Iowa Layoffs — October 2018
Employers in Iowa filed 6 WARN Act notices in October 2018, impacting roughly 338 workers — representing a notable rise over September and down 48% versus October 2017. The average filing covered 56 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 1 | 161 |
| Retail | 3 | 95 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 75 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 7 |
The Healthcare sector led the way in workforce reductions with 161 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Retail reported 95 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk | 1 | 161 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 75 |
| Pottawattamie | 1 | 46 |
| Cherokee | 1 | 26 |
| Hamilton | 1 | 23 |
Black Hawk was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 48% of all affected workers with 161 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 1 | 161 |
| Burlington | 1 | 75 |
| Council Bluffs | 1 | 46 |
| Cherokee | 1 | 26 |
| Webster City | 1 | 23 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 170 |
| Layoff | 1 | 161 |
Closures accounted for 50% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country View Care Facility | Waterloo | 161 | Layoff | |
| Siemens | Burlington | 75 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Council Bluffs | 46 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Cherokee | 26 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Webster City | 23 | Closure | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 7 |
The single largest action involved Country View Care Facility at its Waterloo facility, reporting 161 affected workers. Siemens followed with 75 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Healthcare 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.