Washington Layoffs — October 2005
Employers in Washington recorded 8 WARN Act notices in October 2005, covering approximately 939 workers — marking a sharp increase from 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 accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 527 workers across 3 notices. At the same time, 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 was the epicenter of layoff activity, 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 |
Leading the list was 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 filings reflect 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.