Major Employer in Iowa Announces Massive Layoffs

It seems every day we're hearing about businesses closing and more layoffs in Iowa and the U.S.

This news is certainly jarring, as a major company has announced it will cut 20,000 jobs by the end of this year.

The reason for the cuts does make sense, but is still frustrating for employees who now face losing their jobs.

Major Employer Cutting Thousands of Jobs

With a huge worldwide workforce and stores across the U.S., it may surprise you to hear that UPS is cutting 20,000 jobs by the end of the year.

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The reason does make sense, the Wall Street Journal reports UPS and Amazon have split. Amazon is UPS' biggest customer, and as you might imagine, has kept the shipping company very busy.

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While UPS won't entirely stop shipping for Amazon, they are reducing the number of Amazon shipments it'll handle by more than 50%, starting during the second half of 2026.

While it may be hard to believe, UPS and Amazon have partnered for almost 30 years.

While a 20,000-employee reduction in the workforce is looming, the company employs about 490,000 workers globally.

What These Layoffs Mean for Iowa

At this point, it's hard to know what, if any, direct impact the layoffs will have on Iowans. UPS did confirm they'll also shut down 70 of its facilities as well as it scale back.

There isn't confirmation yet from the company on exactly when they will announce which facilities will close, or who will lose their jobs. They're still reviewing their network, and could close more if needed.

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