California Layoffs — October 2020
Employers in California filed 108 WARN Act notices in October 2020, impacting roughly 8,148 workers — representing a pullback from September and up 58% versus October 2019. The average filing covered 75 workers, with 20 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 33 | 2,886 |
| Manufacturing | 21 | 1,807 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 11 | 969 |
| Transportation | 3 | 703 |
| Information & Technology | 11 | 468 |
| Wholesale Trade | 3 | 251 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 220 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 220 |
The Accommodation & Food sector led the way in workforce reductions with 2,886 workers across 33 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 1,807 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 41 | 3,404 |
| Santa Clara | 19 | 958 |
| Orange | 13 | 868 |
| Riverside | 3 | 605 |
| Alameda | 4 | 599 |
Los Angeles felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 42% of all affected workers with 3,404 workers across 41 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 14 | 1,405 |
| San Jose | 10 | 698 |
| Anaheim | 8 | 676 |
| San Francisco | 4 | 518 |
| Corona | 1 | 350 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 88 | 6,212 |
| Closure | 20 | 1,936 |
Closures accounted for 24% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Air - Los Angeles International Airport | Los Angeles | 370 | Closure | |
| Thermal Structures | Corona | 350 | Layoff | |
| Amtrak | Los Angeles | 272 | Layoff | |
| The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel | San Francisco | 228 | Layoff | |
| Sun Pacific Farming Cooperative | Exeter | 220 | Layoff | |
| Levy Premium Foodservice Limited Paitnership | Oakland | 220 | Closure | |
| Designed Metal Connections DBA Permaswage | Gardena | 220 | Layoff | |
| Sodexo | Los Angeles | 206 | Layoff | |
| National Football League | Culver City | 200 | Layoff | |
| Corning Optical Communications LLC DBA TR Manufacturing | Union City | 196 | Layoff | |
| HMSHost-San Jose International Airport | San Jose | 196 | Layoff | |
| Renaissance Hotel Operating Co. DBA Renaissance Esmeralda Resort and Spa | Indian Wells | 186 | Layoff | |
| SodexoMAGIC | Anaheim | 183 | Closure | |
| Jabil | San Jose | 178 | Closure | |
| Universal City Studios, LLC DBA Universal Studios Hollywood | Universal City | 170 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Horizon Air - Los Angeles International Airport at its Los Angeles facility, reporting 370 affected workers. Thermal Structures followed with 350 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores 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.