Illinois Layoffs — May 2022
Employers in Illinois filed 8 WARN Act notices in May 2022, impacting roughly 1,149 workers — representing a notable rise over April and up 18% versus May 2021. The average filing covered 144 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 734 |
| Retail | 2 | 250 |
| Utilities | 2 | 165 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 734 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 250 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 4 | 615 |
| McHenry | 1 | 247 |
| Kane | 1 | 122 |
| Massac | 1 | 96 |
| Peoria | 1 | 69 |
Cook bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 54% of all affected workers with 615 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 1 | 307 |
| Chicago | 2 | 274 |
| Harvard | 1 | 247 |
| Elgin | 1 | 122 |
| Joppa | 1 | 96 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 780 |
| Layoff | 2 | 369 |
The high proportion of closures (68% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Illinois's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preferred Meals Systems | Berkeley | 307 | Closure | |
| NDSM Chemung | Harvard | 247 | Layoff | |
| Home Products International-North America | Chicago | 146 | Closure | |
| Whole Foods Market | Chicago | 128 | Closure | |
| iHerb | Elgin | 122 | Layoff | |
| Vistra Corp./Electric Energy, Inc. DBA Joppa Power Plant | Joppa | 96 | Closure | |
| Vistra Corp./IL Power Resources Generating, LLC DBA Edwards Power Plant | Baronville | 69 | Closure | |
| OPW Fuel Management Systems | Hodgkins | 34 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Preferred Meals Systems at its Berkeley facility, reporting 307 affected workers. NDSM Chemung followed with 247 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Illinois 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 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.