Washington Layoffs — December 2008
Employers in Washington filed 4 WARN Act notices in December 2008, impacting roughly 347 workers — representing a pullback from November and up 18% versus December 2007. The average filing covered 87 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 2 | 177 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 166 |
| Transportation | 1 | 4 |
The Information & Technology sector led the way in workforce reductions with 177 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 166 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 2 | 223 |
| Spokane | 1 | 120 |
| Lewis | 1 | 4 |
King saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 64% of all affected workers with 223 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Renton | 1 | 166 |
| Liberty Lake | 1 | 120 |
| Woodinville | 1 | 57 |
| Chehalis | 1 | 4 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 3 | 343 |
| Closure | 1 | 4 |
Closures accounted for 1% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Douglas | Renton | 166 | Layoff | |
| Agilent Technologies | Liberty Lake | 120 | Layoff | |
| North Sky Communications | Woodinville | 57 | Layoff | |
| ABX Air | Chehalis | 4 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Hunter Douglas at its Renton facility, reporting 166 affected workers. Agilent Technologies followed with 120 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The data underscores a mixed picture for Washington's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Information & Technology 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.