Illinois Layoffs — January 2020
Employers in Illinois filed 7 WARN Act notices in January 2020, impacting roughly 2,576 workers — representing a notable rise over December. The average filing covered 368 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 3 | 1,527 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 861 |
| Retail | 1 | 131 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 57 |
The Transportation sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,527 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 861 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Winnebago | 1 | 1,374 |
| Coles | 1 | 796 |
| Cook | 2 | 153 |
| Kankakee | 1 | 131 |
| Lake | 2 | 122 |
Winnebago absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 53% of all affected workers with 1,374 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Rockford | 1 | 1,374 |
| North Union St | 1 | 796 |
| Chicago | 5 | 406 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 2,423 |
| Layoff | 2 | 153 |
The high proportion of closures (94% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Illinois's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinnacle Logistics | Rockford | 1,374 | Closure | |
| LSC Communications US | North Union St | 796 | Closure | |
| Transform KM | Chicago | 131 | Closure | |
| PrimeFlight Aviation Services | Chicago | 102 | Layoff | |
| MGS Mfg. Group | Chicago | 65 | Closure | |
| Brightstar US | Chicago | 57 | Closure | |
| National Express Transit/CDT | Chicago | 51 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Pinnacle Logistics at its Rockford facility, reporting 1,374 affected workers. LSC Communications US followed with 796 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Illinois labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Illinois. 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 Illinois WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.