Washington Layoffs — April 2008
Employers in Washington posted 3 WARN Act notices in April 2008, affecting an estimated 177 workers — reflecting a cooling compared to March and down 68% versus April 2007. The average filing covered 59 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 2 | 158 |
| Education | 1 | 19 |
The Agriculture sector saw the heaviest impact with 158 workers across 2 notices. On a related front, Education reported 19 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pierce | 1 | 111 |
| Spokane | 1 | 47 |
| Clark | 1 | 19 |
Pierce absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 63% of all affected workers with 111 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Tacoma | 1 | 111 |
| Cheney | 1 | 47 |
| Vancouver | 1 | 19 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 111 |
| Closure | 2 | 66 |
Closures accounted for 37% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simpson Timber | Tacoma | 111 | Layoff | |
| Wilcox Farms | Cheney | 47 | Closure | |
| Educational Opportunities for Children and Family | Vancouver | 19 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Simpson Timber at its Tacoma facility, reporting 111 affected workers. Wilcox Farms followed with 47 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This is the third consecutive month of declining layoff activity.
The trends suggest a easing in workforce disruptions across Washington, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. The Agriculture 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.