Iowa Layoffs — December 2018
Employers in Iowa posted 5 WARN Act notices in December 2018, affecting an estimated 137 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to November and up 54% versus December 2017. The average filing covered 27 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 1 | 72 |
| Retail | 2 | 47 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 18 |
The Agriculture sector saw the heaviest impact with 72 workers across 1 notice. On a related front, Retail reported 47 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 1 | 72 |
| Woodbury | 2 | 47 |
| Black Hawk | 2 | 18 |
Polk felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 53% of all affected workers with 72 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Johnston | 1 | 72 |
| Sioux City | 2 | 47 |
| Waterloo | 2 | 18 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 1 | 9 |
Closures accounted for 7% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 72 | ||
| Sears | Sioux City | 43 | ||
| Buffalo Weaver | Waterloo | 9 | Closure | |
| Buffalo Weaver | Waterloo | 9 | ||
| Sears | Sioux City | 4 |
The largest notice was filed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International at its Johnston facility, reporting 72 affected workers. Sears followed with 43 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The trends suggest a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Agriculture 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.