Pennsylvania Layoffs — August 2019
Employers in Pennsylvania submitted 9 WARN Act notices in August 2019, putting at risk an estimated 1,076 workers — down from July and up 45% versus August 2018. The average filing covered 120 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | 492 |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 243 |
| Utilities | 2 | 225 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 66 |
| Transportation | 1 | 50 |
The Retail sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 492 workers across 2 notices. Separately, Manufacturing reported 243 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | 1 | 327 |
| Lehigh | 1 | 165 |
| York | 1 | 140 |
| Beaver | 1 | 113 |
| Dauphin | 1 | 112 |
Lancaster was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 30% of all affected workers with 327 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Quarryville | 1 | 327 |
| Allentown | 1 | 165 |
| York | 1 | 140 |
| Shippingport | 1 | 113 |
| Middletown | 1 | 112 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 857 |
| Layoff | 4 | 219 |
The high proportion of closures (80% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Musser's Market | Quarryville | 327 | Closure | |
| True Value | Allentown | 165 | Closure | |
| Integra Life Sciences | York | 140 | Closure | |
| FirstEnergy Generation Corp. Bruce Mansfield Generation Plant | Shippingport | 113 | Closure | |
| Exelon Generation Company, LLC Three Mile Island Generating Station | Middletown | 112 | Closure | |
| Santander Bank, N.A | Villanova | 66 | Layoff | |
| ACF Industries LLC Milton Plant | Milton | 63 | Layoff | |
| XPO Logistics Supply Chain | Mechanicsburg | 50 | Layoff | |
| Southern Graphics Systems | Philadelphia | 40 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Musser's Market at its Quarryville facility, reporting 327 affected workers. True Value followed with 165 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
These figures highlight a mixed picture for Pennsylvania's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.