Washington Layoffs — October 2023
Employers in Washington recorded 9 WARN Act notices in October 2023, covering approximately 1,059 workers — marking a sharp increase from September and down 42% versus October 2022. The average filing covered 118 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 3 | 756 |
| Accommodation & Food | 2 | 131 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 47 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 45 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 41 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 39 |
The Transportation sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 756 workers across 3 notices. At the same time, Accommodation & Food reported 131 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 9 | 1,059 |
King was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 100% of all affected workers with 1,059 workers across 9 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 6 | 808 |
| Bellevue | 2 | 204 |
| Kent | 1 | 47 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 704 |
| Layoff | 3 | 145 |
The high proportion of closures (66% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convoy | Seattle | 533 | Closure | |
| Flexport | Bellevue | 165 | ||
| Hard Rock International (USA) | Seattle | 66 | Closure | |
| HMSHost | Seattle | 65 | Layoff | |
| Cygnus Home Service, LLC DBA Yelloh | Seattle | 58 | Closure | |
| Magnum Venus Products | Kent | 47 | Closure | |
| American Nursery Services | Seattle | 45 | ||
| Crothall Healthcare | Seattle | 41 | Layoff | |
| Epic Games | Bellevue | 39 | Layoff |
Leading the list was Convoy at its Seattle facility, reporting 533 affected workers. Flexport followed with 165 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The filings reflect a mixed picture for Washington's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Transportation 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.