New York Layoffs — December 2008
Employers in New York reported 44 WARN Act notices in December 2008, displacing an estimated 5,868 workers — signaling an acceleration from November and up 145% versus December 2007. The average filing covered 133 workers, with 27 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 1,304 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 503 |
| Utilities | 2 | 203 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 199 |
| Transportation | 2 | 78 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 66 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 55 |
| Education | 1 | 41 |
The Finance & Insurance sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,304 workers across 4 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 503 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 12 | 3,212 |
| Erie | 4 | 738 |
| Suffolk | 3 | 300 |
| Queens | 2 | 257 |
| Dutchess | 3 | 190 |
New York saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 55% of all affected workers with 3,212 workers across 12 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 12 | 3,212 |
| West Seneca | 1 | 338 |
| Blasdell | 1 | 313 |
| Hauppauge | 1 | 199 |
| Glenville | 1 | 175 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 17 | 3,300 |
| Closure | 27 | 2,568 |
Closures accounted for 44% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citigroup Inc. and its NY Subsidiaries | New York | 1,004 | Layoff | |
| Credit Suisse Securities (USA) | New York | 759 | Layoff | |
| JPMorgan Chase | New York | 500 | Layoff | |
| Roadway Express (Parent co. YRC Worldwide) | West Seneca | 338 | Closure | |
| ArcelorMittal USA | Blasdell | 313 | Closure | |
| Thacher Proffitt & Wood | New York | 243 | Closure | |
| Goldman, Sachs & | New York | 200 | Layoff | |
| Antares Information Technologies | Hauppauge | 199 | Closure | |
| Super Steel Schenectady | Glenville | 175 | Closure | |
| Shine Electronics | Long Island City | 157 | Layoff | |
| Manpower Inc. (IBM) | Poughkeepsie | 135 | Layoff | |
| VOOM HD a subsidiary of Rainbow HD Holdings | New York | 134 | Closure | |
| DHL Express (USA) | Inwood | 120 | Closure | |
| DHL Express (USA) | Jamaica | 100 | Layoff | |
| Proctor and Gamble Pharmaceuticals | Norwich | 94 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Citigroup Inc. and its NY Subsidiaries at its New York facility, reporting 1,004 affected workers. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) followed with 759 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the New York labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Finance & Insurance 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.