Pennsylvania Layoffs — March 2006
Employers in Pennsylvania recorded 11 WARN Act notices in March 2006, covering approximately 1,592 workers — marking a sharp increase from February and up 393% versus March 2005. The average filing covered 145 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | 615 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 553 |
| Transportation | 1 | 186 |
| Construction | 1 | 160 |
| Finance & Insurance | 3 | 78 |
The Retail sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 615 workers across 2 notices. At the same time, Manufacturing reported 553 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 5 | 829 |
| Bucks | 1 | 323 |
| Cumberland | 1 | 160 |
| Mercer | 1 | 140 |
| Lehigh | 1 | 53 |
Philadelphia was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 52% of all affected workers with 829 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 5 | 829 |
| Bristol | 1 | 323 |
| Mechanicsburg | 1 | 160 |
| Sharon | 1 | 140 |
| Allentown | 1 | 53 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 9 | 1,356 |
| Closure | 2 | 236 |
Closures accounted for 15% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strawbridge's | Philadelphia | 421 | Layoff | |
| Jones Apparel Group | Bristol | 323 | Layoff | |
| Lord & Taylor Center City | Philadelphia | 194 | Layoff | |
| United Airlines Philadelphia | Philadelphia | 186 | Closure | |
| Washington Group International | Mechanicsburg | 160 | Layoff | |
| Wheatland Tube Company Sharon Plant | Sharon | 140 | Layoff | |
| General Mills Operations | Allentown | 53 | Layoff | |
| Allstate Insurance Lehigh Valley Claim Office | Bethlehem | 50 | Closure | |
| Precise Rexam (Pittsburgh Molding) | Versailles | 37 | Layoff | |
| NF Clearing | Philadelphia | 15 | Layoff | |
| NF Clearing | Philadelphia | 13 | Layoff |
Leading the list was Strawbridge's at its Philadelphia facility, reporting 421 affected workers. Jones Apparel Group followed with 323 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the Pennsylvania labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.