Washington Layoffs — February 2008
Employers in Washington filed 8 WARN Act notices in February 2008, impacting roughly 1,067 workers — representing a notable rise over January and up 411% versus February 2007. The average filing covered 133 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 4 | 504 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 426 |
| Agriculture | 1 | 130 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 7 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 504 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Healthcare reported 426 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 4 | 441 |
| Franklin | 1 | 335 |
| Spokane | 2 | 161 |
| Pierce | 1 | 130 |
King felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 41% of all affected workers with 441 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Redmond | 1 | 363 |
| Pasco | 1 | 335 |
| Spokane Valley | 2 | 161 |
| Roy | 1 | 130 |
| Bothell | 3 | 78 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 989 |
| Layoff | 3 | 78 |
The high proportion of closures (93% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Health | Redmond | 363 | Closure | |
| J.R. Simplot | Pasco | 335 | Closure | |
| Wilcox Farms | Roy | 130 | Closure | |
| Pristina Pine | Spokane Valley | 98 | Closure | |
| Nastech Pharmaceutical | Bothell | 70 | Layoff | |
| Anesthesiologists Associated | Spokane Valley | 63 | Closure | |
| Seattle Times - North Creek | Bothell | 7 | Layoff | |
| Icos | Bothell | 1 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Group Health at its Redmond facility, reporting 363 affected workers. J.R. Simplot followed with 335 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Manufacturing 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.