Pennsylvania Layoffs — January 2009
Employers in Pennsylvania reported 24 WARN Act notices in January 2009, displacing an estimated 4,615 workers — signaling an acceleration from December and up 172% versus January 2008. The average filing covered 192 workers, with 19 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 11 | 2,730 |
| Retail | 6 | 754 |
| Transportation | 3 | 611 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 277 |
| Government | 1 | 106 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 48 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 2,730 workers across 11 notices. Notably, Retail reported 754 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 1 | 706 |
| Westmoreland | 1 | 560 |
| Adams | 1 | 480 |
| Cumberland | 2 | 436 |
| Lancaster | 3 | 388 |
Franklin bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 15% of all affected workers with 706 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Shady Grove | 1 | 706 |
| Mt. Pleasant | 1 | 560 |
| Littlestown | 1 | 480 |
| Camp Hill | 1 | 319 |
| Tannersville | 1 | 309 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 19 | 3,227 |
| Layoff | 5 | 1,388 |
The high proportion of closures (70% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grove US | Shady Grove | 706 | Layoff | |
| Sony | Mt. Pleasant | 560 | Closure | |
| MasterBrand Cabinets | Littlestown | 480 | Closure | |
| Williams-Sonoma | Camp Hill | 319 | Closure | |
| Roadway Express | Tannersville | 309 | Closure | |
| Eighty Four Mining | Washington | 277 | Layoff | |
| Ethan Allen | Eldred | 250 | Closure | |
| Tyco Electronics | Emigsville | 232 | Closure | |
| Yellow Transportation | East Petersburg | 207 | Layoff | |
| Circuit City | Bethlehem | 148 | Closure | |
| Modern Industries | Erie | 120 | Layoff | |
| Tyco Electronics | Carlisle | 117 | Closure | |
| Pennsylvania | Edinboro | 106 | Closure | |
| Roadway Express | East Petersburg | 95 | Closure | |
| Jeld-Wen Interior Doors | Sunbury | 94 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Grove US at its Shady Grove facility, reporting 706 affected workers. Sony followed with 560 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
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.