Washington Layoffs — January 2023
Employers in Washington submitted 6 WARN Act notices in January 2023, putting at risk an estimated 3,486 workers — up substantially from December and up 1600% versus January 2022. The average filing covered 581 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 2,300 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 878 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 257 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 51 |
The Retail sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 2,300 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Information & Technology reported 878 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 5 | 3,444 |
| Clark | 1 | 42 |
King felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 99% of all affected workers with 3,444 workers across 5 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 2 | 2,309 |
| Redmond | 2 | 988 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 147 |
| Camas | 1 | 42 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 5 | 3,339 |
| Closure | 1 | 147 |
Closures accounted for 4% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Seattle | 2,300 | Layoff | |
| Microsoft | Redmond | 878 | Layoff | |
| Brinker International Payroll Co LP, Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant | Bellevue | 147 | Closure | |
| Compass Group USA | Redmond | 110 | Layoff | |
| Sigma Design | Camas | 42 | Layoff | |
| Specialized Bicycle Components | Seattle | 9 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Amazon at its Seattle facility, reporting 2,300 affected workers. Microsoft followed with 878 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 Retail 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.