Washington Layoffs — March 2004
Employers in Washington posted 7 WARN Act notices in March 2004, affecting an estimated 2,391 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to February. The average filing covered 342 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 1,215 |
| Transportation | 1 | 1,000 |
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 176 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,215 workers across 4 notices. On a related front, Transportation reported 1,000 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 4 | 1,655 |
| Grant | 1 | 606 |
| Island | 1 | 84 |
| Clark | 1 | 46 |
King bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 69% of all affected workers with 1,655 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 4 | 1,655 |
| Quincy | 1 | 606 |
| Oak Harbor | 1 | 84 |
| Vancouver | 1 | 46 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 1,891 |
| Layoff | 1 | 500 |
The high proportion of closures (79% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airborne Express | Seattle | 1,000 | Closure | |
| J.R. Simplot | Quincy | 606 | Closure | |
| Todd Pacific Shipyards | Seattle | 500 | Layoff | |
| Merrill Lynch Howard Johnson's | Seattle | 92 | Closure | |
| Wells Fargo | Oak Harbor | 84 | Closure | |
| Peter Pan Seafoods | Seattle | 63 | Closure | |
| Gl&V | Vancouver | 46 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Airborne Express at its Seattle facility, reporting 1,000 affected workers. J.R. Simplot followed with 606 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Washington 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 Washington. 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 Washington WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.