Washington Layoffs — January 2015
Employers in Washington submitted 6 WARN Act notices in January 2015, putting at risk an estimated 809 workers — up substantially from December and up 387% versus January 2014. The average filing covered 135 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 3 | 485 |
| Retail | 1 | 142 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 93 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 89 |
The Transportation sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 485 workers across 3 notices. Separately, Retail reported 142 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 3 | 398 |
| Franklin | 1 | 180 |
| Clark | 1 | 142 |
| Lewis | 1 | 89 |
King absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 49% of all affected workers with 398 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 2 | 305 |
| Pasco | 1 | 180 |
| Vancouver | 1 | 142 |
| Kent | 1 | 93 |
| Chehalis | 1 | 89 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 223 |
Closures accounted for 28% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | Seattle | 264 | ||
| Swiift Transportation | Pasco | 180 | ||
| Nordstrom | Vancouver | 142 | ||
| Great American Casino | Kent | 93 | Closure | |
| Bradken Foundry | Chehalis | 89 | Closure | |
| United Airlines | Seattle | 41 | Closure |
Topping the list was United Airlines at its Seattle facility, reporting 264 affected workers. Swiift Transportation followed with 180 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation 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.