Washington Layoffs — April 2011
Employers in Washington filed 4 WARN Act notices in April 2011, impacting roughly 384 workers — representing a notable rise over March and up 207% versus April 2010. The average filing covered 96 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 333 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 51 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 333 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Professional Services reported 51 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima | 1 | 140 |
| Pierce | 1 | 139 |
| King | 1 | 54 |
| Snohomish | 1 | 51 |
Yakima saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 36% of all affected workers with 140 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima | 1 | 140 |
| Tacoma | 1 | 139 |
| Bothell | 1 | 54 |
| Everett | 1 | 51 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 279 |
| Layoff | 2 | 105 |
The high proportion of closures (73% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool | Yakima | 140 | Closure | |
| Pinnacle Foods Group | Tacoma | 139 | Closure | |
| Cardiac Science Corporate | Bothell | 54 | Layoff | |
| Radia, Inc. P. S | Everett | 51 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Whirlpool at its Yakima facility, reporting 140 affected workers. Pinnacle Foods Group followed with 139 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.