California Layoffs — November 2018
Employers in California reported 61 WARN Act notices in November 2018, displacing an estimated 5,830 workers — signaling a deceleration from October and down 6% versus November 2017. The average filing covered 96 workers, with 26 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 17 | 1,760 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 763 |
| Retail | 7 | 721 |
| Transportation | 13 | 641 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 465 |
| Information & Technology | 7 | 418 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 3 | 396 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 342 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,760 workers across 17 notices. Notably, Accommodation & Food reported 763 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda | 4 | 1,009 |
| Santa Clara | 7 | 1,009 |
| Orange | 10 | 855 |
| Los Angeles | 11 | 845 |
| Monterey | 1 | 465 |
Alameda was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 17% of all affected workers with 1,009 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland | 1 | 763 |
| San Jose | 4 | 748 |
| Salinas | 1 | 465 |
| South San | 4 | 366 |
| Glendale | 1 | 339 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 35 | 3,272 |
| Closure | 26 | 2,558 |
Closures accounted for 44% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ovations Fanfare, L.P. DBA Spectra Food | Oakland | 763 | Closure | |
| West Coast Berry Farms | Salinas | 465 | Layoff | |
| Cisco Systems | San Jose | 405 | Layoff | |
| Production Resource Group, LLC and Full | Glendale | 339 | Layoff | |
| Lowes Companies | Irvine | 248 | Closure | |
| Kraft Heinz Foods | Fullerton | 248 | Closure | |
| DGA, Inc. DBA Pro-Form Laboratories | Benicia | 188 | Layoff | |
| Yosemite Meat | Modesto | 188 | Closure | |
| Randstad Inhouse Services | San Jose | 170 | Layoff | |
| E2 Consulting Engineers | Emeryville | 162 | Layoff | |
| Safariland | Ontario | 158 | Layoff | |
| Lowes Companies | San Jose | 139 | Closure | |
| Lowes Companies | South San | 119 | Closure | |
| Broadcom | Santa Clara | 119 | Layoff | |
| Nationstar Mortgage, LLC DBA Mr. Cooper | Santa Ana | 109 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Ovations Fanfare, L.P. DBA Spectra Food at its Oakland facility, reporting 763 affected workers. West Coast Berry Farms followed with 465 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The numbers illustrate a easing in workforce disruptions across California, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. 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.