Illinois Layoffs — February 2026
Employers in Illinois submitted 16 WARN Act notices in February 2026, putting at risk an estimated 4,409 workers — up substantially from January and up 97% versus February 2025. The average filing covered 276 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 3 | 1,930 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 1,485 |
| Retail | 3 | 649 |
| Government | 3 | 140 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 119 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 86 |
The Healthcare sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,930 workers across 3 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 1,485 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cook | 8 | 2,271 |
| Mchenry | 2 | 778 |
| DuPage | 2 | 468 |
Cook was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 52% of all affected workers with 2,271 workers across 8 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Olympia Fields | 2 | 1,601 |
| McHenry | 2 | 778 |
| Deerfield | 1 | 416 |
| Chicago Heights | 1 | 329 |
| Chicago | 4 | 307 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in Illinois this month.
Largest Layoffs
Topping the list was Franciscan Health Olympia Fields at its Olympia Fields facility, reporting 1,535 affected workers. Champion Laboratories followed with 642 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Illinois labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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.