New York Layoffs — August 2020
Employers in New York recorded 45 WARN Act notices in August 2020, covering approximately 5,132 workers — marking a decline from July and up 245% versus August 2019. The average filing covered 114 workers, with 12 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Arts & Entertainment | 3 | 2,434 |
| Healthcare | 12 | 806 |
| Transportation | 4 | 405 |
| Retail | 2 | 302 |
| Education | 2 | 124 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 87 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 27 |
The Arts & Entertainment sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 2,434 workers across 3 notices. At the same time, Healthcare reported 806 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 26 | 4,091 |
| Monroe | 2 | 216 |
| Queens | 4 | 199 |
| Nassau | 2 | 152 |
| Erie | 2 | 133 |
New York bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 80% of all affected workers with 4,091 workers across 26 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 27 | 4,141 |
| Rochester | 2 | 216 |
| Bethpage | 1 | 99 |
| Queens | 1 | 90 |
| Amherst | 1 | 87 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary Layoff | 16 | 2,303 |
| Layoff | 17 | 1,858 |
| Closure | 12 | 971 |
Closures accounted for 19% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
Leading the list was MSG Entertainment Group, LLC and its affiliates MSG Arena, LLC; and Radio City Productions LLC) (6 NYC sites) at its New York facility, reporting 2,083 affected workers. New York Hotel Trades Council & Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. Employee Benefit Funds (at six NYC health centers) followed with 642 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The filings reflect a mixed picture for New York's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Arts & Entertainment 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.