New York Layoffs — May 2009
Employers in New York posted 62 WARN Act notices in May 2009, affecting an estimated 5,553 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to April and up 187% versus May 2008. The average filing covered 90 workers, with 40 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 4 | 1,414 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 300 |
| Retail | 3 | 87 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 50 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 36 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 35 |
| Education | 2 | 27 |
The Transportation sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,414 workers across 4 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 300 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 17 | 2,124 |
| Broome | 15 | 930 |
| Onondaga | 1 | 693 |
| Queens | 3 | 383 |
| Erie | 5 | 257 |
New York was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 38% of all affected workers with 2,124 workers across 17 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 17 | 2,124 |
| Syracuse | 1 | 693 |
| Binghamton | 7 | 551 |
| Long Island City | 2 | 323 |
| Massena | 1 | 170 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 40 | 3,430 |
| Layoff | 21 | 1,953 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 170 |
The high proportion of closures (62% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in New York's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTA New York City Transit (TA) (and subsidiary, the Manhattan & Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority) | New York | 1,194 | Layoff | |
| Crucible Materials | Syracuse | 693 | Closure | |
| National Envelope | Long Island City | 230 | Closure | |
| Alamo Rent a Car & National Car Rental (Vanguard Care Rental USA, Inc.--distribution shuttlers) | New York | 171 | Layoff | |
| Alcoa Primary Metals - Massena East Plant | Massena | 170 | Temporary Layoff | |
| Aramark Food & Support Services | New York | 156 | Closure | |
| Binghamton Giant Market | Binghamton | 144 | Closure | |
| Filene's Basement | New York | 131 | Closure | |
| Binghamton Giant Market | Binghamton | 125 | Closure | |
| Mannix Exterior Wall Systems | Brentwood | 121 | Closure | |
| Lockheed Martin | Owego | 112 | Layoff | |
| Aircraft Parts | Holtsville | 110 | Closure | |
| Binghamton Giant Market | Endwell | 107 | Closure | |
| CDG Management, L.L.C | Troy | 95 | Closure | |
| Filene's Basement | New York | 94 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by MTA New York City Transit (TA) (and subsidiary, the Manhattan & Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority) at its New York facility, reporting 1,194 affected workers. Crucible Materials followed with 693 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 Transportation 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.