Illinois Layoffs — January 2026
Employers in Illinois filed 15 WARN Act notices in January 2026, impacting roughly 1,827 workers — representing a notable rise over December and down 22% versus January 2025. The average filing covered 122 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 9 | 1,353 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 253 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 109 |
| Transportation | 2 | 64 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 48 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,353 workers across 9 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 253 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Madison | 1 | 253 |
| Cook | 2 | 206 |
| DuPage | 1 | 109 |
| Will | 2 | 64 |
Madison absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 14% of all affected workers with 253 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cut St Alton | 1 | 253 |
| Schaumburg | 2 | 243 |
| Maywood | 1 | 72 |
| Romeoville | 1 | 32 |
| West Normantown Rd Romeoville | 1 | 32 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 104 |
Closures accounted for 6% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alton Steel | Cut St Alton | 253 | ||
| Amazonfresh | 220 | |||
| Amazonfresh | 179 | |||
| Amazonfresh | 173 | |||
| Amazonfresh | 170 | |||
| Amazonfresh | 155 | |||
| Amazonfresh | Schaumburg | 134 | ||
| Amazonfresh | 132 | |||
| Amazonfresh | 118 | |||
| T-Mobile USA | Schaumburg | 109 | ||
| Kroger Delivery | Maywood | 72 | Closure | |
| Founders Insurance | 43 | |||
| GXO Logistics Supply Chain | Romeoville | 32 | Closure | |
| GXO Logistics Supply Chain | West Normantown Rd Romeoville | 32 | ||
| Sumitomo Mitsui Banking | 5 |
The single largest action involved Alton Steel at its Cut St Alton facility, reporting 253 affected workers. Amazonfresh followed with 220 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Illinois's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Illinois. 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 Illinois WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.