Illinois Layoffs — May 2020
Employers in Illinois logged 29 WARN Act notices in May 2020, involving roughly 4,964 workers — falling below April. The average filing covered 171 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 11 | 2,306 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 1,189 |
| Transportation | 7 | 842 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 394 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 104 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 82 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 28 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 14 |
The Accommodation & Food sector dominated layoff filings with 2,306 workers across 11 notices. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 1,189 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 16 | 2,741 |
| Madison | 2 | 783 |
| Boone | 2 | 454 |
| Peoria | 1 | 353 |
| DuPage | 4 | 283 |
Cook absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 55% of all affected workers with 2,741 workers across 16 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 16 | 1,850 |
| South Michigan Avenue | 2 | 766 |
| Granite City | 1 | 737 |
| Chrysler Drive | 3 | 500 |
| Atlanta | 1 | 394 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 19 | 4,104 |
| Closure | 6 | 602 |
Closures accounted for 12% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Steel | Granite City | 737 | Layoff | |
| Hyatt | South Michigan Avenue | 566 | Layoff | |
| Syncreon | Chrysler Drive | 407 | Layoff | |
| Cox Automotive | Atlanta | 394 | Layoff | |
| Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino | Peoria | 353 | Layoff | |
| Gategroup | Chicago | 264 | Layoff | |
| Loews Chicago | Chicago | 227 | Layoff | |
| Hyatt | South Michigan Avenue | 200 | Layoff | |
| Thompson Hotel Chicago | Bellevue Place | 198 | Layoff | |
| Glassdoor | Chicago | 194 | Layoff | |
| Blackstone Hotel | Chicago | 181 | Layoff | |
| J & J Snack Foods Sales | Chicago | 181 | Closure | |
| The Langham, Chicago | Chicago | 153 | Closure | |
| Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates | Chicago | 104 | Closure | |
| Cargo Movers of Chicago | Chicago | 90 |
The biggest impact was at United States Steel at its Granite City facility, reporting 737 affected workers. Hyatt followed with 566 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
This data points to a mixed picture for Illinois'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 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.