Washington Layoffs — December 2004
Employers in Washington filed 2 WARN Act notices in December 2004, impacting roughly 316 workers — representing a notable rise over November. The average filing covered 158 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 256 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 60 |
The Finance & Insurance sector led the way in workforce reductions with 256 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Manufacturing reported 60 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 2 | 316 |
King felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 100% of all affected workers with 316 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Way | 1 | 256 |
| Seattle | 1 | 60 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 1 | 256 |
| Layoff | 1 | 60 |
The high proportion of closures (81% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One | Federal Way | 256 | Closure | |
| Corixa | Seattle | 60 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Capital One at its Federal Way facility, reporting 256 affected workers. Corixa followed with 60 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 Finance & Insurance 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.