California Layoffs — May 2020

Employers in California submitted 343 WARN Act notices in May 2020, putting at risk an estimated 35,672 workers — down from April and up 481% versus May 2019. The average filing covered 104 workers, with 37 closures among the notices.

Industry Breakdown

The Accommodation & Food sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 8,151 workers across 44 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 6,808 workers.

Geographic Hotspots

Los Angeles felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 43% of all affected workers with 15,272 workers across 112 notices.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 7% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was Universal City Studios DBA Universal Studios Hollywood at its Universal City facility, reporting 3,025 affected workers. Irvine Management Company, DBA Irvine Company followed with 1,681 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.

These figures highlight a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Accommodation & Food 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.