Rhode Island Layoffs — May 2021

Employers in Rhode Island filed 6 WARN Act notices in May 2021, impacting roughly 664 workers and down 65% versus May 2020. The average filing covered 111 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.

Industry Breakdown

Industry	Notices	Workers
Accommodation & Food	2	80

The Accommodation & Food sector led the way in workforce reductions with 80 workers across 2 notices.

Geographic Hotspots

County	Notices	Workers
Providence	2	558
Newport	2	80

Providence absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 84% of all affected workers with 558 workers across 2 notices.

City	Notices	Workers
Smithfield	1	464
Pawtucket	1	94
Newport	2	80
Rhode Island	2	26

Layoff Type Analysis

Type	Notices	Workers
Closure	1	94
Layoff	2	53

Closures accounted for 14% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.

Largest Layoffs

Company	City	Workers	Type	Date
Honeywell	Smithfield	464		2021-05-26
Angelica	Pawtucket	94	Closure	2021-05-18
Hotel Viking	Newport	40	Layoff	2021-05-26
Hotel Viking	Newport	40		2021-05-26
Santander	Rhode Island	13	Layoff	2021-05-18
Santander Group	Rhode Island	13		2021-05-18

The single largest action involved Honeywell at its Smithfield facility, reporting 464 affected workers. Angelica followed with 94 workers.

Trend & Outlook

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

The data underscores a mixed picture for Rhode Island's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Accommodation & Food 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.