Washington Layoffs — January 2018
Employers in Washington posted 4 WARN Act notices in January 2018, affecting an estimated 738 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to December and up 26% versus January 2017. The average filing covered 184 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 3 | 495 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 243 |
The Retail sector saw the heaviest impact with 495 workers across 3 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 243 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 3 | 495 |
| Clark | 1 | 243 |
King felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 67% of all affected workers with 495 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Camas | 1 | 243 |
| Renton | 1 | 179 |
| Auburn | 1 | 168 |
| Seattle | 1 | 148 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 738 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Pacific | Camas | 243 | Closure | |
| Sam's Club | Renton | 179 | Closure | |
| Sam's Club | Auburn | 168 | Closure | |
| Sam's Club | Seattle | 148 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Georgia Pacific at its Camas facility, reporting 243 affected workers. Sam's Club followed with 179 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.