New York Layoffs — October 2019
Employers in New York reported 52 WARN Act notices in October 2019, displacing an estimated 5,060 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and up 35% versus October 2018. The average filing covered 97 workers, with 31 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 5 | 730 |
| Accommodation & Food | 6 | 558 |
| Transportation | 1 | 303 |
| Education | 2 | 193 |
| Retail | 3 | 130 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 126 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 41 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 39 |
The Healthcare sector topped the list of affected industries with 730 workers across 5 notices. Notably, Accommodation & Food reported 558 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 21 | 2,685 |
| Kings | 2 | 428 |
| Erie | 4 | 369 |
| Steuben | 1 | 352 |
| Queens | 5 | 329 |
New York was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 53% of all affected workers with 2,685 workers across 21 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 21 | 2,685 |
| Brooklyn | 2 | 428 |
| Hornell | 1 | 352 |
| West Seneca | 1 | 270 |
| Lake Success | 1 | 136 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 31 | 4,110 |
| Layoff | 21 | 950 |
The high proportion of closures (81% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in New York's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barneys New York (Madison Avenue) | New York | 589 | Closure | |
| Isabella Visiting Care | New York | 569 | Closure | |
| ER Select LLC (at St. James Mercy Hospital) | Hornell | 352 | Layoff | |
| RAROC, Inc. a subsidiary of Patina Restaurant Group, LLC (Rockefeller Plaza - NYC) | New York | 328 | Closure | |
| Premier Paratransit | Brooklyn | 303 | Closure | |
| J & M Distributing Co., Inc. (Certo Brothers Distributing) | West Seneca | 270 | Closure | |
| Port Morris Tile & Marble | New York | 189 | Closure | |
| Barneys New York (5th Avenue) | New York | 165 | Closure | |
| IPRO Headquarters | Lake Success | 136 | Layoff | |
| Somos Healthcare Providers | New York | 131 | Closure | |
| Queens Medical Associates, P.C | Fresh Meadows | 130 | Closure | |
| iPic Entertainment | Dobbs Ferry | 126 | Closure | |
| BINS Holdings, LLC fka BASIS Independent Schools, LLC (Brooklyn) | Brooklyn | 125 | Closure | |
| Barneys New York (7th Avenue) | New York | 122 | Closure | |
| PRWT Services | Staten Island | 117 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Barneys New York (Madison Avenue) at its New York facility, reporting 589 affected workers. Isabella Visiting Care followed with 569 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the New York labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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.