Layoffs? Find Out Before They Happen in New York

Things haven't looked great for the US economy so far in 2024. If you're wondering if your employer will be laying off people, there is a way to know before it happens in New York State.

The Job Market in New York

As of January 2024, the unemployment rate around New York State is relatively low, but up a little bit. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has the State at 4.5% unemployment, which is up .4% since last year. Nationwide, the US is at 3.9% unemployment, which is up .3% since last year. For perspective, the unemployment rate in the US was 14.8% at the height of the pandemic. So, things aren't bad in terms of people having jobs.

With the cost of groceries, rent, and basically everything going up, it also means people's pay rates are not worth as much as they once were. Still, that doesn't account for unemployment.

Will it get better or worse? Time will tell.

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What, though, if you are worried that layoffs are coming? The job market can be volatile and you never know what can happen. Is there a way to know ahead of time that a company is performing layoffs? The answer is yes, depending on the company and how many people are being let go, via what's called a WARN Notice.

What is a WARN Notice?

From the United States Department of Labor's Website (CLICK HERE), a WARN NOTICE is:

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act helps ensure advance notice in cases of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs. The U.S. Department of Labor has compliance assistance materials to help workers and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under the provisions of WARN. - USDOL

Now, this isn't for EVERY kind of layoff or company, but rather (and generally speaking) for mass layoffs at companies that employ a certain amount of people. In order for your employer to Serve a WARN Notice about layoffs, they have to:

1. Have 100 or more full-time employees or

2. Have 100 or more employees who work at least 4,000 hours per week not including overtime.

They have to file a WARN Notice if they are laying off at least 33% of employees, over 50 employees, or over 500 employees. They must give a 60-day notice before they can begin the layoffs.

All of these rules, in detail, can be seen here: uscode.house.gov

This video also breaks it down pretty well:

Layoffs? Find Out Before They Happen in New York

Every state has a website that shows every WARN Notice. In New York State, you simply visit https://dol.ny.gov/warn-notices. 

Here you can search by company name, see when the notice was posted, get details about why the layoffs are coming for the company filing it, and how many people are being let go.

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Again, this does not show EVERY company that is laying off people, just ones that qualify under the WARN Nptice rules as shown and linked to above. However, keep this website handy so you're never caught off guard.

https://dol.ny.gov/warn-notices.

If you're company has or ends up giving a WARN Notice, don't panic. There are jobs out there, even ones you never have to leave home to work at. Check out these 20 remote jobs that pay really well.