Washington DC Layoffs — September 2008
Employers in Washington DC filed 3 WARN Act notices in September 2008, impacting roughly 659 workers — representing a notable rise over August and up 69% versus September 2007. The average filing covered 220 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Government | 2 | 561 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 98 |
The Government sector led the way in workforce reductions with 561 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Professional Services reported 98 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| District Of Columbia | 1 | 98 |
District Of Columbia was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 15% of all affected workers with 98 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 1 | 98 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 561 |
| Closure | 1 | 98 |
Closures accounted for 15% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US House of Representatives | 456 | Layoff | ||
| US Department of Agriculture | 105 | Layoff | ||
| Heller Ehrman | Washington | 98 | Closure |
The single largest action involved US House of Representatives at its Washington DC facility, reporting 456 affected workers. US Department of Agriculture followed with 105 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Washington DC labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Government sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Washington DC. 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 DC WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.