Iowa Layoffs — March 2019
Employers in Iowa filed 15 WARN Act notices in March 2019, impacting roughly 414 workers — representing a pullback from February and up 20600% versus March 2018. The average filing covered 28 workers, with 10 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 8 | 258 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 44 |
| Government | 1 | 39 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 30 |
| Utilities | 2 | 21 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 19 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 3 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 258 workers across 8 notices. In a parallel development, Finance & Insurance reported 44 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Dubuque | 2 | 89 |
| Polk | 4 | 72 |
| Woodbury | 1 | 57 |
| Cerro Gordo | 1 | 54 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 30 |
Dubuque saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 21% of all affected workers with 89 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Dubuque | 2 | 89 |
| Sioux City | 1 | 57 |
| Mason City | 1 | 54 |
| Ankeny | 1 | 39 |
| Burlington | 1 | 30 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 10 | 307 |
| Layoff | 4 | 104 |
The high proportion of closures (74% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShopKo | Sioux City | 57 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Mason City | 54 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Dubuque | 45 | Closure | |
| MidWestOne Bank | Dubuque | 44 | Layoff | |
| Iowa Alchoholic Beverage Division (ABD) | Ankeny | 39 | Layoff | |
| LaMont | Burlington | 30 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Dyersville | 28 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Waukon | 22 | Closure | |
| Pae | Urbandale | 19 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Harlan | 19 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Perry | 17 | Closure | |
| ShopKo | Sheldon | 16 | Closure | |
| A-TEC Energy | Urbandale | 11 | Layoff | |
| A-TEC Energy | Rock Valley | 10 | Layoff | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 3 |
The single largest action involved ShopKo at its Sioux City facility, reporting 57 affected workers. ShopKo followed with 54 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Retail 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.