Washington Layoffs — January 2013
Employers in Washington logged 5 WARN Act notices in January 2013, involving roughly 659 workers — climbing above December and up 295% versus January 2012. The average filing covered 132 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 363 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 150 |
| Retail | 1 | 85 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 59 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 2 |
The Accommodation & Food sector dominated layoff filings with 363 workers across 1 notice. Meanwhile, Agriculture reported 150 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 3 | 450 |
| Pierce | 1 | 150 |
| Snohomish | 1 | 59 |
King felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 68% of all affected workers with 450 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 3 | 450 |
| Porter | 1 | 150 |
| Lynnwood | 1 | 59 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 659 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levy Premium Foodservice | Seattle | 363 | Closure | |
| Briggs Nursery | Porter | 150 | Closure | |
| Kmart | Seattle | 85 | Closure | |
| Pacific Physicians' Laboratory | Lynnwood | 59 | Closure | |
| American Suzuki Motor | Seattle | 2 | Closure |
The biggest impact was at Levy Premium Foodservice at its Seattle facility, reporting 363 affected workers. Briggs Nursery followed with 150 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
This data points to mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Accommodation & Food 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.