California Layoffs — April 2020
Employers in California filed 1198 WARN Act notices in April 2020, impacting roughly 137,604 workers — representing a pullback from March and up 1881% versus April 2019. The average filing covered 115 workers, with 98 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 244 | 36,029 |
| Accommodation & Food | 165 | 20,677 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 99 | 18,139 |
| Retail | 225 | 17,216 |
| Information & Technology | 66 | 10,458 |
| Healthcare | 90 | 8,655 |
| Government | 63 | 6,110 |
| Education | 41 | 4,777 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 36,029 workers across 244 notices. In a parallel development, Accommodation & Food reported 20,677 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 352 | 36,704 |
| San Diego | 116 | 20,702 |
| Orange | 125 | 16,795 |
| Alameda | 45 | 14,384 |
| San Francisco | 75 | 7,346 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 27% of all affected workers with 36,704 workers across 352 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 109 | 16,191 |
| San Diego | 60 | 13,194 |
| Fremont | 4 | 11,416 |
| San Francisco | 75 | 7,346 |
| Irvine | 31 | 6,081 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1100 | 123,559 |
| Closure | 98 | 14,045 |
Closures accounted for 10% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla | Fremont | 11,083 | Layoff | |
| Fox Sports Productions | Los Angeles | 3,595 | Layoff | |
| Pacific Dental Services | Irvine | 3,029 | Layoff | |
| Cal Poly | San Luis Obispo | 2,626 | Layoff | |
| Sea World | San Diego | 2,250 | Closure | |
| SeaWorld San Diego | San Diego | 2,225 | Layoff | |
| Zoological Society of San Diego DBA San Diego Zoo Global | San Diego | 1,690 | Layoff | |
| Burlington Distribution | San Bernardino | 1,653 | Closure | |
| HCAL, LLC DBA Harrah's Resort Southern California | Funner | 1,440 | Closure | |
| Goodwill Industries of San Diego County (GISD) | San Diego | 1,235 | Layoff | |
| Marriott Hotel Services, Inc - JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa | Palm Desert | 1,084 | Layoff | |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles, JW Marriott L.A. LIVE | Los Angeles | 1,009 | Layoff | |
| Oakley | Foothill Ranch | 942 | Layoff | |
| Universal Television | Universal City | 743 | Layoff | |
| Ojai Valley Inn | Ojai | 719 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Tesla at its Fremont facility, reporting 11,083 affected workers. Fox Sports Productions followed with 3,595 workers.
Trend & Outlook
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.