As many as 550 Massachusetts layoffs are possible through the end of the year, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices filed with the state.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN, requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days' advance written notice of plant closings or mass layoffs.
This allows the MassHire Rapid Response team to assist the affected workers.
"The MassHire Rapid Response team works with companies to provide support services for impacted workers, including training and job fairs, individual meetings, and interview workshops," said a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
"Additionally, the MassHire Career Centers are ready to help impacted employees and other jobseekers with workforce services, resources, and other supports to help," the spokesperson said. Workers are encouraged to connect with their local MassHire Career Center to learn more about available services and next steps."
The number of layoffs listed in WARN notices likely will not be as high as the actual job cuts, as the layoffs may be contingent on the attempt to sell a business or the workers in question may be assigned to other positions.
Some of the forecasted layoffs started before October and will continue after.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, for example, the "largest life sciences employer in the state of Massachusetts," according to its website, planned to cut 247 jobs starting July 1 through the end of the year, WARN notice information shows.
The company also planned to eliminate 387 positions in other states, but Sonali Das, Takeda's lead counsel for U.S. Employment, said in a letter that the "numbers may evolve
as employees pursue and accept redeployment opportunities across Takeda's global network. Should additional impacts be identified, we will supplement this notice to maintain full transparency."
Global biotechnology, life sciences and scientific equipment company Thermo Fisher Scientific filed a WARN notice for 103 layoffs from its Franklin facility on New Year's Eve.
Bedford biotechnology research and laboratory testing company Labcorp Early Development Laboratories filed regarding 94 layoffs from March through early next year.
Taunton electronics manufacturer AirBorn, a Molex company filed about 86 layoffs starting Dec. 31, 2025 through the last day of 2026.
Boston biotechnology and life sciences company Revvity filed regarding the elimination of 20 positions from June through March 31 next year.
See also:
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Across Massachusetts Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.