GREENE - The economic downturn has had a significant impact on at least two of Chenango County’s employers: Raymond Corporation and Frontier.

April brought workforce layoffs and furlough schedules, with the forklift manufacturer reducing its North American roster by approximately 10 percent.

Raymond tallied 1,000 workers at its headquarters in Greene last year. It also has operations in Brantford, Canada; Muscatine, Iowa and East Syracuse, employing about 2,400 in total.

Frontier Communications Solutions of Norwich and Sherburne has asjed employees to take one four day work week per quarter for the remainder of 2009. Vice President of Operations Jim Currie said non-union employees were furloughed last Wednesday and bargaining unit employees “would essentially do the same thing” following negotiations.

Market share for Raymond continued to be strong over the last several years, however the decline has had a significant impact on all segments of the economy that are served by the material handling industry. The Industrial Truck Association recently reported a 50 percent decline in the lift truck market.