Employers in Pennsylvania reported 40 WARN Act notices in July 2003, displacing an estimated 3,115 workers — signaling an acceleration from June and up 80% versus July 2002. The average filing covered 78 workers, with 28 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5 | 679 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 212 |
| Transportation | 1 | 125 |
| Construction | 1 | 92 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 1 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 679 workers across 5 notices. Notably, Information & Technology reported 212 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| York | 2 | 639 |
| Luzerne | 3 | 501 |
| Schuylkill | 1 | 460 |
| Franklin | 1 | 179 |
| Delaware | 2 | 158 |
York was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 21% of all affected workers with 639 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Hanover | 2 | 639 |
| Tamaqua | 1 | 460 |
| Pittston | 1 | 212 |
| Chambersburg | 1 | 179 |
| West Hazleton | 1 | 164 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 28 | 2,607 |
| Layoff | 12 | 508 |
The high proportion of closures (84% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sara Lee Underwear | Tamaqua | 460 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Pillowtex Inc. Quilting | Hanover | 320 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Pillowtex Corporation Hanover Plant | Hanover | 319 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Techneglas Inc | Pittston | 212 | Layoff | 2003-07-01 |
| AMETEK Specialty Motors | Chambersburg | 179 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| AllSteel | West Hazleton | 164 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Swell Philadelphia Chewing Gum | Havertown | 158 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Quaker Alloy, Inc | Myerstown | 147 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Oxford Automotive | Masury | 130 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Lord & Taylor Distribution | Wilkes-Barre | 125 | Layoff | 2003-07-01 |
| Dun & Bradstreet Corporation | Dickson City | 102 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Cavalier Home Builders, LLC | Shippenville | 92 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Apw | Erie | 90 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Agere Systems | Allentown | 73 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
| Howes Leather Corporation Franklin Tanning Division 45 | Curwensville | 72 | Closure | 2003-07-01 |
The most significant filing came from Sara Lee Underwear at its Tamaqua facility, reporting 460 affected workers. Pillowtex Inc. Quilting followed with 320 workers.
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 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.
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