Pennsylvania Layoffs — May 2001
Employers in Pennsylvania recorded 18 WARN Act notices in May 2001, covering approximately 2,345 workers — marking a decline from April. The average filing covered 130 workers, with 12 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 9 | 1,579 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 390 |
| Transportation | 3 | 202 |
| Retail | 1 | 82 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 74 |
| Government | 1 | 18 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 1,579 workers across 9 notices. At the same time, Information & Technology reported 390 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Lehigh | 5 | 844 |
| Berks | 1 | 259 |
| Washington | 1 | 236 |
| Allegheny | 3 | 228 |
| Erie | 1 | 217 |
Lehigh saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 36% of all affected workers with 844 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Breinigsville | 2 | 440 |
| Allentown | 3 | 404 |
| Reading | 1 | 259 |
| Lawrence | 1 | 236 |
| Erie | 1 | 217 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 12 | 1,259 |
| Layoff | 6 | 1,086 |
The high proportion of closures (54% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agere Systems | Breinigsville | 390 | Layoff | |
| Agere Systems | Reading | 259 | Layoff | |
| ADC Broadband Wireless Group | Lawrence | 236 | Closure | |
| Gunite Corporation - EMI | Erie | 217 | Closure | |
| Agere Systems | Allentown | 200 | Layoff | |
| The HON | Williamsport | 186 | Closure | |
| Russell-Stanley | Allentown | 112 | Closure | |
| SSI Services | Moon Township | 94 | Layoff | |
| Doane Pet Care | Dublin | 93 | Layoff | |
| Cardinal Distribution | Allentown | 92 | Closure | |
| Hanover Direct | Hanover | 82 | Closure | |
| ExxonMobil-Bakerstown | Gibsonia | 74 | Closure | |
| Bradford Electronics | Bradford | 72 | Closure | |
| GENCO Distribution System | Mechanicsburg | 60 | Closure | |
| King World Video Services | Pittsburgh | 60 | Closure |
Leading the list was Agere Systems at its Breinigsville facility, reporting 390 affected workers. Agere Systems followed with 259 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The filings reflect a mixed picture for Pennsylvania's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Pennsylvania. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with 100+ employees to provide 60-day advance notice of mass layoffs and plant closings. Data is updated daily by WARN Firehose. View all Pennsylvania WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.