Iowa Layoffs — January 2025
Employers in Iowa reported 8 WARN Act notices in January 2025, displacing an estimated 580 workers — signaling an acceleration from December and up 567% versus January 2024. The average filing covered 72 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 501 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 28 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 23 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 501 workers across 5 notices. Notably, Information & Technology reported 28 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Poweshiek | 1 | 298 |
| Wapello | 1 | 75 |
| Polk | 2 | 56 |
| Iowa | 1 | 53 |
| Ida | 1 | 41 |
Poweshiek was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 51% of all affected workers with 298 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Grinnell | 1 | 298 |
| Ottumwa | 1 | 75 |
| Williamsburg | 1 | 53 |
| Galva | 1 | 41 |
| Clarinda | 1 | 34 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 362 |
| Layoff | 5 | 218 |
The high proportion of closures (62% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeld-Wen | Grinnell | 298 | Closure | |
| John Deere Ottumwa Works | Ottumwa | 75 | Layoff | |
| Kinze Manufacturing | Williamsburg | 53 | Layoff | |
| Quad County Corn Processors Cooperative | Galva | 41 | Closure | |
| NSK Americas | Clarinda | 34 | Layoff | |
| IES Communications | Altoona | 28 | Layoff | |
| Dotdash Meredith | Des Moines | 28 | Layoff | |
| SpartanNash | Glenwood | 23 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Jeld-Wen at its Grinnell facility, reporting 298 affected workers. John Deere Ottumwa Works followed with 75 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Iowa 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 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.