Washington Layoffs — March 2009
Employers in Washington submitted 6 WARN Act notices in March 2009, putting at risk an estimated 898 workers — down from February and up 8% versus March 2008. The average filing covered 150 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 831 |
| Information & Technology | 2 | 67 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 831 workers across 4 notices. Separately, Information & Technology reported 67 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 2 | 734 |
| Clark | 1 | 70 |
| Pacific | 1 | 50 |
| Pierce | 1 | 43 |
| Cowlitz | 1 | 1 |
King bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 82% of all affected workers with 734 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 1 | 710 |
| Vancouver | 1 | 70 |
| Raymond | 1 | 50 |
| Sumner | 1 | 43 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 24 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 3 | 784 |
| Closure | 3 | 114 |
Closures accounted for 13% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing | Seattle | 710 | Layoff | |
| Commercial Vehicle Group | Vancouver | 70 | Closure | |
| Weyerhaeuser Lumbermill | Raymond | 50 | Layoff | |
| Exide Technologies | Sumner | 43 | Closure | |
| Sun Microsystems | Bellevue | 24 | Layoff | |
| Weyerhaeuser Sawmill | Toutle | 1 | Closure |
Topping the list was Boeing at its Seattle facility, reporting 710 affected workers. Commercial Vehicle Group followed with 70 workers.
Trend & Outlook
These figures highlight 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.