Washington Layoffs — December 2023
Employers in Washington filed 4 WARN Act notices in December 2023, impacting roughly 537 workers — representing a notable rise over November and up 122% versus December 2022. The average filing covered 134 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 292 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 178 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 67 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 292 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 178 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 4 | 537 |
King saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 100% of all affected workers with 537 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 1 | 292 |
| Kent | 1 | 121 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 67 |
| Renton | 1 | 57 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 1 | 57 |
Closures accounted for 11% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zulily | Seattle | 292 | ||
| Rexam | Kent | 121 | ||
| Cruise | Bellevue | 67 | ||
| Omron Microscan Systems | Renton | 57 | Closure |
The single largest action involved Zulily at its Seattle facility, reporting 292 affected workers. Rexam followed with 121 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 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.