Pennsylvania Layoffs — February 2003
Employers in Pennsylvania submitted 16 WARN Act notices in February 2003, putting at risk an estimated 2,000 workers — up substantially from January and up 5% versus February 2002. The average filing covered 125 workers, with 13 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 7 | 1,066 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 708 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 127 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 91 |
| Transportation | 2 | 8 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,066 workers across 7 notices. Separately, Healthcare reported 708 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cumberland | 2 | 625 |
| Schuylkill | 1 | 460 |
| Erie | 2 | 364 |
| Philadelphia | 3 | 186 |
| Bedford | 1 | 137 |
Cumberland absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 31% of all affected workers with 625 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanicsburg | 1 | 575 |
| Tamaqua | 1 | 460 |
| Union City | 1 | 247 |
| Philadelphia | 3 | 186 |
| Bedford | 1 | 137 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 13 | 1,964 |
| Layoff | 3 | 36 |
The high proportion of closures (98% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medco Health Solutions of Mechanicsburg (Medco Health) | Mechanicsburg | 575 | Closure | |
| Sara Lee Underwear | Tamaqua | 460 | Closure | |
| Ethan Allen Inc. (Cherry Hill Division) | Union City | 247 | Closure | |
| JLG Industries | Bedford | 137 | Closure | |
| Diagnostic and Rehabilitation Center | Philadelphia | 133 | Closure | |
| McInnes Steel | Corry | 117 | Closure | |
| SPX Corporation (Hankison International Facility) | Washington | 65 | Closure | |
| SONY (Display Systems Services Company) Sony Technology Center - Pittsburgh | Mount Pleasant | 60 | Closure | |
| Capital Blue Cross (COMP 1 Operations) | Lemoyne | 50 | Closure | |
| American Bank Note | Philadelphia | 49 | Closure | |
| Central Sprinkler | Lansdale | 36 | Closure | |
| EMCEE Broadcast Products | White Haven | 31 | Closure | |
| Investec Inc. (West Conshohocken Facility) | West Conshohocken | 28 | Layoff | |
| U.S. Airways (Philadelphia International Airport) | Philadelphia | 4 | Layoff | |
| U.S. Airways (Pittsburgh International Airport) | Pittsburgh | 4 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Medco Health Solutions of Mechanicsburg (Medco Health) at its Mechanicsburg facility, reporting 575 affected workers. Sara Lee Underwear followed with 460 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Pennsylvania labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.