Washington Layoffs — October 2016
Employers in Washington reported 10 WARN Act notices in October 2016, displacing an estimated 847 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and up 166% versus October 2015. The average filing covered 85 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 2 | 323 |
| Healthcare | 5 | 288 |
| Manufacturing | 3 | 236 |
The Finance & Insurance sector topped the list of affected industries with 323 workers across 2 notices. Notably, Healthcare reported 288 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 5 | 543 |
| Chelan | 2 | 136 |
| Snohomish | 1 | 84 |
| Kittitas | 1 | 48 |
| Douglas | 1 | 36 |
King bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 64% of all affected workers with 543 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 3 | 364 |
| Wenatchee | 2 | 136 |
| Tukwila | 1 | 111 |
| Everett | 1 | 84 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 68 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 265 |
| Layoff | 1 | 56 |
Closures accounted for 31% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One | Seattle | 239 | ||
| Jorgensen Forge | Tukwila | 111 | Closure | |
| Hollander Investments | Everett | 84 | ||
| Colonial Vista Retirement Centers | Wenatchee | 70 | Closure | |
| Ocean Beauty Seafoods | Seattle | 69 | ||
| Healthways SC | Bellevue | 68 | ||
| Healthy Options | Wenatchee | 66 | ||
| Boeing | Seattle | 56 | Layoff | |
| Hearthstone Cottages | Ellensburg | 48 | Closure | |
| Hearthstone Cottages | East Wenatchee | 36 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Capital One at its Seattle facility, reporting 239 affected workers. Jorgensen Forge followed with 111 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Finance & Insurance 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.