A warehouse and supply chain company and clothing company gave the Chicago collar counties the bulk of Illinois’ mass layoffs in December.
In December 2025, 683 Illinois workers lost their jobs in mass layoffs, with warehousing and clothing industries most impacted.
Chicago’s collar counties were hit the hardest, with 302 job losses making up nearly half of Illinois’ statewide layoffs for the month.
Most of the layoffs came from two companies. APL Logistics had 230 layoffs across two facilities in Minooka because of plant closures. Clothing company S&S Active accounted for 195 job losses in Bolingbrook. The layoffs are part of S&S’s planned consolidation of distribution centers following its 2024 acquisition of Alphabroder.
Other notable losses included Microplastics Inc., which laid off 86 workers in St. Charles amid an asset sale and possible company sale, and Ryder Integrated Logistics, with 59 layoffs in Saint Elmo.
These numbers come from the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires employers to notify the state about major layoffs. While the reports don’t capture every detail about Illinois’ job market, they offer a useful look at recent trends affecting workers in large companies.
Most of the December layoffs came from businesses shutting down completely. Out of 683 total layoffs, 560 were from closures, while 123 came from job cuts.
Many companies gave reasons for their layoffs:
- APL Logistics and 10 Roads Express both lost client contracts.
- Adare Pharmaceuticals merged operations.
- Microplastics Inc. was sold.
- Ryder pointed to a shift in customer needs.
- Everest Insurance cited reorganization.
The bigger picture comes with a warning: Illinois’ business climate is seen as less friendly than it used to be. The state dropped to 38th in a nationwide business tax climate ranking.
Illinois needs comprehensive reforms to improve its economic situation and reduce future layoffs, including ending excessive occupational licensing, expanding school choice, reducing the nation’s No. 1 property tax rate, lowering its third-highest corporate income taxes, and investing more in apprenticeship programs to help keep companies and jobs in Illinois.
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