARN Act notices in October 2018, impacting roughly 1,863 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 172% versus October 2017. The average filing covered 93 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 12 | 967 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 345 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 323 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 131 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 59 |
| Transportation | 1 | 38 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 967 workers across 12 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 345 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 10 | 873 |
| DuPage | 2 | 470 |
| Lake | 2 | 208 |
| Will | 2 | 128 |
| Rock Island | 1 | 49 |
Cook absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 47% of all affected workers with 873 workers across 10 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 4 | 452 |
| Naperville | 1 | 345 |
| Rolling Meadows | 1 | 144 |
| Buffalo Grove | 1 | 139 |
| Harwood Heights | 1 | 126 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in Illinois this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nokia | Naperville | 345 | ||
| Ceannate | Rolling Meadows | 144 | ||
| Ceannate | Buffalo Grove | 139 | ||
| Target | Chicago | 137 | ||
| James Hotel | Chicago | 131 | ||
| Kmart | Harwood Heights | 126 | ||
| Lord & Taylor | Oak Brook | 125 | ||
| Target | Chicago | 125 | ||
| Sears | Joliet | 87 | ||
| Home Owners Bargain Outlet | Waukegan | 69 | ||
| Home Owners Bargain Outlet | Oak Lawn | 63 | ||
| The Underground nightclub | Chicago | 59 | ||
| Kmart | Moline | 49 | ||
| Home Owners Bargain Outlet | Villa Park | 49 | ||
| Kmart | Quincy | 48 |
The single largest action involved Nokia at its Naperville facility, reporting 345 affected workers. Ceannate followed with 144 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Illinois labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Illinois. 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 Illinois WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.