Washington Layoffs — August 2012
Employers in Washington reported 4 WARN Act notices in August 2012, displacing an estimated 926 workers — signaling an acceleration from July and up 45% versus August 2011. The average filing covered 232 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 1 | 827 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 59 |
| Professional Services | 2 | 40 |
The Healthcare sector topped the list of affected industries with 827 workers across 1 notice. Notably, Manufacturing reported 59 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 2 | 886 |
| Pierce | 1 | 35 |
| Benton | 1 | 5 |
King felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 96% of all affected workers with 886 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Auburn | 1 | 827 |
| Kent | 1 | 59 |
| Milton | 1 | 35 |
| Richland | 1 | 5 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 3 | 891 |
| Closure | 1 | 35 |
Closures accounted for 4% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auburn Regional Medical Center | Auburn | 827 | Layoff | |
| Berry Plastics | Kent | 59 | Layoff | |
| Harland Clarke Holdings | Milton | 35 | Closure | |
| AREVA Federal Services | Richland | 5 | Layoff |
The most significant filing came from Auburn Regional Medical Center at its Auburn facility, reporting 827 affected workers. Berry Plastics followed with 59 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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.