California Layoffs — January 2021

Employers in California submitted 86 WARN Act notices in January 2021, putting at risk an estimated 7,767 workers — down from December and up 8% versus January 2020. The average filing covered 90 workers, with 31 closures among the notices.

Industry Breakdown

The Government sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 2,047 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Manufacturing reported 1,706 workers.

Geographic Hotspots

San Diego saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 35% of all affected workers with 2,696 workers across 14 notices.

Layoff Type Analysis

Closures accounted for 38% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.

Largest Layoffs

Topping the list was YMCA of San Diego at its San Diego facility, reporting 2,047 affected workers. Olympia Medical Center followed with 451 workers.

Trend & Outlook

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