Washington Layoffs — June 2022
Employers in Washington reported 4 WARN Act notices in June 2022, displacing an estimated 323 workers — signaling an acceleration from May and up 176% versus June 2021. The average filing covered 81 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale Trade | 2 | 143 |
| Transportation | 1 | 125 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 55 |
The Wholesale Trade sector topped the list of affected industries with 143 workers across 2 notices. Notably, Transportation reported 125 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pierce | 2 | 143 |
| Yakima | 1 | 125 |
| Thurston | 1 | 55 |
Pierce felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 44% of all affected workers with 143 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Sumner | 2 | 143 |
| Yakima | 1 | 125 |
| Lacey | 1 | 55 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 125 |
| Closure | 1 | 27 |
Closures accounted for 8% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kershaw Fruit and Cold Storage | Yakima | 125 | Layoff | |
| Shining Ocean, Inc. DBA Aquamar | Sumner | 116 | ||
| VSPOne | Lacey | 55 | ||
| Shining Ocean, Inc. DBA Aquamar | Sumner | 27 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Kershaw Fruit and Cold Storage at its Yakima facility, reporting 125 affected workers. Shining Ocean, Inc. DBA Aquamar followed with 116 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Wholesale Trade 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.