Employers in Washington reported 9 WARN Act notices in May 2009, displacing an estimated 1,794 workers — signaling an acceleration from April and up 806% versus May 2008. The average filing covered 199 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry classification was not available for filings in Washington this month. A total of 1,794 workers were affected across 9 notices.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 4 | 1,427 |
| Pierce | 1 | 111 |
| Thurston | 2 | 86 |
| Grays Harbor | 1 | 53 |
King bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 80% of all affected workers with 1,427 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Redmond | 1 | 1,200 |
| Puget Sound | 1 | 117 |
| Tacoma | 1 | 111 |
| Bothell | 1 | 101 |
| Seattle | 1 | 81 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 5 | 1,516 |
| Closure | 4 | 278 |
Closures accounted for 15% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Redmond | 1,200 | Layoff | 2009-05-05 |
| Boeing | Puget Sound | 117 | Layoff | 2009-05-22 |
| Coast Engine & Equipment | Tacoma | 111 | Closure | 2009-05-04 |
| Amgen | Bothell | 101 | Layoff | 2009-05-14 |
| Ruan Transportation | Seattle | 81 | Closure | 2009-05-28 |
| Weyerhaeuser Forest Operation | Cosmopolis | 53 | Layoff | 2009-05-22 |
| Spring Air | Lacey | 45 | Layoff | 2009-05-04 |
| Johnson Controls Inc | Bellevue | 45 | Closure | 2009-05-18 |
| CDG Management | Olympia | 41 | Closure | 2009-05-15 |
The most significant filing came from Microsoft at its Redmond facility, reporting 1,200 affected workers. Boeing followed with 117 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks.
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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