Illinois Reports 1,192 Mass Layoffs in November 2025 Across Key Sectors

Illinois experienced 1,192 mass layoffs in November 2025, with significant job losses announced by companies such as Norvax LLC and CVS Health/Oak Street Health MSO LLC. Norvax alone cut 487 positions, while CVS Health/Oak Street Health reduced its workforce by 219 as part of efforts to streamline operations and lower costs. Printback, a producer of flexible packaging materials, announced the closure of its Elgin facility, resulting in 111 layoffs due to persistent operational challenges. The sectors most affected by these layoffs included insurance agencies and brokerages, which saw 487 workers lose their jobs, followed by office administrative services with 301 layoffs. Other impacted areas included paper bag and coated paper manufacturing, health care (specifically general medical and surgical hospitals), and furniture merchant wholesalers. Chicago accounted for the highest concentration of layoffs, with 714 job cuts, followed by the surrounding collar counties and northern Illinois. These figures are based on reports filed under the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, providing insights into major workforce changes in the state. Of the total layoffs, 552 were due to company closures, while 487 represented layoffs without full closures. Factors behind these layoffs range from financial difficulties to organizational restructuring and contract terminations. The recent wave of layoffs highlights broader challenges in Illinois' business environment, which has declined in national rankings to 38th in business tax climate. Policy analysts suggest that comprehensive reforms, including easing occupational licensing, reducing the state's high property and corporate income tax rates, expanding school choice, and investing in apprenticeship programs, could support job retention and economic stability. Overall, the data signals the need for strategic economic policy adjustments to improve Illinois' competitiveness and reduce future layoffs, aiming to stabilize and grow the state's workforce amid operational and financial pressures faced by key industries.