California Layoffs — September 2025
Employers in California reported 109 WARN Act notices in September 2025, displacing an estimated 7,404 workers — signaling an acceleration from August and down 19% versus September 2024. The average filing covered 68 workers, with 25 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade | 6 | 1,572 |
| Manufacturing | 7 | 1,168 |
| Information & Technology | 7 | 663 |
| Professional Services | 18 | 658 |
| Healthcare | 27 | 629 |
| Education | 11 | 542 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 5 | 469 |
| Retail | 5 | 388 |
The Wholesale Trade sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,572 workers across 6 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 1,168 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 27 | 1,661 |
| Kern | 5 | 1,220 |
| Riverside | 8 | 1,063 |
| Santa Clara | 19 | 792 |
| Tulare | 4 | 596 |
Los Angeles was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 22% of all affected workers with 1,661 workers across 27 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | 4 | 1,170 |
| Los Angeles | 15 | 982 |
| Corona | 3 | 568 |
| San Francisco | 5 | 421 |
| Lake Forest | 1 | 393 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 37 | 2,277 |
| Closure | 25 | 1,610 |
Closures accounted for 22% 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 | 726 | Layoff | |
| Thermal Structures | Corona | 447 | Closure | |
| Jabil | Lake Forest | 393 | ||
| Salesforce | San Francisco | 262 | ||
| Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream's | Bakersfield | 214 | Closure | |
| Randstad Inhouse Services | Van Nuys | 214 | ||
| Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream | Bakersfield | 188 | ||
| Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream | E. Continental Tulare | 188 | Layoff | |
| Oracle | Redwood City | 187 | ||
| Six Flags Entertainment | Santa Clara | 184 | Layoff | |
| rPlanet Earth Los Angeles | Los Angeles | 178 | ||
| University of Southern California (Health Sciences Campus) | Los Angeles | 151 | Layoff | |
| Essendant | Whittier | 146 | ||
| City of Hope | Irwindale | 140 | ||
| City of Hope | Baldwin Park | 140 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream at its Bakersfield facility, reporting 726 affected workers. Thermal Structures followed with 447 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for California's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Wholesale Trade 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.