Employers in Washington reported 7 WARN Act notices in March 2005, displacing an estimated 574 workers — signaling an acceleration from February and down 76% versus March 2004. The average filing covered 82 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 3 | 196 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 73 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 196 workers across 3 notices. Notably, Information & Technology reported 73 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 2 | 187 |
| Yakima | 2 | 185 |
| Franklin | 1 | 64 |
King felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 33% of all affected workers with 187 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima | 2 | 185 |
| Seattle | 1 | 144 |
| Bothell, Redmond | 1 | 73 |
| Smokey Point | 1 | 65 |
| Pasco | 1 | 64 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 458 |
| Layoff | 2 | 116 |
The high proportion of closures (80% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qwest | Seattle | 144 | Closure | 2005-03-25 |
| Yakima Resources | Yakima | 118 | Closure | 2005-03-02 |
| Cingular Wireless | Bothell, Redmond | 73 | Layoff | 2005-03-01 |
| Brown & Cole Stores | Yakima | 67 | Closure | 2005-03-08 |
| Brown & Cole Stores | Smokey Point | 65 | Closure | 2005-03-08 |
| Brown & Cole Stores | Pasco | 64 | Closure | 2005-03-08 |
| Phillips Ultrasound, Inc | Bothell | 43 | Layoff | 2005-03-17 |
The most significant filing came from Qwest at its Seattle facility, reporting 144 affected workers. Yakima Resources followed with 118 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate a mixed picture for Washington's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.
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