Washington Layoffs — October 2011
Employers in Washington filed 6 WARN Act notices in October 2011, impacting roughly 1,275 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 597% versus October 2010. The average filing covered 212 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 961 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 222 |
| Retail | 1 | 92 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 961 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 222 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Snohomish | 3 | 903 |
| Thurston | 1 | 222 |
| Pierce | 1 | 92 |
| King | 1 | 58 |
Snohomish bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 71% of all affected workers with 903 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Everett | 1 | 760 |
| Olympia | 1 | 222 |
| Tacoma | 1 | 92 |
| Darrington | 1 | 76 |
| Arlington | 1 | 67 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 977 |
| Layoff | 2 | 298 |
The high proportion of closures (77% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimberly-Clark | Everett | 760 | Closure | |
| Washington State Employment Security Department | Olympia | 222 | Layoff | |
| Lowe's HIW | Tacoma | 92 | Closure | |
| Hampton Lumber Mills | Darrington | 76 | Layoff | |
| BlueScope Buildings North America | Arlington | 67 | Closure | |
| Kerry Ingredients & Flavours | Kent | 58 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Kimberly-Clark at its Everett facility, reporting 760 affected workers. Washington State Employment Security Department followed with 222 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.