Washington Layoffs — August 2015
Employers in Washington filed 7 WARN Act notices in August 2015, impacting roughly 383 workers — representing a notable rise over July and down 26% versus August 2014. The average filing covered 55 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 189 |
| Information & Technology | 3 | 132 |
| Retail | 1 | 62 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 189 workers across 3 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 132 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 5 | 194 |
| Pierce | 2 | 189 |
King bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 51% of all affected workers with 194 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Tacoma | 1 | 127 |
| Bellevue | 2 | 108 |
| Seattle | 3 | 86 |
| Spanaway | 1 | 62 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 189 |
| Layoff | 4 | 171 |
Closures accounted for 49% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interfor | Tacoma | 127 | Closure | |
| HTC America | Bellevue | 85 | Layoff | |
| Haggen Food & Pharmacy | Spanaway | 62 | Closure | |
| Boeing | Seattle | 39 | Layoff | |
| HTC America Innovation | Seattle | 24 | Layoff | |
| HTC America | Bellevue | 23 | Layoff | |
| Boeing | Seattle | 23 |
The single largest action involved Interfor at its Tacoma facility, reporting 127 affected workers. HTC America followed with 85 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Washington's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.