New York Layoffs — September 2008
Employers in New York posted 11 WARN Act notices in September 2008, affecting an estimated 2,232 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to August and up 122% versus September 2007. The average filing covered 203 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 202 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 51 |
The Accommodation & Food sector saw the heaviest impact with 202 workers across 1 notice. On a related front, Finance & Insurance reported 51 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 3 | 764 |
| Onondaga | 2 | 351 |
| Columbia | 1 | 337 |
| Queens | 2 | 299 |
| Broome | 1 | 220 |
New York absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 34% of all affected workers with 764 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 3 | 764 |
| Hudson | 1 | 337 |
| Skaneateles Falls | 1 | 300 |
| Jamaica | 2 | 299 |
| Endicott | 1 | 220 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 1,731 |
| Layoff | 4 | 501 |
The high proportion of closures (78% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in New York's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amalgamated Life | New York | 466 | Closure | |
| Kaz | Hudson | 337 | Closure | |
| Honeywell International/Scanning and Mobility | Skaneateles Falls | 300 | Layoff | |
| Shop Vac | Endicott | 220 | Closure | |
| U.S. Web | Huntington | 208 | Closure | |
| Ramada Plaza Hotel JFK | Jamaica | 202 | Closure | |
| Evelyn Hill | New York | 150 | Closure | |
| Heller Ehrman | New York | 148 | Closure | |
| Swissport Cargo Services | Jamaica | 97 | Layoff | |
| Oswego Wire | Oswego | 53 | Layoff | |
| Liberty Mutual | Syracuse | 51 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Amalgamated Life at its New York facility, reporting 466 affected workers. Kaz followed with 337 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the New York labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Accommodation & Food 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.