Iowa Layoffs — March 2025
Employers in Iowa filed 17 WARN Act notices in March 2025, impacting roughly 577 workers — representing a notable rise over February and down 68% versus March 2024. The average filing covered 34 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 1 | 168 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 160 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 130 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 67 |
| Healthcare | 12 | 52 |
The Information & Technology sector led the way in workforce reductions with 168 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 160 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 9 | 269 |
| Linn | 1 | 160 |
| Winneshiek | 1 | 130 |
| Woodbury | 4 | 14 |
| Black Hawk | 2 | 4 |
Polk saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 47% of all affected workers with 269 workers across 9 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Urbandale | 1 | 168 |
| Cedar Rapids | 1 | 160 |
| Decorah | 1 | 130 |
| West Des Moines | 2 | 67 |
| Des Moines | 6 | 34 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 298 |
| Layoff | 14 | 245 |
The high proportion of closures (52% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Iowa's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitney Bowes | Urbandale | 168 | Closure | |
| Collins Aerospace | Cedar Rapids | 160 | Layoff | |
| Sodexo | Decorah | 130 | Closure | |
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 34 | ||
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 33 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services of Iowa | Des Moines | 10 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services in Iowa | Des Moines | 10 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services of Iowa | Des Moines | 6 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services in Iowa | Des Moines | 6 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services of Iowa | Sioux City | 4 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services in Iowa | Sioux City | 4 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services of Iowa | Sioux City | 3 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services in Iowa | Sioux City | 3 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services of Iowa | Waterloo | 2 | Layoff | |
| Lutheran Services in Iowa | Waterloo | 2 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Pitney Bowes at its Urbandale facility, reporting 168 affected workers. Collins Aerospace followed with 160 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 Information & Technology 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.