State Farm to close New Hyde Park office, lay off 82 workers
State Farm will close its office at 1985 Marcus Ave. at the end of November, the company said. Credit: Google Maps
A State Farm office that employs 82 in New Hyde Park is slated to close at the end of November, according to the company and a state regulatory filing.
"Employees can have the opportunity to compete for open positions in other locations," Anna Bryant, a spokeswoman for Bloomington, Ilinois-based State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., said Wednesday.
The office is closing for "economic" reasons, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filing with the state Labor Department dated Aug. 31. Bryant added that "State Farm is gaining efficiency through streamlining and improving processes, leveraging technology, and concentrating employees in larger locations."
She said the employees were notified of the closing in January 2017.
"We understand that these changes can have a significant impact on our most important resource, our employees," Bryant said.
Employment in the Island's insurance sector has been dropping steadily since it peaked at 27,600 jobs in 2014, after recouping declines it suffered during the last recession, data from the Labor Department show.
The employment growth was likely due to increased insurance activity related to superstorm Sandy, which hit the Island in 2012, said Shital Patel, labor-market analyst in the department's Hicksville office.
"Employment in the Island’s insurance sector increased in the months and years following Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, but has been steadily declining since 2015," Patel said. "As with other financial services industries, some companies have been moving back-office operations to other areas, and others have been struggling finding qualified employees to fill positions vacated by retiring employees."
As of the third quarter of 2017, 7.3 percent of employees in the insurance industry on Long Island, or 1,880, were 65 and older, Patel said.
The sector had 26,800 jobs in July, the latest data show.
Both the layoffs and the closing are scheduled for Nov. 30.
Under New York’s WARN Act, companies with at least 50 full-time employees must file a 90-day notice of a mass layoff or closing.
