Iowa Layoffs — May 2025
Employers in Iowa reported 10 WARN Act notices in May 2025, displacing an estimated 548 workers — signaling a deceleration from April and up 39% versus May 2024. The average filing covered 55 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 6 | 289 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 127 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 70 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 62 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 289 workers across 6 notices. Notably, Finance & Insurance reported 127 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Winnebago | 2 | 158 |
| Story | 2 | 132 |
| Polk | 2 | 127 |
| Cerro Gordo | 2 | 93 |
| Floyd | 1 | 20 |
Winnebago absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 29% of all affected workers with 158 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Forest City | 1 | 128 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 103 |
| Mason City | 2 | 93 |
| Ames | 1 | 70 |
| Grimes | 1 | 62 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 6 | 369 |
| Closure | 3 | 155 |
Closures accounted for 28% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnebago Industries | Forest City | 128 | Layoff | |
| Fidelity & Guaranty Life Business Services | Des Moines | 103 | Layoff | |
| Chevron U.S.A | Ames | 70 | Layoff | |
| American Contract Systems | Grimes | 62 | Closure | |
| Forte Openings Solutions | Mason City | 47 | Closure | |
| Forte Openings Solutions | Mason City | 46 | Closure | |
| Winnebago Industries | Lake Mills | 30 | Layoff | |
| Wells Fargo | West Des Moines | 24 | ||
| Winnebago Industries | Charles City | 20 | Layoff | |
| Winnebago Industries | Waverly | 18 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Winnebago Industries at its Forest City facility, reporting 128 affected workers. Fidelity & Guaranty Life Business Services followed with 103 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for Iowa's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.