Washington Layoffs — October 2005
Employers in Washington filed 8 WARN Act notices in October 2005, impacting roughly 939 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 526% versus October 2004. The average filing covered 117 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 527 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 171 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 103 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 527 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 171 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Grays Harbor | 2 | 342 |
| Pierce | 2 | 307 |
| Snohomish | 3 | 187 |
| King | 1 | 103 |
Grays Harbor bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 36% of all affected workers with 342 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmopolis | 1 | 245 |
| Lakewood | 1 | 185 |
| Arlington | 1 | 138 |
| Tacoma | 1 | 122 |
| Seattle | 1 | 103 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 768 |
| Layoff | 3 | 171 |
The high proportion of closures (82% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weyerhaeuser | Cosmopolis | 245 | Closure | |
| Interstate Brands | Lakewood | 185 | Closure | |
| GB Enterprises | Arlington | 138 | Closure | |
| Electronic Data Systems | Tacoma | 122 | Layoff | |
| First Hill Care Center | Seattle | 103 | Closure | |
| Weyerhaeuser | Aberdeen | 97 | Closure | |
| Cingular Wireless | Bothell | 25 | Layoff | |
| Cingular Wireless | Bothell | 24 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Weyerhaeuser at its Cosmopolis facility, reporting 245 affected workers. Interstate Brands followed with 185 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores 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.