Iowa Layoffs — May 2019
Employers in Iowa reported 6 WARN Act notices in May 2019, displacing an estimated 759 workers — signaling an acceleration from April and up 127% versus May 2018. The average filing covered 126 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 2 | 551 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 190 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 11 |
| Utilities | 2 | 7 |
The Healthcare sector topped the list of affected industries with 551 workers across 2 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 190 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 4 | 567 |
| Chickasaw | 1 | 190 |
| Scott | 1 | 2 |
Polk absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 75% of all affected workers with 567 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| West Des Moines | 1 | 549 |
| New Hampton | 1 | 190 |
| Johnston | 1 | 11 |
| Urbandale | 2 | 7 |
| Davenport | 1 | 2 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 551 |
| Closure | 1 | 190 |
Closures accounted for 25% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare Community & State | West Des Moines | 549 | Layoff | |
| Sparboe Foods | New Hampton | 190 | Closure | |
| Pioneer Hi-Bred International | Johnston | 11 | ||
| A-TEC Energy | Urbandale | 4 | ||
| A-TEC Energy | Urbandale | 3 | ||
| UnitedHealthcare Community & State | Davenport | 2 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from UnitedHealthcare Community & State at its West Des Moines facility, reporting 549 affected workers. Sparboe Foods followed with 190 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Iowa 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 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.