Iowa Layoffs — March 2021
Employers in Iowa posted 3 WARN Act notices in March 2021, affecting an estimated 139 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to February and down 68% versus March 2020. The average filing covered 46 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 61 |
| Transportation | 1 | 58 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 61 workers across 1 notice. On a related front, Transportation reported 58 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 1 | 61 |
| Polk | 1 | 58 |
| Jasper | 1 | 20 |
Des Moines bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 44% of all affected workers with 61 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| West Burlington | 1 | 61 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 58 |
| Newton | 1 | 20 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 58 |
| Closure | 1 | 20 |
Closures accounted for 14% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abb | West Burlington | 61 | ||
| XPO Logistics Supply Chain | Des Moines | 58 | Layoff | |
| Patriot Converting | Newton | 20 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Abb at its West Burlington facility, reporting 61 affected workers. XPO Logistics Supply Chain followed with 58 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The trends suggest a easing in workforce disruptions across Iowa, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. 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.