Rhode Island Layoffs — March 2009
Employers in Rhode Island submitted 5 WARN Act notices in March 2009, putting at risk an estimated 333 workers. The average filing covered 67 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 279 |
| Utilities | 1 | 54 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 279 workers across 4 notices. Separately, Utilities reported 54 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | 2 | 173 |
| Providence | 3 | 160 |
Kent bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 52% of all affected workers with 173 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Woonsocket | 1 | 130 |
| Warwick | 1 | 119 |
| West Warwick | 1 | 54 |
| Lincoln | 2 | 30 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 303 |
| Layoff | 2 | 30 |
The high proportion of closures (91% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Rhode Island's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portola | Woonsocket | 130 | Closure | |
| Leviton Mfg | Warwick | 119 | Closure | |
| APC by Schneider Electric | West Warwick | 54 | Closure | |
| A.T. Cross | Lincoln | 16 | Layoff | |
| A.T. Cross | Lincoln | 14 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Portola at its Woonsocket facility, reporting 130 affected workers. Leviton Mfg followed with 119 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Rhode Island labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing 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.