Illinois Layoffs — April 2020
Employers in Illinois logged 55 WARN Act notices in April 2020, involving roughly 6,276 workers — falling below March. The average filing covered 114 workers, with 10 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 11 | 1,896 |
| Accommodation & Food | 11 | 1,372 |
| Retail | 5 | 915 |
| Information & Technology | 7 | 487 |
| Professional Services | 3 | 362 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 5 | 359 |
| Transportation | 2 | 231 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 164 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 1,896 workers across 11 notices. Meanwhile, Accommodation & Food reported 1,372 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 30 | 2,601 |
| Lake | 6 | 1,472 |
| Winnebago | 2 | 1,176 |
| Whiteside | 1 | 226 |
| McLean | 2 | 192 |
Cook saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 41% of all affected workers with 2,601 workers across 30 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 28 | 3,585 |
| Loves Park | 1 | 1,125 |
| N. Roselle Road | 1 | 166 |
| Jacksonville | 1 | 138 |
| Aurora | 1 | 134 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 10 | 2,846 |
| Layoff | 41 | 2,478 |
Closures accounted for 45% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodward | Loves Park | 1,125 | Closure | |
| Great Lakes Services | Chicago | 597 | Closure | |
| Bed Bath and Beyond | Chicago | 402 | ||
| Groupon | Chicago | 299 | ||
| Sterling Steel | Chicago | 226 | Layoff | |
| Visionworks | Chicago | 224 | Closure | |
| Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile | Chicago | 200 | Closure | |
| Medieval Times U.S.A., Inc. / Medieval Knights | N. Roselle Road | 166 | Closure | |
| The Hertz | Chicago | 164 | Layoff | |
| Swissport USA | Chicago | 146 | Layoff | |
| Regal Cinemas | Chicago | 142 | Closure | |
| Flexitech | Chicago | 139 | Closure | |
| MacMurray College | Jacksonville | 138 | Closure | |
| Power Home Remodeling Group | Aurora | 134 | ||
| Marcus Hotels & Resorts | Chicago | 128 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Woodward at its Loves Park facility, reporting 1,125 affected workers. Great Lakes Services followed with 597 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This data points to a mixed picture for Illinois'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 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.