Washington Layoffs — October 2018
Employers in Washington reported 4 WARN Act notices in October 2018, displacing an estimated 561 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and up 74% versus October 2017. The average filing covered 140 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 1 | 269 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 164 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 128 |
The Agriculture sector topped the list of affected industries with 269 workers across 1 notice. Notably, Healthcare reported 164 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pierce | 1 | 269 |
| King | 2 | 227 |
| Snohomish | 1 | 65 |
Pierce was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 48% of all affected workers with 269 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Tacoma | 1 | 269 |
| Federal Way | 1 | 164 |
| Stanwood | 1 | 65 |
| Seattle | 1 | 63 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 227 |
Closures accounted for 40% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Farm | Tacoma | 269 | ||
| QualChoice Health Plan Services | Federal Way | 164 | Closure | |
| Twin City Foods | Stanwood | 65 | ||
| ZymoGenetics | Seattle | 63 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from State Farm at its Tacoma facility, reporting 269 affected workers. QualChoice Health Plan Services followed with 164 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Agriculture 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.