A wave of layoffs at Mass General Brigham that took effect last week has not been disclosed on the state Department of Labor’s website, as required by state and federal law.
The Massachusetts Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Tracker, operated by the Healey administration, has not been updated to reflect the recent layoffs.
The job losses by the state’s largest employer and healthcare system come as mounting cuts and outmigration of businesses remain a critical campaign hurdle for Gov. Maura Healey’s re-election hopes.
The healthcare system told the Boston Globe of the layoffs, but did not disclose the exact number of jobs to be eliminated, only indicating that Mass Eye and Ear pediatricians would be impacted.
“To strengthen our long-term financial sustainability, Mass General Brigham is continuing to make changes in how we operate. While previous actions helped improve our financial position, our operating performance still requires broader structural changes,” Mass General Brigham said in a statement to media outlets. “To strengthen our long-term sustainability, we must improve coordination across our hospitals and care settings, accelerating our transition to a more integrated model of care.”
But the layoffs have still not been disclosed on the WARN database, operated by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, despite the Healey administration claiming the system was updated as recently as Friday.
According to the hub detailing WARN notices to the state, employers are required to post notifications in advance of layoffs or business closings.
“Employers with 50 or more employees must submit a WARN notice. WARN notices must be submitted at least 60 days prior to the layoff or closing,” according to the state’s requirements.
The latest job cuts to be posted to the database include 105 layoffs announced by publicly traded clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Eyepoint US, INC at its Northbridge and Watertown locations, and 62 layoffs announced by plant-based snack manufacturer Powered by FTGU, LLC at its Fitchburg location.
The database indicates it was updated on October 23, despite the news of the Mass General Brigham layoffs reported by numerous Boston media outlets in the days before the update.
The Healey administration did not answer direct questions as to why the healthcare system’s layoffs have not been reflected, as required by state and federal law.
But the administration said in a statement that the WARN website includes layoff notices as received by the state.
“LWD (Labor and Workforce Development) updates the website weekly with all WARN notices we receive. The website is currently up to date through October 16, 2026, and will be updated again today by 4 pm, as it is every Friday,” Labor and Workforce Development spokesperson Matt Kitsos told the Herald when asked if the Healey administration is trying to hide the potentially damaging information from the voting pubic. “In the past year, Massachusetts added 16,300 jobs.”
Massachusetts has lost approximately 19,800 private sector jobs under Healey’s watch, according to data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research reported earlier this year that Massachusetts had 34,700 fewer private sector jobs in January 2026 than in January of 2020, 11,600 of which were lost between January 2025 and January 2026. The state’s rate of -1.06% private sector job growth sits well behind the national average of 4.65%. This as the organization says government job growth has exploded under Healey.
“Over the past six years, the Commonwealth has lost the equivalent of every private-sector job in Brookline, while business-friendly states have added jobs by the hundreds of thousands,” Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios.
Since taking office in January of 2023, roughly 20,000 government jobs have been added to the state’s payroll under Gov. Healey, according to the state’s Department of Economic Research.
Businesses and working-aged residents have been pouring out of Massachusetts during Healey’s first term in office, including some that had been staples of the state’s economy.
In January, the reigning Massachusetts “Manufacturer of the Year,” Curia Global, shut down operations at its Burlington facility. Other notable departures include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Panera Bread, Cape Cod Potato Chips, Zipcar, SynQor, Analogic Corp. and more. In June, Takeda Pharmaceuticals announced the elimination of 247 jobs from its Cambridge location.
Massachusetts also continues to lose young adults, particularly between the ages of 24 and 44, which has the highest rate of outmigration in the state, and represents the prime working age for adults.
Experts cite the state’s high taxes on both residents and businesses, the highest energy prices in the United States, and stringent policies related to fulfilling the NetZero by 2050 climate mandate.
The current layoffs at MGB come after the healthcare system slashed roughly 1,500 jobs in February and March of 2025.
MGB is the state’s largest employer and healthcare system, employing over 80,000 people across 17 hospitals, including the Boston-based flagship medical centers of Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Comments