Pennsylvania Layoffs — January 2004
Employers in Pennsylvania posted 14 WARN Act notices in January 2004, affecting an estimated 3,168 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to December and up 68% versus January 2003. The average filing covered 226 workers, with 10 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 2 | 1,324 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 993 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 586 |
| Retail | 1 | 107 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 63 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 1 | 52 |
| Transportation | 1 | 43 |
The Healthcare sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,324 workers across 2 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 993 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 2 | 1,218 |
| Allegheny | 3 | 639 |
| Dauphin | 1 | 413 |
| Lycoming | 1 | 308 |
| Northumberland | 1 | 200 |
Philadelphia absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 38% of all affected workers with 1,218 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 2 | 1,218 |
| Pittsburgh | 3 | 639 |
| Harrisburg | 1 | 413 |
| Williamsport | 1 | 308 |
| Milton | 1 | 200 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 10 | 2,929 |
| Layoff | 4 | 239 |
The high proportion of closures (92% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital | Philadelphia | 1,081 | Closure | |
| Earthlink | Harrisburg | 413 | Closure | |
| High Steel Structures | Williamsport | 308 | Closure | |
| Atlantic Baking Group | Pittsburgh | 289 | Closure | |
| Lake Region Medical | Pittsburgh | 243 | Closure | |
| HBOS Manufacturing | Milton | 200 | Closure | |
| H Freeman and Sons | Philadelphia | 137 | Closure | |
| Lazarus-Macy's | Pittsburgh | 107 | Closure | |
| Teletech | Uniontown | 99 | Closure | |
| TransUnion | Crum Lynne | 74 | Layoff | |
| Fairbanks Capital | Hartboro | 63 | Layoff | |
| Honeywell | Pottsville | 59 | Layoff | |
| Penn National Gaming | Reading | 52 | Closure | |
| Biscontini Distribution Center | Wilkes-Barre | 43 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital at its Philadelphia facility, reporting 1,081 affected workers. Earthlink followed with 413 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Pennsylvania labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.