Washington Layoffs — January 2016
Employers in Washington posted 2 WARN Act notices in January 2016, affecting an estimated 181 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to December and down 78% versus January 2015. The average filing covered 90 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 2 | 181 |
The Retail sector saw the heaviest impact with 181 workers across 2 notices.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane | 1 | 94 |
| Pierce | 1 | 87 |
Spokane absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 52% of all affected workers with 94 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Spokane | 1 | 94 |
| Puyallup | 1 | 87 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 181 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macy's | Spokane | 94 | Closure | |
| Haggen Food & Pharmacy | Puyallup | 87 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Macy's at its Spokane facility, reporting 94 affected workers. Haggen Food & Pharmacy followed with 87 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The trends suggest a easing in workforce disruptions across Washington, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Retail 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.