California Layoffs — April 2022
Employers in California reported 52 WARN Act notices in April 2022, displacing an estimated 3,405 workers — signaling a deceleration from March and roughly flat versus April 2021. The average filing covered 65 workers, with 26 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 14 | 1,190 |
| Healthcare | 10 | 404 |
| Transportation | 2 | 294 |
| Information & Technology | 4 | 216 |
| Education | 1 | 131 |
| Retail | 1 | 67 |
| Government | 1 | 40 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 26 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,190 workers across 14 notices. Notably, Healthcare reported 404 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 22 | 1,295 |
| Orange | 5 | 459 |
| San Francisco | 2 | 377 |
| San Diego | 5 | 360 |
| Santa Clara | 4 | 285 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 38% of all affected workers with 1,295 workers across 22 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| South San Francisco | 1 | 337 |
| Oakland | 2 | 240 |
| Lancaster | 1 | 215 |
| Santa Ana | 2 | 204 |
| Orange | 1 | 189 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 26 | 1,826 |
| Closure | 26 | 1,579 |
Closures accounted for 46% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nektar Therapeutics | South San Francisco | 337 | Layoff | |
| Transdev Services | Lancaster | 215 | Layoff | |
| AB&I Foundry | Oakland | 193 | Closure | |
| Owning | Orange | 189 | Layoff | |
| Cast Parts, Inc. DBA CPP-Pomona | Valley Boulevard Pomona | 132 | Closure | |
| OptumRx | East San Diego | 132 | Closure | |
| Marymount California University | East Rancho Palos Verdes | 131 | Closure | |
| Hunter Douglas Fabrication | West Sacramento | 122 | Closure | |
| InterValley Health Plan | Pomona | 110 | Layoff | |
| Netflix | Santa Ana | 106 | Layoff | |
| Robinhood Markets | Menlo Park | 100 | Layoff | |
| Waste Management | Santa Clarita | 98 | Layoff | |
| Waste Management | Santa Ana | 98 | Layoff | |
| Pacifica Foods | Oceanside | 86 | Closure | |
| PayPal | San Jose | 83 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Nektar Therapeutics at its South San Francisco facility, reporting 337 affected workers. Transdev Services followed with 215 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by California. 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 California WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.