Oregon Layoffs — January 2021
Employers in Oregon posted 8 WARN Act notices in January 2021, affecting an estimated 507 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to December and down 30% versus January 2020. The average filing covered 63 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 2 | 181 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 159 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 24 |
The Utilities sector saw the heaviest impact with 181 workers across 2 notices. On a related front, Finance & Insurance reported 159 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Clackamas | 6 | 326 |
| Washington | 2 | 181 |
Clackamas felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 64% of all affected workers with 326 workers across 6 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | 6 | 326 |
| Hillsboro | 2 | 181 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 483 |
| Layoff | 1 | 24 |
The high proportion of closures (95% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Oregon's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunPower | Hillsboro | 172 | Closure | |
| azlo | Portland | 122 | Closure | |
| Simple | Portland | 95 | Closure | |
| Simple | Portland | 47 | Closure | |
| Simple | Portland | 37 | Closure | |
| Sulzer | Portland | 24 | Layoff | |
| SunPower | Hillsboro | 9 | Closure | |
| Simple | Portland | 1 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by SunPower at its Hillsboro facility, reporting 172 affected workers. azlo followed with 122 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for Oregon's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Utilities sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Oregon. 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 Oregon WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.