California Layoffs — August 2019
Employers in California filed 35 WARN Act notices in August 2019, impacting roughly 3,515 workers — representing a notable rise over July and down 48% versus August 2018. The average filing covered 100 workers, with 9 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 13 | 1,223 |
| Information & Technology | 9 | 452 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3 | 432 |
| Education | 1 | 415 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 217 |
| Construction | 1 | 170 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 169 |
| Transportation | 1 | 107 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,223 workers across 13 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 452 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 9 | 1,006 |
| San Bernardino | 4 | 518 |
| San Diego | 3 | 490 |
| San Francisco | 3 | 323 |
| Ventura | 2 | 279 |
Los Angeles absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 29% of all affected workers with 1,006 workers across 9 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego | 2 | 486 |
| Redlands | 2 | 404 |
| Los Angeles | 6 | 399 |
| San Francisco | 3 | 323 |
| Carson | 1 | 286 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 26 | 2,538 |
| Closure | 9 | 977 |
Closures accounted for 28% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zovio & Ashford University Building | San Diego | 415 | Layoff | |
| La-Z-Boy | Redlands | 351 | Closure | |
| CWD, LLC DBA Centric Parts | Carson | 286 | Layoff | |
| CoorsTek | Ventura | 268 | Closure | |
| LSC Communications US | Torrance | 228 | Closure | |
| Molecule Labs | Benicia | 191 | Layoff | |
| RAD Urban | Lathrop | 170 | Layoff | |
| Western Union | San Francisco | 169 | Layoff | |
| Schneider National Carriers | Fontana | 107 | Layoff | |
| AmerisourceBergen Drug | Valencia | 93 | Closure | |
| San Francisco Housing Authority | San Francisco | 88 | Layoff | |
| Silgan Containers | Modesto | 87 | Layoff | |
| Silgan Containers | Modesto | 86 | Layoff | |
| Verity Health System of California | San Jose | 86 | Layoff | |
| Flying Food Group | Los Angeles | 85 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Zovio & Ashford University Building at its San Diego facility, reporting 415 affected workers. La-Z-Boy followed with 351 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing 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.