Pennsylvania Layoffs — October 2002
Employers in Pennsylvania submitted 13 WARN Act notices in October 2002, putting at risk an estimated 3,089 workers — up substantially from September and up 52% versus October 2001. The average filing covered 238 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 5 | 2,062 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 667 |
| Mining & Energy | 2 | 293 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 66 |
| Government | 1 | 1 |
The Transportation sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 2,062 workers across 5 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 667 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Allegheny | 3 | 1,141 |
| Philadelphia | 2 | 780 |
| Franklin | 1 | 300 |
| Washington | 1 | 275 |
| Lancaster | 1 | 216 |
Allegheny saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 37% of all affected workers with 1,141 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh | 3 | 1,141 |
| Philadelphia | 2 | 780 |
| Greencastle | 1 | 300 |
| Bentleyville | 1 | 275 |
| Lancastr | 1 | 216 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 8 | 2,085 |
| Closure | 5 | 1,004 |
Closures accounted for 33% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Airways (Pittsburgh International Airport and U.S. Airways Reservation Sales Center) | Pittsburgh | 877 | Layoff | |
| U.S. Airways (Philadelphia International Airport) | Philadelphia | 703 | Layoff | |
| Fresh Express Mid-Atlantic (Production Facility) | Greencastle | 300 | Closure | |
| Maple Creek Mining | Bentleyville | 275 | Closure | |
| U.S. Airways (Pittsburgh International Airport and Reservations Sales Center) [3 locations] | Pittsburgh | 263 | Layoff | |
| Lancaster Malleable Castings Co. (2 locations) | Lancastr | 216 | Closure | |
| BonTon York Distribution Center | York | 142 | Closure | |
| DDS Harris | Norristown | 80 | Layoff | |
| U.S. Airways (Philadelphia International Airport) | Philadelphia | 77 | Layoff | |
| Defiance Metal Products | Bedford | 71 | Closure | |
| CDNOW/BeMusic | Ft. Washington | 66 | Layoff | |
| Delafoil | Pottstown | 18 | Layoff | |
| Getronics Government Solutions | Pittsburgh | 1 | Layoff |
Topping the list was U.S. Airways (Pittsburgh International Airport and U.S. Airways Reservation Sales Center) at its Pittsburgh facility, reporting 877 affected workers. U.S. Airways (Philadelphia International Airport) followed with 703 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Pennsylvania labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation 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.