Washington Layoffs — May 2016
Employers in Washington submitted 6 WARN Act notices in May 2016, putting at risk an estimated 1,032 workers — up substantially from April and up 1047% versus May 2015. The average filing covered 172 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 467 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 435 |
| Retail | 1 | 70 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 57 |
| Other | 1 | 3 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 467 workers across 2 notices. Separately, Information & Technology reported 435 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Benton | 1 | 435 |
| Franklin | 1 | 250 |
| Mason | 1 | 217 |
| Pierce | 1 | 70 |
| Skagit | 1 | 57 |
Benton was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 42% of all affected workers with 435 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Richland | 1 | 435 |
| Pasco | 1 | 250 |
| Shelton | 1 | 217 |
| Tacoma | 1 | 70 |
| Anacortes | 1 | 57 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 959 |
| Layoff | 1 | 3 |
The high proportion of closures (93% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Closure Hanford | Richland | 435 | Closure | |
| CRF Frozen Foods | Pasco | 250 | Closure | |
| Olympic Panel Products | Shelton | 217 | Closure | |
| Forever 21 | Tacoma | 70 | ||
| Broadspectrum | Anacortes | 57 | Closure | |
| Summit Management | Winlock | 3 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Washington Closure Hanford at its Richland facility, reporting 435 affected workers. CRF Frozen Foods followed with 250 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 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.