Pennsylvania Layoffs — November 2009
Employers in Pennsylvania filed 15 WARN Act notices in November 2009, impacting roughly 2,849 workers — representing a notable rise over October and up 135% versus November 2008. The average filing covered 190 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 1 | 1,441 |
| Information & Technology | 6 | 423 |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 331 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 290 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 260 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 69 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 35 |
The Transportation sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,441 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 423 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Lycoming | 1 | 1,441 |
| Lancaster | 2 | 274 |
| Armstrong | 1 | 260 |
| Montgomery | 3 | 259 |
| Philadelphia | 1 | 209 |
Lycoming bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 51% of all affected workers with 1,441 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 1 | 1,441 |
| Erdenheim | 2 | 290 |
| Worthington | 1 | 260 |
| Ephrata | 1 | 239 |
| Spring House | 1 | 174 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 1,771 |
| Layoff | 9 | 1,078 |
The high proportion of closures (62% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Penn Traffic Company Bi-Lo Quality, P&C Stores and Distribution Centers | New York | 1,441 | Closure | |
| Creekside Mushroom | Worthington | 260 | Layoff | |
| Windstream Communications | Ephrata | 239 | Layoff | |
| NHS Philadelphia | Erdenheim | 209 | Layoff | |
| Johnson & Johnson | Spring House | 174 | Layoff | |
| NHS Woodhaven | Erdenheim | 81 | Layoff | |
| Merck & | Allentown | 80 | Closure | |
| Harsco Metals | Coatesville | 77 | Closure | |
| Simon & Schuster | Bristol | 72 | Layoff | |
| Assurant Solutions | Wayne | 69 | Closure | |
| CDG Management LLC Shiremanstown Call Center | Shiremanstown | 69 | Closure | |
| Dish Network | McKeesport | 37 | Layoff | |
| Stock Building Supply | Paradise | 35 | Closure | |
| Sun Microsystems | King of Prussia | 4 | Layoff | |
| Sun Microsystems | Pittsburgh | 2 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved The Penn Traffic Company Bi-Lo Quality, P&C Stores and Distribution Centers at its New York facility, reporting 1,441 affected workers. Creekside Mushroom followed with 260 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Pennsylvania labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation 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.