Pennsylvania Layoffs — May 2003
Employers in Pennsylvania filed 14 WARN Act notices in May 2003, impacting roughly 1,440 workers — representing a pullback from April and down 57% versus May 2002. The average filing covered 103 workers, with 10 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 3 | 579 |
| Manufacturing | 8 | 517 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 194 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 150 |
The Healthcare sector led the way in workforce reductions with 579 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 517 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 2 | 561 |
| Montgomery | 2 | 203 |
| Butler | 2 | 197 |
| Bucks | 2 | 150 |
| York | 1 | 127 |
Philadelphia saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 39% of all affected workers with 561 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 2 | 561 |
| Harmony | 2 | 197 |
| King of Prussia | 1 | 194 |
| York | 1 | 127 |
| Trevose | 1 | 78 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 10 | 875 |
| Layoff | 4 | 565 |
The high proportion of closures (61% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prison Health Services | Philadelphia | 382 | Layoff | |
| Fleming | King of Prussia | 194 | Closure | |
| Heraeus Electro-Nite | Philadelphia | 179 | Closure | |
| Paragon Trade Brands, Inc. (Tyco Healthcare Retail Group, Inc.) | Harmony | 148 | Closure | |
| York International Corporation (Grantley Plant) [YK Chillers, YT Chillers, Piece Parts] | York | 127 | Layoff | |
| East Coast Collection Agency | Trevose | 78 | Closure | |
| Dynamic Metal Forming | Scottdale | 75 | Closure | |
| Leonard Kunkin Associates | Line Lexington | 72 | Closure | |
| The Franklin Mint (North American Fulfilment Center) | Aston | 56 | Closure | |
| Paragon Trade Brands, Inc. (Tyco Healthcare Retail Group, Inc.) | Harmony | 49 | Closure | |
| Werner Co. (Greenville Division) | Greenville | 39 | Layoff | |
| Brown & Williamson Tobacco | Pittsburgh | 17 | Layoff | |
| CGI (Chamberlain Group, Inc.) | Hazleton | 15 | Closure | |
| Central Sprinkler | Lansdale | 9 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Prison Health Services at its Philadelphia facility, reporting 382 affected workers. Fleming followed with 194 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The data underscores a easing in workforce disruptions across Pennsylvania, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. 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.