Washington Layoffs — May 2025
Employers in Washington submitted 9 WARN Act notices in May 2025, putting at risk an estimated 2,933 workers — up substantially from April and up 277% versus May 2024. The average filing covered 326 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Education | 1 | 100 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 81 |
| Transportation | 1 | 1 |
The Education sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 100 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Manufacturing reported 81 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 4 | 2,224 |
| Spokane | 1 | 310 |
| Yakima | 1 | 198 |
| Skagit | 1 | 119 |
| Klickitat | 1 | 81 |
King was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 76% of all affected workers with 2,224 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Redmond | 1 | 1,985 |
| Spokane Valley | 1 | 310 |
| Yakima | 1 | 198 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 131 |
| Sedro Woolley | 1 | 119 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 6 | 2,602 |
| Closure | 3 | 331 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Redmond | 1,985 | Layoff | |
| Incyte Diagnostics | Spokane Valley | 310 | Layoff | |
| Enterprise for Progress in the Community (EPIC) | Yakima | 198 | Layoff | |
| The Bartell Drug Company (Rite Aid) | Des Moines | 131 | Closure | |
| LifeSkills Connection | Sedro Woolley | 119 | Closure | |
| College Success Foundation | Bellevue | 100 | Layoff | |
| SDS Lumber | Bingen | 81 | Closure | |
| Starbucks | Seattle | 8 | Layoff | |
| Emerald Transport | Quincy | 1 | Layoff |
Topping the list was Microsoft at its Redmond facility, reporting 1,985 affected workers. Incyte Diagnostics followed with 310 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 Education 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.