Employers in Washington submitted 8 WARN Act notices in February 2008, putting at risk an estimated 1,129 workers — up substantially from January and up 440% versus February 2007. The average filing covered 141 workers, with 6 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 1 | 363 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 130 |
The Healthcare sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 363 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Agriculture reported 130 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 3 | 371 |
| Franklin | 1 | 335 |
| Clallam | 1 | 132 |
| Pierce | 1 | 130 |
King was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 33% of all affected workers with 371 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Redmond | 1 | 363 |
| Pasco | 1 | 335 |
| Spokane Valley | 2 | 161 |
| Port Angeles | 1 | 132 |
| Roy | 1 | 130 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 6 | 1,121 |
| Layoff | 2 | 8 |
The high proportion of closures (99% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Health | Redmond | 363 | Closure | 2008-02-25 |
| J.R. Simplot | Pasco | 335 | Closure | 2008-02-15 |
| K Ply, Inc | Port Angeles | 132 | Closure | 2008-02-29 |
| Wilcox Farms | Roy | 130 | Closure | 2008-02-04 |
| Pristina Pine | Spokane Valley | 98 | Closure | 2008-02-13 |
| Anesthesiologists Associated | Spokane Valley | 63 | Closure | 2008-02-20 |
| Seattle Times - North Creek | Bothell | 7 | Layoff | 2008-02-04 |
| ICOS Corporation | Bothell | 1 | Layoff | 2008-02-06 |
Topping the list was Group Health at its Redmond facility, reporting 363 affected workers. J.R. Simplot followed with 335 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
These figures highlight mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Healthcare 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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