Washington Layoffs — May 2019
Employers in Washington submitted 3 WARN Act notices in May 2019, putting at risk an estimated 1,410 workers — up substantially from April and up 547% versus May 2018. The average filing covered 470 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 1 | 1,066 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 210 |
| Retail | 1 | 134 |
The Information & Technology sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 1,066 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Mining & Energy reported 210 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 2 | 1,200 |
| Pend Oreille | 1 | 210 |
King was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 85% of all affected workers with 1,200 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 2 | 1,200 |
| Metaline Falls | 1 | 210 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 1,276 |
| Closure | 1 | 134 |
Closures accounted for 10% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security Industry Specialists | Seattle | 1,066 | Layoff | |
| Teck | Metaline Falls | 210 | Layoff | |
| Macy's | Seattle | 134 | Closure |
Topping the list was Security Industry Specialists at its Seattle facility, reporting 1,066 affected workers. Teck followed with 210 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Information & Technology 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.