Washington Layoffs — August 2019
Employers in Washington filed 6 WARN Act notices in August 2019, impacting roughly 963 workers — representing a notable rise over July. The average filing covered 160 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 367 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1 | 280 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 169 |
| Transportation | 1 | 86 |
| Construction | 1 | 61 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 367 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Wholesale Trade reported 280 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pierce | 2 | 449 |
| Yakima | 1 | 300 |
| King | 2 | 153 |
| Skagit | 1 | 61 |
Pierce felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 47% of all affected workers with 449 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Tacoma | 2 | 449 |
| Yakima | 1 | 300 |
| Seattle | 1 | 86 |
| Kent | 1 | 67 |
| Anacortes | 1 | 61 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 963 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca Foods | Yakima | 300 | Closure | |
| United Natural Foods/SUPERVALU | Tacoma | 280 | Closure | |
| Conifer | Tacoma | 169 | Closure | |
| First Transit | Seattle | 86 | Closure | |
| Nestle | Kent | 67 | Closure | |
| Brinderson | Anacortes | 61 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Seneca Foods at its Yakima facility, reporting 300 affected workers. United Natural Foods/SUPERVALU followed with 280 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores 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.