Washington Layoffs — August 2006
Employers in Washington posted 4 WARN Act notices in August 2006, affecting an estimated 745 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to 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 saw the heaviest impact with 697 workers across 2 notices. On a related front, 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 largest notice was filed by 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 trends suggest 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.