Companies like Google, Amazon and Chicago-based McDonald's have all recently announced layoffs, but in Illinois, there are certain requirements for companies planning to do so. It's all under the state's WARN Act.
Though the U.S. labor market remains strong, layoffs have been mounting, mainly in the technology sector, where many companies over-hired after a pandemic boom. IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Facebook parent Meta, Twitter and DoorDash have all announced layoffs in recent months.
Not all layoffs must be reported in Illinois, but in many cases, there are guidelines companies must follow -- and employees will want to know about them.
According to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, "under state law, employers must notify the state when they plan to lay off workers." That law is known as the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, also called the WARN Act.
The law was first passed in 1988 in an effort to "provide workers with sufficient time to prepare for the transition between the jobs they currently hold and new jobs."
Under the Illinois law, employers with 75 or more full-time employees are required to give workers 60 days advance notice for a plant closure or mass layoff, which is defined as:
A plant closure is defined as...
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