New York Layoffs — October 2018
Employers in New York reported 53 WARN Act notices in October 2018, displacing an estimated 3,746 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and up 101% versus October 2017. The average filing covered 71 workers, with 43 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 11 | 819 |
| Healthcare | 12 | 632 |
| Wholesale Trade | 10 | 624 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 80 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 53 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 47 |
| Transportation | 1 | 24 |
| Education | 1 | 4 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 819 workers across 11 notices. Notably, Healthcare reported 632 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 11 | 1,306 |
| Queens | 8 | 415 |
| Nassau | 4 | 370 |
| Suffolk | 3 | 295 |
| Bronx | 4 | 229 |
New York bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 35% of all affected workers with 1,306 workers across 11 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 8 | 1,159 |
| Brooklyn | 5 | 230 |
| Bronx | 4 | 229 |
| Commack | 1 | 182 |
| West Hempstead | 1 | 140 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 43 | 3,474 |
| Layoff | 10 | 272 |
The high proportion of closures (93% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in New York's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
The most significant filing came from Lord and Taylor at its New York facility, reporting 853 affected workers. Target Corporation (Commack Store T1387) followed with 182 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the New York 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 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.