Pennsylvania Layoffs — August 2004
Employers in Pennsylvania submitted 13 WARN Act notices in August 2004, putting at risk an estimated 2,325 workers — up substantially from July and up 59% versus August 2003. The average filing covered 179 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 2 | 852 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 702 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 494 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 114 |
| Retail | 1 | 70 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 63 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 30 |
The Healthcare sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 852 workers across 2 notices. Separately, Information & Technology reported 702 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 1 | 702 |
| Luzerne | 1 | 670 |
| Berks | 1 | 296 |
| Montgomery | 2 | 180 |
| Northampton | 1 | 136 |
Philadelphia was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 30% of all affected workers with 702 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 1 | 702 |
| Pittston | 1 | 670 |
| Fleetwood | 1 | 296 |
| Lafayette | 1 | 150 |
| Bethlehem | 1 | 136 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 1,653 |
| Layoff | 7 | 672 |
The high proportion of closures (71% 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 | Philadelphia | 702 | Closure | |
| Techneglas | Pittston | 670 | Closure | |
| GST Autoleather | Fleetwood | 296 | Layoff | |
| Psychiatric Hospitals Eugenia Hospital 660 | Lafayette | 150 | Closure | |
| Synthetic Thread | Bethlehem | 136 | Layoff | |
| Manheim Auctions | Manheim | 114 | Layoff | |
| K-Mart | Bradford | 70 | Closure | |
| Omega Financial | Lewisburg | 63 | Layoff | |
| Columbia Products | Dallastown | 40 | Closure | |
| Teletech | Uniontown | 32 | Layoff | |
| Pegasus | Bala-Cynwyd | 30 | Layoff | |
| Corra Board Products Division | Hanover | 21 | Closure | |
| General Chemical | Marcus Hook | 1 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Medical College of Pennsylvania at its Philadelphia facility, reporting 702 affected workers. Techneglas followed with 670 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight 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.