More than 20 large companies in Fresno County have reported laying off over 2,200 local employees after COVID-19 restrictions were put in place in mid-March.

The local job losses are helping to fuel record-setting unemployment claims across California. More than 2.7 million jobless claims were filed across the state over the past four weeks, California’s Employment Development Department reported.

Top Job Losses at Distribution Center, Card Rooms

The Fresno County snapshot comes from a list of layoff notifications that larger companies are required to file with the state. The list specifies the number of employees terminated by each business, which include retailers, card rooms, a hotel, a major food processing company, and others.

Broder Bros., an apparel distribution center in Fresno tops the list with 253 employee layoffs. They’re followed by two card rooms — the 500 Club in Clovis (241 jobs lost) and Fresno’s downtown Club One Casino (223 jobs lost).

The Cheesecake Factory at Fashion Fair tops the restaurant sector (196 jobs lost), followed by Westwoods BBQ in northeast Fresno (140 jobs lost).

Other employers with a large number of layoffs workers include Fresno State’s Auxiliary corporation (85 jobs lost) and River Park retailer H&M clothing (75 jobs lost).

Some Businesses Make Permanent Cuts

While most of the local businesses listed their layoffs as temporary, a handful said the jobs they cut would not be coming back.

Among them was Fresno-based food processor Lyons Magnus, which reported 63 permanent layoffs, effective April 10. In Selma, heavy equipment company Xtreme Manufacturing said it permanently eliminated 75 jobs on April 14 and the franchise owner of IHOP restaurants in Fresno reported 103 permanent job cuts were effective on April 17.

The listed job losses reveal just a part of the current unemployment picture in Fresno and across the state. Only companies with 75 or more full- or part-time employees are required to report layoffs under the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification law.

Nearly $1 Trillion in Unemployment Benefits Paid in California

In March, as the COVID-19 crisis began, the unemployment rate in Fresno County rose to 10.8%. That’s up from 8.5% in February and the area’s 12-month low of 5.6% unemployment in September 2019. California’s statewide unemployment rate in March was 5.3%.

Since March 15, California has paid out close to $1 trillion in unemployment benefits, largely due to the coronavirus surge, the EDD said

Fresno County WARN List Companies and Jobs Lost

This list reflects WARN notifications on or after March 17.

(This story has been updated to correct the location of Broder Bros in Fresno. The original post stated the company’s facility is in Clovis.)