Washington Layoffs — October 2009

Employers in Washington submitted 5 WARN Act notices in October 2009, putting at risk an estimated 436 workers — up substantially from September and down 67% versus October 2008. The average filing covered 87 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.

Industry Breakdown

Industry	Notices	Workers
Finance & Insurance	1	60

The Finance & Insurance sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 60 workers across 1 notice.

Geographic Hotspots

County	Notices	Workers
Pierce	1	171
King	2	164

Pierce bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 39% of all affected workers with 171 workers across 1 notices.

City	Notices	Workers
Tacoma	1	171
Auburn	1	104
Puget Sound	2	101
Kirkland	1	60

Layoff Type Analysis

Type	Notices	Workers
Closure	3	335
Layoff	2	101

The high proportion of closures (77% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.

Largest Layoffs

Company	City	Workers	Type	Date
Expedia, Inc	Tacoma	171	Closure	2009-10-22
Brandrud	Auburn	104	Closure	2009-10-05
Wells Fargo Mortgage	Kirkland	60	Closure	2009-10-08
Boeing	Puget Sound	53	Layoff	2009-10-09
Boeing	Puget Sound	48	Layoff	2009-10-30

Topping the list was Expedia, Inc at its Tacoma facility, reporting 171 affected workers. Brandrud followed with 104 workers.

Trend & Outlook

After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.

These figures highlight a mixed picture for Washington's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Finance & Insurance 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.