New York Layoffs — December 2009
Employers in New York reported 31 WARN Act notices in December 2009, displacing an estimated 2,780 workers — signaling a deceleration from November and down 53% versus December 2008. The average filing covered 90 workers, with 19 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 524 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 417 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 334 |
| Education | 1 | 114 |
| Transportation | 1 | 24 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 5 |
The Finance & Insurance sector topped the list of affected industries with 524 workers across 1 notice. Notably, Information & Technology reported 417 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Suffolk | 2 | 608 |
| Chautauqua | 1 | 452 |
| Niagara | 1 | 417 |
| Erie | 1 | 319 |
| Rockland | 2 | 295 |
Suffolk bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 22% of all affected workers with 608 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Melville | 2 | 531 |
| Lakewood | 1 | 452 |
| Niagara Falls | 1 | 417 |
| Williamsville | 1 | 319 |
| Pearl River | 2 | 295 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 19 | 1,586 |
| Layoff | 11 | 742 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 452 |
The high proportion of closures (57% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in New York's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal Mortgage Bankers d/b/a/ Lend America | Melville | 524 | Closure | |
| Cummins | Lakewood | 452 | Temporary Layoff | |
| The Niagara SDC operated by TeleTech Holdings | Niagara Falls | 417 | Closure | |
| American Steamship | Williamsville | 319 | Layoff | |
| Pfizer Inc. (formerly Wyeth Pharmaceuticals) | Pearl River | 200 | Layoff | |
| The Journal News | White Plains | 166 | Closure | |
| McQuade Children's Services (School, Res Cntr, Com based Service cntr) | New Windsor | 114 | Closure | |
| Pfizer Inc. (formerly Wyeth Pharmaceuticals) | Pearl River | 95 | Layoff | |
| Forest Laboratories | Commack | 84 | Closure | |
| Artie's Delicatessen | New York | 72 | Closure | |
| The Princeton Review | New York | 35 | Closure | |
| Black River Generating Facility | Fort Drum | 33 | Closure | |
| Eastman Kodak Company (Eastman Park) | Rochester | 32 | Layoff | |
| Eastman Kodak Company (Eastman Park) | Rochester | 32 | Layoff | |
| McQuade Children's Services (Group Home) | Newburgh | 26 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Ideal Mortgage Bankers d/b/a/ Lend America at its Melville facility, reporting 524 affected workers. Cummins followed with 452 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The numbers illustrate a easing in workforce disruptions across New York, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Finance & Insurance sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by New York. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all New York WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.