Washington Layoffs — August 2006
Employers in Washington filed 4 WARN Act notices in August 2006, impacting roughly 745 workers — representing a pullback from July and up 115% versus August 2005. The average filing covered 186 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 697 |
| Utilities | 1 | 44 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 4 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 697 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Utilities reported 44 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 1 | 590 |
| Snohomish | 1 | 107 |
| Kitsap | 1 | 44 |
| King | 1 | 4 |
Franklin bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 79% of all affected workers with 590 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pasco | 1 | 590 |
| Everett | 1 | 107 |
| Bremerton | 1 | 44 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 4 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 3 | 638 |
| Closure | 1 | 107 |
Closures accounted for 14% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyson's Fresh Meats | Pasco | 590 | Layoff | |
| Star Manufacturing | Everett | 107 | Closure | |
| Electric Boat | Bremerton | 44 | Layoff | |
| Sun Microsystems | Bellevue | 4 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Tyson's Fresh Meats at its Pasco facility, reporting 590 affected workers. Star Manufacturing followed with 107 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Washington's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.