Iowa Layoffs — May 2023
Employers in Iowa filed 21 WARN Act notices in May 2023, impacting roughly 537 workers — representing a notable rise over April and down 14% versus May 2022. The average filing covered 26 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Services | 1 | 106 |
| Healthcare | 10 | 89 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 85 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 67 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 63 |
| Education | 3 | 35 |
The Professional Services sector led the way in workforce reductions with 106 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Healthcare reported 89 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson | 1 | 106 |
| Woodbury | 1 | 92 |
| Polk | 3 | 92 |
| Tama | 1 | 85 |
| Linn | 2 | 38 |
Johnson absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 20% of all affected workers with 106 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa City | 1 | 106 |
| Sioux City | 1 | 92 |
| Tama | 1 | 85 |
| West Des Moines | 2 | 54 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 38 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 15 | 316 |
| Closure | 2 | 177 |
Closures accounted for 33% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Act | Iowa City | 106 | Layoff | |
| Global Foods Processing | Sioux City | 92 | Closure | |
| Graphic Packaging International | Tama | 85 | Closure | |
| Global Atlantic Financial | Des Moines | 38 | Layoff | |
| Pearson | Cedar Rapids | 37 | Layoff | |
| Sorenson Communications | West Des Moines | 29 | ||
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 25 | Layoff | |
| Upper Iowa University | Fayette | 21 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Service in Iowa | Davenport | 20 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Service in Iowa | Burlington | 19 | Layoff | |
| Upper Iowa University | Fayette | 13 | ||
| Lutheran Service in Iowa | Dubuque | 10 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services in Iowa | Dubuque | 10 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Service in Iowa | Muscatine | 7 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services in Iowa | Muscatine | 7 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Act at its Iowa City facility, reporting 106 affected workers. Global Foods Processing followed with 92 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Professional Services 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.