Iowa Layoffs — January 2021
Employers in Iowa filed 4 WARN Act notices in January 2021, impacting roughly 317 workers — representing a notable rise over December and up 69% versus January 2020. The average filing covered 79 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 183 |
| Transportation | 1 | 108 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 26 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 183 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Transportation reported 108 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wright | 1 | 148 |
| Polk | 2 | 134 |
| Linn | 1 | 35 |
Wright was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 47% of all affected workers with 148 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Belmond | 1 | 148 |
| Des Moines | 2 | 134 |
| Cedar Rapids | 1 | 35 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 35 |
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton | Belmond | 148 | ||
| XPO Logistics | Des Moines | 108 | ||
| Ingredion | Cedar Rapids | 35 | Layoff | |
| Gannett | Des Moines | 26 |
The single largest action involved Eaton at its Belmond facility, reporting 148 affected workers. XPO Logistics followed with 108 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Iowa labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.