New York Layoffs — January 2020
Employers in New York logged 70 WARN Act notices in January 2020, involving roughly 5,926 workers — climbing above December and up 70% versus January 2019. The average filing covered 85 workers, with 42 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 26 | 2,719 |
| Information & Technology | 6 | 1,918 |
| Transportation | 1 | 378 |
| Healthcare | 20 | 314 |
| Professional Services | 5 | 244 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 98 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 54 |
| Real Estate | 2 | 54 |
The Retail sector dominated layoff filings with 2,719 workers across 26 notices. Meanwhile, Information & Technology reported 1,918 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 26 | 3,048 |
| Bronx | 7 | 794 |
| Nassau | 8 | 738 |
| Kings | 4 | 284 |
| Suffolk | 2 | 236 |
New York was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 51% of all affected workers with 3,048 workers across 26 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 26 | 3,048 |
| Bronx | 7 | 794 |
| Brooklyn | 4 | 284 |
| Westbury | 2 | 255 |
| Hicksville | 2 | 188 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 28 | 3,853 |
| Closure | 42 | 2,073 |
Closures accounted for 35% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
The biggest impact was at ViacomCBS Inc. (and its subsidiaries) at its New York facility, reporting 708 affected workers. ViacomCBS Inc. (and its subsidiaries) followed with 669 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the New York labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail 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.