Washington Layoffs — October 2020
Employers in Washington filed 7 WARN Act notices in October 2020, impacting roughly 1,485 workers — representing a notable rise over September and up 34% versus October 2019. The average filing covered 212 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 1,073 |
| Transportation | 3 | 255 |
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 86 |
| Government | 1 | 71 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,073 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Transportation reported 255 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 6 | 1,352 |
| Yakima | 1 | 133 |
King bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 91% of all affected workers with 1,352 workers across 6 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 4 | 1,263 |
| Yakima | 1 | 133 |
| Kirkland | 1 | 86 |
| SeaTac | 1 | 3 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 86 |
| Closure | 1 | 71 |
Closures accounted for 5% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing | Seattle | 940 | ||
| National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) | Seattle | 141 | ||
| Sonoco Products | Yakima | 133 | ||
| American Airlines | Seattle | 111 | ||
| Southrest Inc. DBA The Woodmark | Kirkland | 86 | Layoff | |
| Transom Highlights Holdings Corp DBA Gene Juarez Salons, Spas, and Academies | Seattle | 71 | Closure | |
| American Airlines | SeaTac | 3 |
The single largest action involved Boeing at its Seattle facility, reporting 940 affected workers. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) followed with 141 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.