Pennsylvania Layoffs — March 2023
Employers in Pennsylvania filed 11 WARN Act notices in March 2023, impacting roughly 2,303 workers — representing a notable rise over February and up 293% versus March 2022. The average filing covered 209 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 3 | 828 |
| Retail | 3 | 587 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 478 |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 387 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 23 |
The Transportation sector led the way in workforce reductions with 828 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 587 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Northampton | 1 | 597 |
| Cumberland | 1 | 522 |
| Lehigh | 1 | 478 |
| Philadelphia | 2 | 250 |
| Berks | 2 | 231 |
Northampton was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 26% of all affected workers with 597 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem | 1 | 597 |
| Mechanicsburg | 1 | 522 |
| Philadelphia | 2 | 250 |
| Bethel | 1 | 124 |
| Pottsville | 1 | 112 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 5 | 1,223 |
| Closure | 6 | 1,080 |
Closures accounted for 47% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wal-Mart Distribution Center | Bethlehem | 597 | Layoff | |
| Chewy | Mechanicsburg | 522 | Closure | |
| Morrison HealthCare | 478 | Layoff | ||
| International Vitamin | Philadelphia | 203 | Closure | |
| NFI Interactive Logistics | Bethel | 124 | Closure | |
| Bedding Acquisition | Pottsville | 112 | Closure | |
| GEODIS Logistics | Kutztown | 107 | Layoff | |
| Brook & Whittle | Croydon | 72 | Closure | |
| Target | Philadelphia | 47 | Closure | |
| BLST Operating | Warren | 23 | Layoff | |
| First Quality Retail Services | King of Prussia | 18 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Wal-Mart Distribution Center at its Bethlehem facility, reporting 597 affected workers. Chewy followed with 522 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.