Iowa Layoffs — April 2021
Employers in Iowa logged 4 WARN Act notices in April 2021, involving roughly 526 workers — climbing above March and up 33% versus April 2020. The average filing covered 132 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 479 |
| Utilities | 1 | 47 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 479 workers across 3 notices. Meanwhile, Utilities reported 47 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Des Moines | 2 | 291 |
| Des Monies | 1 | 188 |
| Linn | 1 | 47 |
Des Moines bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 55% of all affected workers with 291 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| West Burlington | 3 | 479 |
| Palo | 1 | 47 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 1 | 47 |
Closures accounted for 9% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abb | West Burlington | 188 | ||
| ABB | West Burlington | 188 | ||
| Abb | West Burlington | 103 | ||
| Duane Arnold Energy Center | Palo | 47 | Closure |
The biggest impact was at Abb at its West Burlington facility, reporting 188 affected workers. ABB followed with 188 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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.