Pennsylvania Layoffs — February 2004
Employers in Pennsylvania filed 7 WARN Act notices in February 2004, impacting roughly 1,405 workers — representing a pullback from January and down 30% versus February 2003. The average filing covered 201 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 970 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 293 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 100 |
| Government | 1 | 42 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 970 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 293 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Bucks | 3 | 1,208 |
| Franklin | 1 | 100 |
| Lehigh | 1 | 50 |
| Cambria | 1 | 42 |
| Montgomery | 1 | 5 |
Bucks was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 86% of all affected workers with 1,208 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Trevose | 1 | 970 |
| Bensalem | 1 | 125 |
| Warminster | 1 | 113 |
| Greencastle | 1 | 100 |
| Allentown | 1 | 50 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 1,308 |
| Layoff | 3 | 97 |
The high proportion of closures (93% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sears, Roebuck & | Trevose | 970 | Closure | |
| Mail-Well Envelope | Bensalem | 125 | Closure | |
| Gross-Given Manufacturing | Warminster | 113 | Closure | |
| Taylor Farms | Greencastle | 100 | Closure | |
| Sure Fit | Allentown | 50 | Layoff | |
| Cambria County Govt | Ebensburg | 42 | Layoff | |
| Biopure | Souderton | 5 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Sears, Roebuck & at its Trevose facility, reporting 970 affected workers. Mail-Well Envelope followed with 125 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a easing in workforce disruptions across Pennsylvania, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Retail 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.