California Layoffs — December 2019
Employers in California submitted 27 WARN Act notices in December 2019, putting at risk an estimated 2,176 workers — down from November and down 67% versus December 2018. The average filing covered 81 workers, with 16 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 13 | 1,335 |
| Education | 2 | 207 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 172 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 149 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 128 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 79 |
| Utilities | 1 | 72 |
| Construction | 2 | 24 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,335 workers across 13 notices. Separately, Education reported 207 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 9 | 816 |
| San Bernardino | 2 | 481 |
| Santa Clara | 4 | 323 |
| San Francisco | 3 | 240 |
| Shasta | 1 | 99 |
Los Angeles felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 38% of all affected workers with 816 workers across 9 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Rancho Cucamonga | 1 | 371 |
| Pomona | 1 | 253 |
| San Jose | 2 | 249 |
| San Francisco | 3 | 240 |
| Compton | 1 | 165 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 16 | 1,494 |
| Layoff | 11 | 682 |
The high proportion of closures (69% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in California's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Island Jerky | Rancho Cucamonga | 371 | Closure | |
| Hayward Industries | Pomona | 253 | Closure | |
| WeWork Companies | San Francisco | 172 | Layoff | |
| Hollander Sleep Products | Compton | 165 | Closure | |
| Nio USA | San Jose | 141 | Layoff | |
| SharkNinja Operating | Chino | 110 | Closure | |
| Easy Driving School | San Jose | 108 | Closure | |
| Victor Treatment Center/North Valley School | Redding | 99 | Closure | |
| Wag Labs | West Hollywood | 90 | Closure | |
| Pamela's Products | Ukiah | 80 | Closure | |
| Mulligan Limited DBA Mulligan Torrance | Torrance | 80 | Closure | |
| Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, Rooftop by JG | Los Angeles | 79 | Closure | |
| AT&T | El Segundo | 75 | Layoff | |
| Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. (HESI) | Bakersfield | 72 | Layoff | |
| NortonLifeLock | Mountain View | 55 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Golden Island Jerky at its Rancho Cucamonga facility, reporting 371 affected workers. Hayward Industries followed with 253 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
These figures highlight a easing in workforce disruptions across California, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. 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.