Pennsylvania Layoffs — September 2009
Employers in Pennsylvania reported 13 WARN Act notices in September 2009, displacing an estimated 2,506 workers — signaling an acceleration from August and up 326% versus September 2008. The average filing covered 193 workers, with 12 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 2 | 1,631 |
| Manufacturing | 4 | 262 |
| Retail | 1 | 148 |
| Transportation | 1 | 105 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 90 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 81 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 78 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 61 |
The Utilities sector topped the list of affected industries with 1,631 workers across 2 notices. Notably, Manufacturing reported 262 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Erie | 3 | 1,659 |
| Bucks | 2 | 167 |
| Luzerne | 1 | 148 |
| Allegheny | 2 | 140 |
| Chester | 1 | 105 |
Erie felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 66% of all affected workers with 1,659 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Erie | 3 | 1,659 |
| Trevrose | 2 | 167 |
| Plains | 1 | 148 |
| Pittsburgh | 2 | 140 |
| West Chester | 1 | 105 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 1,450 |
| Closure | 12 | 1,056 |
Closures accounted for 42% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Electric | Erie | 1,450 | Layoff | |
| Riley Power | Erie | 181 | Closure | |
| Sunshine Market | Plains | 148 | Closure | |
| The Men's Warehouse | West Chester | 105 | Closure | |
| Alliance One | Trevrose | 104 | Closure | |
| Parsons | Pittsburgh | 90 | Closure | |
| GE Oil & Gas Operations | Bethlehem | 81 | Closure | |
| Allstate Claims Office | Altoona | 78 | Closure | |
| Wiremold/Legrand | Carlisle | 67 | Closure | |
| Alliance One | Trevrose | 63 | Closure | |
| Sermatech International | Pottstown | 61 | Closure | |
| Phoenix Health Systems | Pittsburgh | 50 | Closure | |
| Lamson Pipe | Erie | 28 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from General Electric at its Erie facility, reporting 1,450 affected workers. Riley Power followed with 181 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 Utilities 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.