California Layoffs — September 2024
Employers in California logged 86 WARN Act notices in September 2024, involving roughly 8,096 workers — climbing above August and up 3% versus September 2023. The average filing covered 94 workers, with 27 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 16 | 1,383 |
| Wholesale Trade | 4 | 1,104 |
| Retail | 4 | 856 |
| Transportation | 6 | 735 |
| Healthcare | 10 | 536 |
| Information & Technology | 8 | 395 |
| Education | 1 | 368 |
| Professional Services | 5 | 153 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 1,383 workers across 16 notices. Meanwhile, Wholesale Trade reported 1,104 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 8 | 976 |
| Kern | 2 | 913 |
| Los Angeles | 13 | 884 |
| San Bernardino | 10 | 742 |
| San Diego | 15 | 641 |
Santa Clara was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 12% of all affected workers with 976 workers across 8 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | 1 | 733 |
| Tasman Drive San Jose | 1 | 563 |
| Camarillo | 2 | 406 |
| Sacramento | 1 | 368 |
| Apple Valley | 1 | 349 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 56 | 4,937 |
| Closure | 25 | 2,498 |
| Temporary Layoff | 3 | 446 |
| Temporary Closure | 2 | 215 |
Closures accounted for 34% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream | Bakersfield | 733 | Layoff | |
| Monterey Mushrooms | 605 | Closure | ||
| Cisco Systems | Tasman Drive San Jose | 563 | Layoff | |
| Foundation for California Community Colleges | Sacramento | 368 | Layoff | |
| Big Lots | Apple Valley | 349 | Closure | |
| Commerce Distribution Center | 294 | Layoff | ||
| Save Mart Supermarkets LLC DBA Yosemite Wholesale Company | Vassar Avenue Merced | 254 | Closure | |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospitals | San Leandro | 249 | Closure | |
| Qualcomm | Santa Clara | 226 | Layoff | |
| Houweling Camarillo | Camarillo | 203 | Closure | |
| Houweling Camarillo | Camarillo | 203 | Closure | |
| Edwards Lifesciences | One Edwards Way Irvine | 192 | Layoff | |
| Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream | Tulare | 188 | Layoff | |
| Randstad Inhouse Services | Van Nuys | 180 | Temporary Layoff | |
| Stanislaus Surgical Hospital | Modesto | 164 | Temporary Layoff |
The biggest impact was at Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream at its Bakersfield facility, reporting 733 affected workers. Monterey Mushrooms followed with 605 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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.