Massachusetts Layoffs — March 2020
Employers in Massachusetts recorded 111 WARN Act notices in March 2020, covering approximately 21,539 workers — marking a sharp increase from February. The average filing covered 194 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 34 | 8,272 |
| Education | 7 | 3,340 |
| Information & Technology | 11 | 2,220 |
| Transportation | 12 | 1,582 |
| Manufacturing | 13 | 1,177 |
| Healthcare | 9 | 1,130 |
| Retail | 8 | 1,058 |
| Professional Services | 4 | 625 |
The Accommodation & Food sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 8,272 workers across 34 notices. At the same time, Education reported 3,340 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | 36 | 9,661 |
| Middlesex | 26 | 3,277 |
| Hampden | 4 | 2,344 |
| Essex | 10 | 1,821 |
| Norfolk | 10 | 1,372 |
Boston absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 45% of all affected workers with 9,661 workers across 36 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | 38 | 10,042 |
| W. Springfield | 2 | 2,037 |
| Waltham | 4 | 1,062 |
| East Boston | 1 | 701 |
| Littleton | 1 | 500 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in Massachusetts this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston University | Boston | 2,778 | ||
| Friendly's Restaurant | W. Springfield | 1,916 | ||
| Gate Gourmet | Boston | 1,887 | ||
| LAZ Parking | Boston | 736 | ||
| Avis Budget Car Rental | East Boston | 701 | ||
| Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street | Boston | 627 | ||
| Potpourri Group | Littleton | 500 | ||
| Beyond Finance, Inc.(updated) | Beverly | 478 | ||
| American Red Cross | Boston | 426 | ||
| Care.com | Waltham | 415 | ||
| Freeman Expositions | Avon | 413 | ||
| Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health | Stockbridge | 389 | ||
| Johnny Appleseed's, Inc. (Updated) | Middleton | 386 | ||
| Actifio | Waltham | 315 | ||
| Friendly's Restaurant | Lawrence | 300 |
Leading the list was Boston University at its Boston facility, reporting 2,778 affected workers. Friendly's Restaurant followed with 1,916 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the Massachusetts labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Accommodation & Food sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Massachusetts. 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 Massachusetts WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.