Illinois Layoffs — May 2023
Employers in Illinois recorded 10 WARN Act notices in May 2023, covering approximately 1,698 workers — marking a sharp increase from April and up 48% versus May 2022. The average filing covered 170 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 603 |
| Transportation | 1 | 434 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 358 |
| Wholesale Trade | 2 | 250 |
| Education | 1 | 53 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 603 workers across 4 notices. At the same time, Transportation reported 434 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 7 | 782 |
| Will | 1 | 434 |
| Lake | 1 | 431 |
| DuPage | 1 | 51 |
Cook bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 46% of all affected workers with 782 workers across 7 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 5 | 635 |
| Elwood | 1 | 434 |
| Deerfield | 1 | 431 |
| Arlington Heights | 1 | 74 |
| Elk Grove Village | 1 | 73 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 1,146 |
| Layoff | 3 | 552 |
The high proportion of closures (67% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Illinois's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parsec | Elwood | 434 | Closure | |
| Walgreens | Deerfield | 431 | Layoff | |
| Enlivant ES | Chicago | 284 | Closure | |
| Tyson Foods | Chicago | 177 | Closure | |
| ProMedica Health System | Arlington Heights | 74 | Closure | |
| Pitney Bowes | Elk Grove Village | 73 | Closure | |
| Walgreens | Chicago | 73 | Layoff | |
| The Hope Learning Academy Chicago | Chicago | 53 | Closure | |
| Tyson Foods | Downers Grove | 51 | Closure | |
| WestRock Company DBA Chicago Paper Tube | Chicago | 48 | Layoff |
Leading the list was Parsec at its Elwood facility, reporting 434 affected workers. Walgreens followed with 431 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect 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.