Rhode Island Layoffs — October 2011
Employers in Rhode Island logged 2 WARN Act notices in October 2011, involving roughly 126 workers — climbing above September and up 10% versus October 2010. The average filing covered 63 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 110 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 16 |
The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 110 workers across 1 notice. Meanwhile, Professional Services reported 16 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 1 | 110 |
| Newport | 1 | 16 |
Washington bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 87% of all affected workers with 110 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| North Kingstown | 1 | 110 |
| Newport | 1 | 16 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 126 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Rhode Island's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowe’s Home Center | North Kingstown | 110 | Closure | |
| Wsi | Newport | 16 | Closure |
The biggest impact was at Lowe’s Home Center at its North Kingstown facility, reporting 110 affected workers. Wsi followed with 16 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the Rhode Island labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Rhode Island. 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 Rhode Island WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.