New York Layoffs — December 2016
Employers in New York filed 27 WARN Act notices in December 2016, impacting roughly 1,723 workers — representing a pullback from November and down 3% versus December 2015. The average filing covered 64 workers, with 23 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 4 | 477 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 4 | 238 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 80 |
| Transportation | 1 | 41 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 15 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 10 |
| Utilities | 1 | 8 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 477 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Arts & Entertainment reported 238 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 10 | 519 |
| Queens | 4 | 381 |
| Erie | 5 | 375 |
| Suffolk | 2 | 211 |
| Orange | 2 | 104 |
New York bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 30% of all affected workers with 519 workers across 10 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 10 | 519 |
| Rego Park | 1 | 200 |
| Bay Shore | 1 | 141 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 122 |
| Buffalo | 2 | 114 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 23 | 1,599 |
| Layoff | 4 | 124 |
The high proportion of closures (93% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in New York's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sears, Roebuck and Co. (Store# 1544) | Rego Park | 200 | Closure | |
| Prestige Industries | Bay Shore | 141 | Closure | |
| HMS Host | Jamaica | 122 | Closure | |
| Sears, Roebuck and Co. (Store# 1162 & 2621) | Amherst | 105 | Closure | |
| Sears, Roebuck and Co. (Store# 1323 & 6324) | Middletown | 96 | Closure | |
| Club Ventures Investments LLC, d/b/a David Barton Gyms | New York | 95 | Closure | |
| PHH Mortgage | Williamsville | 80 | Closure | |
| Sears, Roebuck and Co. (Store# 6236 & 2134) | Cheektowaga | 76 | Closure | |
| GTA Americas, LLC (Operations and Finance depts) | New York | 70 | Closure | |
| Kleer Fax | Amityville | 70 | Closure | |
| Club Ventures Investments LLC, d/b/a David Barton Gyms | New York | 61 | Closure | |
| The Resource Center | Buffalo | 57 | Closure | |
| The Resources Center | Buffalo | 57 | Closure | |
| Gracious Home (1201 Third Avenue) | New York | 57 | Layoff | |
| B.R. Guest Holdings | New York | 54 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Sears, Roebuck and Co. (Store# 1544) at its Rego Park facility, reporting 200 affected workers. Prestige Industries followed with 141 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a easing in workforce disruptions across New York, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Retail 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.