Washington Layoffs — January 2006
Employers in Washington submitted 10 WARN Act notices in January 2006, putting at risk an estimated 849 workers — up substantially from December and up 62% versus January 2005. The average filing covered 85 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 1 | 275 |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 222 |
| Retail | 2 | 128 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 126 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 98 |
The Construction sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 275 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Manufacturing reported 222 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Benton | 1 | 275 |
| Clark | 2 | 136 |
| Clallam | 1 | 98 |
| King | 1 | 90 |
| Pierce | 1 | 86 |
Benton absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 32% of all affected workers with 275 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Richland | 1 | 275 |
| Vancouver | 1 | 104 |
| Port Angeles | 1 | 98 |
| Federal Way | 1 | 90 |
| Tacoma | 1 | 86 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 6 | 533 |
| Closure | 4 | 316 |
Closures accounted for 37% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bechtel National | Richland | 275 | Layoff | |
| Panasonic | Vancouver | 104 | Layoff | |
| Virginia Mason Clinics | Port Angeles | 98 | Closure | |
| Unicco | Federal Way | 90 | Closure | |
| Schoeller Arca Systems | Tacoma | 86 | Layoff | |
| Sinnett's MarketPlace | Longview | 65 | Closure | |
| OfficeMax home Plate | Elma | 63 | Closure | |
| Cingular Wireless | Bothell | 34 | Layoff | |
| Georgia Pacific | Camas | 32 | Layoff | |
| Cingular Wireless | Bothell | 2 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Bechtel National at its Richland facility, reporting 275 affected workers. Panasonic followed with 104 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Construction 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.