Washington Layoffs — December 2009
Employers in Washington posted 3 WARN Act notices in December 2009, affecting an estimated 136 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to November and down 61% versus December 2008. The average filing covered 45 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 136 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 136 workers across 3 notices.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima | 1 | 75 |
| King | 2 | 61 |
Yakima felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 55% of all affected workers with 75 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Tieton | 1 | 75 |
| Seattle | 1 | 56 |
| Auburn | 1 | 5 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 131 |
| Closure | 1 | 5 |
Closures accounted for 4% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPC International Apple | Tieton | 75 | Layoff | |
| Boeing | Seattle | 56 | Layoff | |
| Walter Meier | Auburn | 5 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by CPC International Apple at its Tieton facility, reporting 75 affected workers. Boeing followed with 56 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest a mixed picture for Washington's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. 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.