California Layoffs — April 2019
Employers in California reported 88 WARN Act notices in April 2019, displacing an estimated 6,945 workers — signaling an acceleration from March and up 15% versus April 2018. The average filing covered 79 workers, with 46 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 16 | 1,220 |
| Manufacturing | 20 | 1,158 |
| Transportation | 9 | 973 |
| Professional Services | 5 | 872 |
| Accommodation & Food | 7 | 682 |
| Information & Technology | 11 | 625 |
| Retail | 8 | 364 |
| Agriculture | 2 | 352 |
The Healthcare sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,220 workers across 16 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 1,158 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 22 | 2,265 |
| Alameda | 6 | 808 |
| Orange | 6 | 764 |
| Santa Clara | 10 | 732 |
| Sacramento | 3 | 317 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 33% of all affected workers with 2,265 workers across 22 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Livermore | 1 | 487 |
| Los Angeles | 4 | 481 |
| Laguna Niguel | 1 | 472 |
| San Jose | 5 | 385 |
| Vernon | 2 | 359 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 46 | 4,105 |
| Layoff | 42 | 2,840 |
The high proportion of closures (59% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paramedics Plus | Livermore | 487 | Closure | |
| Pae | Laguna Niguel | 472 | Closure | |
| Tomato Growers | Crows Landing | 270 | Closure | |
| United Business Freight Forwarders | Vernon | 254 | Closure | |
| California Transload Services | Wilmington | 229 | Closure | |
| Training and Research Foundation | Los Angeles | 224 | Layoff | |
| Revolution Foods | Norwalk | 219 | Layoff | |
| Revolution Foods | San Lorenzo | 191 | Layoff | |
| Bay Club Cupertino | Cupertino | 191 | Closure | |
| Aerojet Rocketdyne | Rancho Cordova | 180 | Layoff | |
| Adventist Health White Memorial | Los Angeles | 175 | Layoff | |
| General Electric | San Ramon | 172 | Layoff | |
| Jabil | San Jose | 150 | Closure | |
| TRISTAR Insurance Group | Santa Ana | 137 | Layoff | |
| First Student | Baldwin Park | 125 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Paramedics Plus at its Livermore facility, reporting 487 affected workers. Pae followed with 472 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate 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.