Illinois Layoffs — December 2018
Employers in Illinois reported 8 WARN Act notices in December 2018, displacing an estimated 1,238 workers — signaling an acceleration from November and up 237% versus December 2017. The average filing covered 155 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 882 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 128 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 116 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 112 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 882 workers across 5 notices. Notably, Healthcare reported 128 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 3 | 623 |
| Will | 1 | 225 |
| Mclean | 2 | 146 |
| Sangamon | 1 | 128 |
| DuPage | 1 | 116 |
Cook felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 50% of all affected workers with 623 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| O Chicago | 1 | 362 |
| Bolingbrook | 1 | 225 |
| Skokie | 1 | 149 |
| Springfield | 1 | 128 |
| Lombard | 1 | 116 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in Illinois this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tower Automotive | O Chicago | 362 | ||
| West Liberty Foods | Bolingbrook | 225 | ||
| Castwell Products | Skokie | 149 | ||
| Vibra Hospital of Springfield | Springfield | 128 | ||
| Bridgeview Bank Mortgage | Lombard | 116 | ||
| Kerry | Gridley | 113 | ||
| Cars.com | Chicago | 112 | ||
| DuPont | Colfax | 33 |
The most significant filing came from Tower Automotive at its O Chicago facility, reporting 362 affected workers. West Liberty Foods followed with 225 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Illinois 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 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.