Washington Layoffs — March 2018
Employers in Washington filed 4 WARN Act notices in March 2018, impacting roughly 314 workers — representing a pullback from February and up 4% versus March 2017. The average filing covered 78 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 202 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 61 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 51 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 202 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Information & Technology reported 61 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 2 | 171 |
| Snohomish | 1 | 92 |
| Pierce | 1 | 51 |
King bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 54% of all affected workers with 171 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | 1 | 110 |
| Stanwood | 1 | 92 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 61 |
| Tacoma | 1 | 51 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 222 |
The high proportion of closures (71% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flow International | Kent | 110 | Closure | |
| Twin City Foods | Stanwood | 92 | ||
| Hitachi | Bellevue | 61 | Closure | |
| CHI Franciscan Health | Tacoma | 51 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Flow International at its Kent facility, reporting 110 affected workers. Twin City Foods followed with 92 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Washington's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.