Rhode Island Layoffs — September 2018

Employers in Rhode Island recorded 3 WARN Act notices in September 2018, covering approximately 381 workers — marking a sharp increase from August and up 81% versus September 2017. The average filing covered 127 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.

Industry Breakdown

Industry	Notices	Workers
Transportation	2	298
Construction	1	83

The Transportation sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 298 workers across 2 notices. At the same time, Construction reported 83 workers.

Geographic Hotspots

County	Notices	Workers
Washington	3	381

Washington bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 100% of all affected workers with 381 workers across 3 notices.

City	Notices	Workers
North Kingstown	2	298
Westerly	1	83

Layoff Type Analysis

Type	Notices	Workers
Closure	2	232

The high proportion of closures (61% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Rhode Island's labor market.

Largest Layoffs

Company	City	Workers	Type	Date
Pinnacle Logistics	North Kingstown	149	Closure	2018-09-19
Pinnacle Logistics	North Kingstown	149		2018-09-19
United Builders Supply Co., Inc	Westerly	83	Closure	2018-09-20

Leading the list was Pinnacle Logistics at its North Kingstown facility, reporting 149 affected workers. Pinnacle Logistics followed with 149 workers.

Trend & Outlook

After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.

The filings reflect mounting pressure on the Rhode Island labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation 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.