Massachusetts Layoffs — November 2021
Employers in Massachusetts posted 5 WARN Act notices in November 2021, affecting an estimated 428 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to October and up 1485% versus November 2020. The average filing covered 86 workers, with 0 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 419 |
| Utilities | 1 | 9 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 419 workers across 4 notices. On a related front, Utilities reported 9 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Middlesex | 2 | 226 |
| Plymouth | 1 | 102 |
| Norfolk | 2 | 100 |
Middlesex felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 53% of all affected workers with 226 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Waltham | 1 | 116 |
| Burlington | 1 | 110 |
| Plymouth | 1 | 102 |
| Needham Heights | 1 | 91 |
| Foxboro | 1 | 9 |
Layoff Type Analysis
Layoff type classification was not available for filings in Massachusetts this month.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decipher Pharmaceuticals | Waltham | 116 | ||
| Flexion Therapeutics, Inc. ("Flexion") | Burlington | 110 | ||
| Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant | Plymouth | 102 | ||
| Muzi Motors | Needham Heights | 91 | ||
| Schneider Electric 7th Notice | Foxboro | 9 |
The largest notice was filed by Decipher Pharmaceuticals at its Waltham facility, reporting 116 affected workers. Flexion Therapeutics, Inc. ("Flexion") followed with 110 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Massachusetts labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing 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.