Washington Layoffs — February 2018
Employers in Washington posted 7 WARN Act notices in February 2018, affecting an estimated 407 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to January and up 24% versus February 2017. The average filing covered 58 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade | 4 | 269 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 131 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 7 |
The Wholesale Trade sector saw the heaviest impact with 269 workers across 4 notices. On a related front, Manufacturing reported 131 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pierce | 2 | 145 |
| King | 2 | 131 |
| Kitsap | 1 | 70 |
| Thurston | 1 | 56 |
| Clallam | 1 | 5 |
Pierce saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 36% of all affected workers with 145 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Sumner | 1 | 138 |
| Poulsbo | 1 | 70 |
| Federal Way | 1 | 69 |
| Kent | 1 | 62 |
| Tumwater | 1 | 56 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 338 |
| Layoff | 2 | 69 |
The high proportion of closures (83% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marine View Beverage | Sumner | 138 | Closure | |
| Marine View Beverage | Poulsbo | 70 | Closure | |
| Pacific Seafood | Federal Way | 69 | Closure | |
| Cenveo | Kent | 62 | Layoff | |
| Marine View Beverage | Tumwater | 56 | Closure | |
| ASM Research | Lakewood | 7 | Layoff | |
| Marine View Beverage | Port Angeles | 5 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Marine View Beverage at its Sumner facility, reporting 138 affected workers. Marine View Beverage followed with 70 workers.
Trend & Outlook
The trends suggest a mixed picture for Washington's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Wholesale Trade 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.