Washington Layoffs — December 2018
Employers in Washington recorded 4 WARN Act notices in December 2018, covering approximately 261 workers — marking a sharp increase from November and up 302% versus December 2017. The average filing covered 65 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 102 |
| Transportation | 1 | 75 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 58 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 26 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 102 workers across 1 notice. At the same time, Transportation reported 75 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 3 | 235 |
| Thurston | 1 | 26 |
King saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 90% of all affected workers with 235 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 1 | 102 |
| Everett and Renton | 1 | 75 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 58 |
| Lacey | 1 | 26 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 186 |
| Layoff | 1 | 75 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julep Beauty | Seattle | 102 | Closure | |
| Employee Transportation Services | Everett and Renton | 75 | Layoff | |
| Thomson Reuters | Bellevue | 58 | Closure | |
| Providence | Lacey | 26 | Closure |
Leading the list was Julep Beauty at its Seattle facility, reporting 102 affected workers. Employee Transportation Services followed with 75 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.