Pennsylvania Layoffs — October 2019
Employers in Pennsylvania logged 9 WARN Act notices in October 2019, involving roughly 1,482 workers — climbing above September and up 850% versus October 2018. The average filing covered 165 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 921 |
| Transportation | 2 | 412 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 100 |
| Utilities | 1 | 49 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 921 workers across 5 notices. Meanwhile, Transportation reported 412 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 2 | 592 |
| Bucks | 1 | 356 |
| Philadelphia | 1 | 174 |
| Northumberland | 1 | 148 |
| Cumberland | 1 | 100 |
Montgomery saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 40% of all affected workers with 592 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| North Wales | 1 | 500 |
| Fairless Hills | 1 | 356 |
| Philadelphia | 1 | 174 |
| Milton | 1 | 148 |
| Lemoyne | 1 | 100 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 7 | 834 |
| Layoff | 2 | 648 |
The high proportion of closures (56% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merck & | North Wales | 500 | Layoff | |
| Rite Aid Distribution Centers | Fairless Hills | 356 | Closure | |
| LSC Communications US | Philadelphia | 174 | Closure | |
| ACF Industries | Milton | 148 | Layoff | |
| Veritiv Operating | Lemoyne | 100 | Closure | |
| Benjamin Foods | Hatboro | 92 | Closure | |
| Swift Logistics | York | 56 | Closure | |
| FirstEnergy Generation Corp. Bruce Mansfield Generation Plant | Shippingport | 49 | Closure | |
| Johnson & Johnson | West Chester | 7 | Closure |
The biggest impact was at Merck & at its North Wales facility, reporting 500 affected workers. Rite Aid Distribution Centers followed with 356 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to 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.