Pa. is number three in mass layoffs

Pa. is number three in mass layoffs

By Jane M. Von Bergen
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
It's a dubious record - Pennsylvania became the state with the third-highest number of unemployment claims due to mass layoffs in April, the U.S. Labor Department said.
Mass layoffs are those involving 50 or more workers.

In fairness, Pennsylvania is often among the top five states in the number of people involved in mass layoffs, simply because it is among the nation's most populous states.

In April, Federal-Mogul Corp., an automotive supplier, said it would lay off 79 people when it closes its Chester plant in June. Broder Bros., a Philadelphia bakery, will layoff 121 people in July. Southco Inc., an engineering and manufacturing company, will layoff 278 next month when it closes its Concordville facility in Delaware County.

Under federal law, employers must inform states if they intend to lay off more than 50 people.
Pennsylvania had 10,997 initial claims for unemployment due to mass layoffs. Other top states were California, New York, and Ohio and New Jersey. New Jersey had 4,749 initial claims for unemployment due to mass layoffs. Together the top five states accounted for about half of all the mass layoffs and half of all initial claims for unemployment benefits due to the mass layoffs.