Illinois Layoffs — September 2021
Employers in Illinois filed 5 WARN Act notices in September 2021, impacting roughly 508 workers — representing a pullback from August and down 77% versus September 2020. The average filing covered 102 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 284 |
| Government | 1 | 174 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 50 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 284 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Government reported 174 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Rock Island | 3 | 428 |
| DuPage | 2 | 80 |
Rock Island saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 84% of all affected workers with 428 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Redman Ave Rock Island | 1 | 174 |
| Rock Island | 1 | 174 |
| East Moline | 1 | 80 |
| Oak Brook | 1 | 50 |
| Lombard | 1 | 30 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 224 |
| Closure | 2 | 110 |
Closures accounted for 22% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center | Redman Ave Rock Island | 174 | ||
| Rock Island Arsenal | Rock Island | 174 | Layoff | |
| PPG Industries | East Moline | 80 | Closure | |
| Retail Properties of America | Oak Brook | 50 | Layoff | |
| Zep | Lombard | 30 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center at its Redman Ave Rock Island facility, reporting 174 affected workers. Rock Island Arsenal followed with 174 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The data underscores a easing in workforce disruptions across Illinois, 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 Illinois. 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 Illinois WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.