Pennsylvania Layoffs — December 2001
Employers in Pennsylvania posted 16 WARN Act notices in December 2001, affecting an estimated 2,796 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to November. The average filing covered 175 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 3 | 1,045 |
| Manufacturing | 9 | 983 |
| Transportation | 2 | 609 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 109 |
| Retail | 1 | 50 |
The Healthcare sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,045 workers across 3 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 983 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 2 | 874 |
| Cambria | 2 | 519 |
| Delaware | 2 | 386 |
| Lebanon | 1 | 224 |
| Cumberland | 1 | 209 |
Montgomery absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 31% of all affected workers with 874 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King of Prussia | 1 | 659 |
| Richland | 1 | 400 |
| Havertown | 2 | 386 |
| Palmyra | 1 | 224 |
| Pennsburg | 1 | 215 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 9 | 1,794 |
| Closure | 7 | 1,002 |
Closures accounted for 36% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aetna U.S. Healthcare | King of Prussia | 659 | Layoff | |
| Best Intimates, Inc. (Richland Distribution Center, Sidman Distribution Center) | Richland | 400 | Layoff | |
| Mercy Community Hospital (Mercy Haverford Hospital) | Havertown | 370 | Layoff | |
| Hershey Foods Corporation (Palmyra Plant) | Palmyra | 224 | Closure | |
| Hershey Foods Corporation (Pennsburg Facility) | Pennsburg | 215 | Closure | |
| Dana Corporation, Engine Management Distribution Division | Carlisle | 209 | Closure | |
| Best Intimates, Inc. (Johnstown Sewing Facility, Windber Cutting Facility) | Johnstown | 119 | Closure | |
| Flextronics Enclosures | Kingston | 116 | Closure | |
| Osram Sylvania | Towanda | 112 | Layoff | |
| D&E Communications | Lancaster | 109 | Layoff | |
| Leybold Vacuum USA | Export | 90 | Layoff | |
| RB&W Manufacturing | Corapolis | 69 | Closure | |
| Ames Department Stores Incorporation (3 stores) | Philadelphia | 50 | Closure | |
| InterMetro | Wilkes-Barre | 24 | Layoff | |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital (Division of Mercy Catholic Medical Center) [Mercy Community Hospital] | Havertown | 16 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Aetna U.S. Healthcare at its King of Prussia facility, reporting 659 affected workers. Best Intimates, Inc. (Richland Distribution Center, Sidman Distribution Center) followed with 400 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Pennsylvania labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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.