New York Layoffs — February 2020
Employers in New York posted 67 WARN Act notices in February 2020, affecting an estimated 3,900 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to January and up 63% versus February 2019. The average filing covered 58 workers, with 44 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 31 | 1,636 |
| Transportation | 4 | 530 |
| Accommodation & Food | 5 | 345 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 279 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 173 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 113 |
| Finance & Insurance | 4 | 95 |
| Real Estate | 2 | 83 |
The Retail sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,636 workers across 31 notices. On a related front, Transportation reported 530 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 26 | 1,870 |
| Queens | 7 | 501 |
| Erie | 1 | 375 |
| Westchester | 5 | 334 |
| Suffolk | 5 | 151 |
New York felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 48% of all affected workers with 1,870 workers across 26 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 25 | 1,795 |
| Buffalo | 1 | 375 |
| Ridgewood | 1 | 221 |
| Brooklyn | 4 | 132 |
| Flushing | 1 | 119 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 40 | 2,513 |
| Layoff | 22 | 943 |
| Temporary Closure | 4 | 322 |
| Temporary Layoff | 1 | 122 |
The high proportion of closures (73% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in New York's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panasonic Solar North America ("PSNA") | Buffalo | 375 | Closure | |
| CareRide Paratransit | Ridgewood | 221 | Closure | |
| Sixty Hospitality, LLC dba Avra Madison Estiatorio | New York | 212 | Temporary Closure | |
| Macy's Inc. (NYC Corporate Office) Penn Plaza | New York | 206 | Layoff | |
| Jet Black (Walmart) | New York | 165 | Closure | |
| Transform KM LLC (Kmart Retail Store) | New York | 160 | Closure | |
| Macy's Inc. (NYC Corporate Office) 34th Street | New York | 154 | Layoff | |
| The New Yorker Hotel | New York | 122 | Temporary Layoff | |
| Swissport SA, LLC (LGA airport) | Flushing | 119 | Layoff | |
| Columbus Transit | Mount Vernon | 118 | Closure | |
| Morimoto NY Venture, L.P | New York | 113 | Closure | |
| Nestle Waters North America | Elmsford | 105 | Closure | |
| Rochester Drug Co-Operative | Rochester | 98 | Closure | |
| Local Media Group, Inc. dba Times Herald-Record | Middletown | 94 | Closure | |
| Macy's Inc. (NYC Corporate Office) 1440 Broadway | New York | 92 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Panasonic Solar North America ("PSNA") at its Buffalo facility, reporting 375 affected workers. CareRide Paratransit followed with 221 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The trends suggest a mixed picture for New York's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.