Pennsylvania Layoffs — December 2008
Employers in Pennsylvania reported 11 WARN Act notices in December 2008, displacing an estimated 1,837 workers — signaling an acceleration from November and up 709% versus December 2007. The average filing covered 167 workers, with 8 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 664 |
| Retail | 1 | 500 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 253 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 120 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 119 |
| Transportation | 1 | 92 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 89 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 664 workers across 4 notices. Notably, Retail reported 500 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chester | 3 | 711 |
| Northumberland | 1 | 328 |
| Allegheny | 2 | 324 |
| Philadelphia | 2 | 214 |
| Montgomery | 1 | 120 |
Chester was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 39% of all affected workers with 711 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| West Chester | 1 | 500 |
| Milton | 1 | 328 |
| Warrendale | 1 | 253 |
| Philadelphia | 2 | 214 |
| Downington | 1 | 140 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 8 | 1,390 |
| Layoff | 3 | 447 |
The high proportion of closures (76% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qvc | West Chester | 500 | Closure | |
| ACF Industries | Milton | 328 | Layoff | |
| Ericsson | Warrendale | 253 | Closure | |
| Reynolds Packaging Group | Downington | 140 | Closure | |
| Excel | Philadelphia | 125 | Closure | |
| J.G. Wentworth | Bryn Mawr | 120 | Closure | |
| DHL Express | Bristol | 92 | Closure | |
| WuXi AppTec | Philadelphia | 89 | Closure | |
| American Medical Response Mid-Atlantic | Bridgeville | 71 | Closure | |
| Huhtamaki Flexibles | Malvern | 71 | Layoff | |
| My Choice Medical Holdings | Stroudsburg | 48 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Qvc at its West Chester facility, reporting 500 affected workers. ACF Industries followed with 328 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate 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.