Zipcar, Panera and Thermo Fisher file layoff notices in one-week period
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, Feb. 2, 2026……A trio of major layoff notices will soon cost 260 workers their jobs in Boston and western Massachusetts, adding to economic competitiveness pressures at play for the state and in this year’s elections.
Panera plans to lay off 92 workers in Franklin on March 25-27, according to a recently filed notice with the state. Zipcar intends to terminate 65 workers in Boston from April 1-14, followed by Thermo Fisher Scientific laying off 103 employees in Franklin from Dec. 31, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2027.
Critics say the losses underscore the state’s flailing competitive edge, as the Healey administration aims to mitigate affordability woes that are driving Bay Staters out of Massachusetts. Residents continue to feel the squeeze of steep housing, energy and health care prices.
“These are not isolated decisions,” Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Executive Director Paul Diego Craney said Monday. “They are rational business responses to a state that has become increasingly expensive, unpredictable, and hostile to employers. High taxes, crushing energy costs, and rigid Net Zero climate mandates are making it harder every day for companies to justify staying in Massachusetts.”
Craney added: “If state leaders refuse to take our loss of economic competitiveness seriously, this trend will continue, and working families will keep paying the price.”
Massachusetts is also experiencing a population exodus. New census data show that 33,340 residents left and went to other states between July 1, 2024 and July 1, 2025.
In her State of the Commonwealth address, Healey referred to talent as “our greatest strength.”
“That’s why, when it comes to competing for jobs – my bet’s always on Massachusetts,” Healey said. “Hasbro and LEGO agreed – they moved their headquarters here. So did Alnylam, a global leader in life-saving gene therapies. They started at UMass Chan Medical School. Now, they just built a brand-new manufacturing plant in Norton, all built with good union jobs. Then there’s Transmedics – a company saving lives for people who need organ transplants. They turned down New Hampshire and decided to grow right here in Massachusetts.”
In over-the-year data spanning from November 2025 to November 2024, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island saw declines in nonfarm payroll employment, while Vermont’s employment grew by about 0.6%, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston said in a report last month. “Connecticut and Massachusetts employment barely grew, with increases of only 0.1 percent and 0.05 percent, respectively,” the report said.
Zipcar is closing the company’s local headquarters in Boston, and consolidating functions within owner Avis Budget Group’s U.S. headquarters in Parsippany, New Jersey, according to a state notice.
“Zipcar’s regional field and fleet operations teams will continue to be based in Boston and other local markets to support members and day-to-day service without interruption,” Avis said in a statement. “Zipcar remains fully operational and members should expect the same service and experience they rely on today. We are committed to managing this transition responsibly and supporting our employees throughout the process.”
Panera intends to close its Fresh Dough Facility in Franklin on March 27 as the company implements a new bakery operating model, according to a state notice.
“Panera is offering all affected employees many forms of support throughout this transition, including a severance package, assistance locating other jobs within Panera and outplacement services, including a job fair on February 23, 2026,” the notice said.
Thermo Fisher plans to eventually close its Franklin facility, which “provides GMP biologics storage and cell therapy clinical trial support,” according to a company webpage. The first layoffs will occur on Dec. 31, and “separations may continue through” the next year, a state notice said.
The Thermo Fisher losses point to steady headwinds in life sciences, which lost more than 1,000 biopharma research and development jobs from 2023 to 2024. Massachusetts invests public funds in the sector, with a 2024 economic development law reauthorizing the life sciences initiative at $500 million for the next decade.
Thermo Fisher has never received state tax credits from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, an agency spokesperson said.
“Did every mid-size manufacturing plant in Massachusetts make a New Years Resolution to flee the state in 2026?” GOP candidate for governor Brian Shortsleeve tweeted Jan. 30. “Thermo Fisher Scientific is the largest publicly traded company in Massachusetts. When they close a home-turf plant, you know it’s bad.”
The Campbell’s Company last week announced plans to close its Hyannis facility in April, meaning Cape Cod potato chips will soon no longer be made on the Cape. The Hyannis plant produces just 4% of the total volume of Cape Cod chips annually, and Campbell’s said the “site no longer makes economic sense for the business.”
“Massachusetts under Maura Healey is so expensive and unfriendly to job creators that an iconic MA brand is cutting ties,” tweeted GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy, who pointed out Massachusetts gained 230,000 private sector jobs when he was housing and economic development secretary in the Baker administration.
“Since Maura Healey has been Governor, our economy has been stagnant,” Kennealy continued. “That’s unacceptable.”
Reacting to the Cape Cod business news, GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue said, “Massachusetts brand can’t keep production in Massachusetts. We must do better.”
