Employers in New York submitted 71 WARN Act notices in January 2020, putting at risk an estimated 5,720 workers — up substantially from December and up 59% versus January 2019. The average filing covered 81 workers, with 42 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 25 | 3,051 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 778 |
| Other | 29 | 462 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 196 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 98 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 89 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 54 |
| Real Estate | 2 | 54 |
The Retail sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 3,051 workers across 25 notices. Separately, Information & Technology reported 778 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 26 | 3,048 |
| Nassau | 9 | 864 |
| Bronx | 6 | 443 |
| Kings | 4 | 284 |
| Suffolk | 2 | 236 |
New York felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 53% of all affected workers with 3,048 workers across 26 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 26 | 3,048 |
| Bronx | 6 | 443 |
| Brooklyn | 4 | 284 |
| Westbury | 2 | 255 |
| Valley Stream | 2 | 252 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 29 | 3,872 |
| Closure | 42 | 1,848 |
Closures accounted for 32% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ViacomCBS Inc. (and its subsidiaries) | New York | 708 | Layoff | 2020-01-15 |
| ViacomCBS Inc. (and its subsidiaries) | New York | 669 | Layoff | 2020-01-15 |
| Fairway Group Holdings Corp. (Production & Distribution Center) | Bronx | 378 | Layoff | 2020-01-24 |
| Fairway Group Holdings Corp. (Upper West Side) | New York | 337 | Layoff | 2020-01-24 |
| Fairway Group Holdings Corp. (Upper East Side) | New York | 277 | Layoff | 2020-01-24 |
| Fairway Group Holdings Corp. (Harlem) | New York | 160 | Layoff | 2020-01-24 |
| Macy's Broadway Mall Store (Macy's Retail Holdings, Inc.) | Hicksville | 155 | Closure | 2020-01-06 |
| Fairway Group Holdings Corp. (Pelham Manor) | Pelham Manor | 154 | Layoff | 2020-01-24 |
| Fairway Group Holdings Corp. (Kips Bay) | New York | 152 | Layoff | 2020-01-24 |
| Siemens Government Technologies, Inc. (formerly Dresser Rand) | Wellsville | 149 | Closure | 2020-01-24 |
| Fairway Group Holdings Corp. (Douglaston) | Douglaston | 143 | Layoff | 2020-01-24 |
| Fairway Group Holdings Corp. (Westbury) | Westbury | 129 | Closure | 2020-01-24 |
| Macy's Commack Shopping Center Store (Macy's Retail Holdings, Inc.) | Commack | 127 | Closure | 2020-01-06 |
| Fairway Group Holdings Corp. (Georgetown) | Brooklyn | 127 | Layoff | 2020-01-24 |
| J. C. Penney Corporation, Inc. (Store #1738) | Valley Stream | 126 | Closure | 2020-01-16 |
Topping the list was ViacomCBS Inc. (and its subsidiaries) at its New York facility, reporting 708 affected workers. ViacomCBS Inc. (and its subsidiaries) followed with 669 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight 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.
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