California Layoffs — April 2024
Employers in California posted 268 WARN Act notices in April 2024, affecting an estimated 14,188 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to March and up 22% versus April 2023. The average filing covered 53 workers, with 95 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 85 | 5,857 |
| Retail | 43 | 2,111 |
| Information & Technology | 41 | 1,838 |
| Healthcare | 41 | 880 |
| Accommodation & Food | 10 | 848 |
| Professional Services | 10 | 730 |
| Transportation | 4 | 587 |
| Utilities | 6 | 316 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 5,857 workers across 85 notices. On a related front, Retail reported 2,111 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 58 | 2,735 |
| Alameda | 14 | 2,052 |
| Santa Clara | 43 | 2,001 |
| San Joaquin | 22 | 1,530 |
| San Diego | 23 | 1,185 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 19% of all affected workers with 2,735 workers across 58 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fremont | 23 | 2,633 |
| Santa Clara | 13 | 936 |
| San Francisco | 13 | 701 |
| Los Angeles | 18 | 674 |
| Palo Alto | 6 | 585 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 173 | 8,512 |
| Closure | 94 | 5,437 |
| Temporary Closure | 1 | 239 |
Closures accounted for 40% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla | Fremont | 1,452 | Layoff | |
| 99 Cents Only Stores | Commerce | 453 | Closure | |
| Genentech | South South San Francisco | 436 | Layoff | |
| Tesla | Fremont | 403 | Layoff | |
| Apple | Santa Clara | 371 | Layoff | |
| Full Steam Staffing | City of Industry | 323 | Layoff | |
| Tesla | Lathrop | 284 | Layoff | |
| Checkr | San Francisco | 260 | Layoff | |
| Javier's Newport Beach | Newport Beach | 239 | Temporary Closure | |
| Tesla | Palo Alto | 237 | Layoff | |
| J.B. Hunt Transport | Los Angeles | 231 | Closure | |
| Tesla | Fremont | 214 | Layoff | |
| Pacific Racing Association DBA Golden Gate Fields | Berkeley | 203 | Closure | |
| Stanislaus Surgical Hospital | Modesto | 191 | Closure | |
| Transdev Services | Los Angeles | 179 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Tesla at its Fremont facility, reporting 1,452 affected workers. 99 Cents Only Stores followed with 453 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the California 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 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.