Pennsylvania Layoffs — March 2002
Employers in Pennsylvania filed 26 WARN Act notices in March 2002, impacting roughly 4,316 workers — representing a notable rise over February and up 111% versus March 2001. The average filing covered 166 workers, with 17 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 12 | 2,494 |
| Manufacturing | 8 | 853 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 425 |
| Transportation | 1 | 200 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 136 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 119 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 89 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 2,494 workers across 12 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 853 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 4 | 1,937 |
| Berks | 2 | 457 |
| Union | 2 | 320 |
| Dauphin | 1 | 200 |
| Chester | 1 | 182 |
Philadelphia was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 45% of all affected workers with 1,937 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 4 | 1,937 |
| Wyomissing | 1 | 377 |
| Lewisburg | 2 | 320 |
| Harrisburg | 1 | 200 |
| Malvern | 1 | 182 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 17 | 2,961 |
| Layoff | 6 | 854 |
The high proportion of closures (69% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dollarland | Philadelphia | 1,700 | Closure | |
| Wachovia Corporation [First Union National Bank (Spring Ridge site)] | Wyomissing | 377 | Layoff | |
| The JPM | Lewisburg | 287 | ||
| SUPERVALU (Harrisburg Transportation) | Harrisburg | 200 | Layoff | |
| Smiths Aerospace - Electronic Systems | Malvern | 182 | Closure | |
| The JPM | Beaver Springs | 181 | ||
| IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) | Pittsburgh | 136 | Layoff | |
| Consolidation Coal Company Dilworth Mine | Rices Landing | 119 | Closure | |
| K-Mart Store #9422 | Wyncote | 110 | Closure | |
| K-Mart Store #9421 | Philadelphia | 100 | Closure | |
| ARAMARK Healthcare Support Services of Pennsylvania Presbyterian Medical Center | Philadelphia | 89 | Closure | |
| K-Mart Store #3564 | Clearfield | 80 | Closure | |
| K-Mart Store #3827 | Reading | 80 | Closure | |
| K-Mart Store #7417 | Cranberry Township | 80 | Closure | |
| K-Mart Store #9158 | Bloomsburg | 80 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Dollarland at its Philadelphia facility, reporting 1,700 affected workers. Wachovia Corporation [First Union National Bank (Spring Ridge site)] followed with 377 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Pennsylvania labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail 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.