Washington Layoffs — April 2011
Employers in Washington posted 4 WARN Act notices in April 2011, affecting an estimated 384 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to March and up 207% versus April 2010. The average filing covered 96 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3 | 333 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 51 |
The Manufacturing sector saw the heaviest impact with 333 workers across 3 notices. On a related front, Professional Services reported 51 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima | 1 | 140 |
| Pierce | 1 | 139 |
| King | 1 | 54 |
| Snohomish | 1 | 51 |
Yakima bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 36% of all affected workers with 140 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima | 1 | 140 |
| Tacoma | 1 | 139 |
| Bothell | 1 | 54 |
| Everett | 1 | 51 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 279 |
| Layoff | 2 | 105 |
The high proportion of closures (73% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool | Yakima | 140 | Closure | |
| Pinnacle Foods Group | Tacoma | 139 | Closure | |
| Cardiac Science Corporate | Bothell | 54 | Layoff | |
| Radia, Inc. P. S | Everett | 51 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Whirlpool at its Yakima facility, reporting 140 affected workers. Pinnacle Foods Group followed with 139 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest 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.