California Layoffs — December 2018
Employers in California filed 53 WARN Act notices in December 2018, impacting roughly 6,531 workers — representing a notable rise over November and up 95% versus December 2017. The average filing covered 123 workers, with 21 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 11 | 2,979 |
| Manufacturing | 12 | 1,345 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 585 |
| Accommodation & Food | 3 | 527 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3 | 330 |
| Professional Services | 4 | 290 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 187 |
| Transportation | 1 | 136 |
The Healthcare sector led the way in workforce reductions with 2,979 workers across 11 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 1,345 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 21 | 2,085 |
| Santa Clara | 5 | 1,926 |
| San Diego | 4 | 432 |
| Orange | 4 | 331 |
| Nevada | 1 | 277 |
Los Angeles bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 32% of all affected workers with 2,085 workers across 21 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose | 1 | 1,326 |
| Los Angeles | 7 | 1,106 |
| Gilroy | 1 | 493 |
| Truckee | 1 | 277 |
| Rosemead | 1 | 254 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 31 | 4,805 |
| Closure | 21 | 1,670 |
Closures accounted for 26% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verity Health System of California | San Jose | 1,326 | Layoff | |
| Silver Lake Medical Center | Los Angeles | 573 | Layoff | |
| Verity Health System of California | Gilroy | 493 | Layoff | |
| Tahoe Club Employee | Truckee | 277 | Closure | |
| Silver Lake Medical Center | Rosemead | 254 | Layoff | |
| TreeHouse Private Brands | Visalia | 243 | Closure | |
| TSI Semiconductors America | Roseville | 241 | Layoff | |
| Baked in the Sun | Vista | 211 | Closure | |
| HMSHost | Oakland | 204 | Layoff | |
| Mission Beverage | Los Angeles | 200 | Layoff | |
| WWL Vehicle Services Americas | Wilmington | 136 | Layoff | |
| Qualcomm | San Diego | 125 | Layoff | |
| OpenX Technologies | Pasadena | 124 | Layoff | |
| First American Title Insurance | Santa Ana | 116 | Layoff | |
| CardioDx | Redwood City | 110 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Verity Health System of California at its San Jose facility, reporting 1,326 affected workers. Silver Lake Medical Center followed with 573 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the California labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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.