Iowa Layoffs — August 2020
Employers in Iowa submitted 8 WARN Act notices in August 2020, putting at risk an estimated 450 workers — down from July and up 417% versus August 2019. The average filing covered 56 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 209 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 2 | 145 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 85 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 11 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 209 workers across 4 notices. Separately, Arts & Entertainment reported 145 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 3 | 124 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 117 |
| Lee | 1 | 104 |
| Buchanan | 1 | 101 |
| Linn | 2 | 4 |
Polk saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 28% of all affected workers with 124 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Burlington | 1 | 117 |
| Des Moines | 2 | 113 |
| Fort Madison | 1 | 104 |
| Independence | 1 | 101 |
| Grimes | 1 | 11 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 104 |
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great River Entertainment | Burlington | 117 | ||
| Bagcraft Papercon II | Fort Madison | 104 | Layoff | |
| Geater Machining & Manufacturing | Independence | 101 | ||
| Marriott International | Des Moines | 85 | ||
| Spectra Venue Mangement - Iowa Events Center | Des Moines | 28 | ||
| Adesa | Grimes | 11 | ||
| Collins Aerospace | Cedar Rapids | 3 | ||
| Collins Aerospace | Cedar Rapids | 1 |
Topping the list was Great River Entertainment at its Burlington facility, reporting 117 affected workers. Bagcraft Papercon II followed with 104 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
These figures highlight a mixed picture for Iowa'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 Iowa. 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 Iowa WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.