California Layoffs — September 2019
Employers in California submitted 57 WARN Act notices in September 2019, putting at risk an estimated 6,886 workers — up substantially from August and up 167% versus September 2018. The average filing covered 121 workers, with 29 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 23 | 2,623 |
| Information & Technology | 13 | 1,864 |
| Transportation | 4 | 1,444 |
| Accommodation & Food | 4 | 253 |
| Professional Services | 4 | 197 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 195 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 3 | 141 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 72 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 2,623 workers across 23 notices. Separately, Information & Technology reported 1,864 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 20 | 2,430 |
| Santa Clara | 8 | 1,016 |
| Fresno | 1 | 799 |
| Contra Costa | 1 | 575 |
| Orange | 6 | 374 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 35% of all affected workers with 2,430 workers across 20 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 5 | 1,475 |
| Fresno | 1 | 799 |
| San Jose | 3 | 622 |
| Pittsburg | 1 | 575 |
| Hawthorne | 1 | 249 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 29 | 4,481 |
| Layoff | 28 | 2,405 |
The high proportion of closures (65% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forever 21 Logistics | Los Angeles | 1,170 | Closure | |
| Alorica | Fresno | 799 | Closure | |
| USS-POSCO Industries | Pittsburg | 575 | Layoff | |
| Jabil | San Jose | 529 | Closure | |
| Triumph Aerospace Structures | Hawthorne | 249 | Closure | |
| Inter-Con Security Systems | Exeter | 233 | Layoff | |
| TE Connectivity | Hemet | 212 | Closure | |
| Bay City Flower | Half Moon Bay | 195 | Closure | |
| Honeyville | Rancho Cucamonga | 178 | Layoff | |
| Menzies Aviation | Los Angeles | 170 | Layoff | |
| Silgan Containers | Riverbank | 153 | Layoff | |
| Symantec | Mountain View | 152 | Layoff | |
| General Mills Operations | Carson | 141 | Closure | |
| Lynx Grills | Downey | 130 | Closure | |
| GEO Secure Services | Mc Farland | 130 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Forever 21 Logistics at its Los Angeles facility, reporting 1,170 affected workers. Alorica followed with 799 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the California labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.