Washington Layoffs — May 2008
Employers in Washington filed 3 WARN Act notices in May 2008, impacting roughly 198 workers — representing a notable rise over April and up 312% versus May 2007. The average filing covered 66 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 112 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 84 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 2 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 112 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Finance & Insurance reported 84 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 3 | 198 |
King was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 100% of all affected workers with 198 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Kent | 1 | 112 |
| Bellevue | 2 | 86 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 196 |
| Layoff | 1 | 2 |
The high proportion of closures (99% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball | Kent | 112 | Closure | |
| Washington Mutual | Bellevue | 84 | Closure | |
| Sun Microsystems | Bellevue | 2 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Ball at its Kent facility, reporting 112 affected workers. Washington Mutual followed with 84 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 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.