Pennsylvania Layoffs — November 2003
Employers in Pennsylvania filed 17 WARN Act notices in November 2003, impacting roughly 5,548 workers — representing a notable rise over October and up 159% versus November 2002. The average filing covered 326 workers, with 10 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 10 | 5,022 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 334 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 120 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 24 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 17 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 5,022 workers across 10 notices. In a parallel development, Finance & Insurance reported 334 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 1 | 4,400 |
| Philadelphia | 5 | 453 |
| York | 2 | 125 |
| Allegheny | 1 | 122 |
| Berks | 1 | 98 |
Montgomery bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 79% of all affected workers with 4,400 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| North Wales | 1 | 4,400 |
| Philadelphia | 5 | 453 |
| Pittsburgh | 1 | 122 |
| Lewisberry | 1 | 120 |
| Reading | 1 | 98 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 7 | 4,637 |
| Closure | 10 | 911 |
Closures accounted for 16% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merck | North Wales | 4,400 | Layoff | |
| PMA Capital Insurance | Philadelphia | 174 | Closure | |
| Kurz-Hastings | Philadelphia | 167 | Closure | |
| Deluxe Financial Services | Pittsburgh | 122 | Closure | |
| Woodland Center for Nursing | Lewisberry | 120 | Closure | |
| Garden State Tanning, Inc., GST Autoleather | Reading | 98 | Layoff | |
| Jack & Jill Ice Cream | Bensalem | 89 | Closure | |
| Plumbmaster | Concordville | 83 | Layoff | |
| Nvf | Kennett Square | 81 | Closure | |
| Hunt | Philadelphia | 50 | Closure | |
| Mann Edge Tool | Lewistown | 39 | Closure | |
| PMA Capital | Philadelphia | 38 | Closure | |
| AMI Deduco | Lancaster | 31 | Closure | |
| Rosenbluth International | Philadelphia | 24 | Layoff | |
| L. F. Brands Marketing | Laflin | 17 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Merck at its North Wales facility, reporting 4,400 affected workers. PMA Capital Insurance followed with 174 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 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.