Employers in Pennsylvania submitted 12 WARN Act notices in October 2017, putting at risk an estimated 2,851 workers — up substantially from September and up 1291% versus October 2016. The average filing covered 238 workers, with 11 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | 248 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 121 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 82 |
| Healthcare | 3 | 72 |
The Retail sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 248 workers across 2 notices. Separately, Information & Technology reported 121 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 1 | 1,800 |
| Chester | 1 | 297 |
| Bucks | 1 | 197 |
| Columbia | 1 | 154 |
| Westmoreland | 1 | 121 |
Montgomery bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 63% of all affected workers with 1,800 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| North Wales | 1 | 1,800 |
| West Chester, Wayne | 1 | 297 |
| Bristol | 1 | 197 |
| Berwick | 1 | 154 |
| Export | 1 | 121 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 11 | 2,800 |
| Layoff | 1 | 51 |
The high proportion of closures (98% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Pennsylvania's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp | North Wales | 1,800 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| Johnson & Johnson | West Chester, Wayne | 297 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| Walmart | Bristol | 197 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| Deluxe Building Systems, Inc | Berwick | 154 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| Metalor Technologies | Export | 121 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| Branch Banking & Trust Company | Lititz | 82 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| Akustica, Inc./ a Bosch Company | Pittsburgh | 54 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| CVS Pharmacy, Inc Regional Business Office for Area 2 Region 7 | East Northport | 51 | Layoff | 2017-10-01 |
| Gateway Rehabilitation Community Transition Center - Erie | Erie | 29 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| Gateway Rehabilitation Community Transition Center - Braddock | Braddock | 23 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| Ohio Valley Bistro's Inc. (TGI Friday's at the Pittsburgh Airport) | Pittsburgh | 23 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
| Gateway Rehabilitation Community Transition Center - Sheffield | Aliquippa | 20 | Closure | 2017-10-01 |
Topping the list was Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp at its North Wales facility, reporting 1,800 affected workers. Johnson & Johnson followed with 297 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Pennsylvania labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.
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