Employers in Washington recorded 4 WARN Act notices in May 2011, covering approximately 598 workers — marking a sharp increase from April and up 312% versus May 2010. The average filing covered 150 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 231 |
| Education | 1 | 168 |
The Manufacturing sector accounted for the largest share of job cuts with 231 workers across 1 notice. At the same time, Education reported 168 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 2 | 277 |
| Grays Harbor | 1 | 231 |
| Kitsap | 1 | 90 |
King bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 46% of all affected workers with 277 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Hoquiam | 1 | 231 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 168 |
| Seattle | 1 | 109 |
| Keyport | 1 | 90 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 598 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grays Harbor Paper, LLC | Hoquiam | 231 | Closure | 2011-05-27 |
| Insight Schools, Inc | Bellevue | 168 | Closure | 2011-05-26 |
| Petermann Northwest LLC | Seattle | 109 | Closure | 2011-05-27 |
| BAE Systems | Keyport | 90 | Closure | 2011-05-10 |
Leading the list was Grays Harbor Paper, LLC at its Hoquiam facility, reporting 231 affected workers. Insight Schools, Inc followed with 168 workers.
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The filings reflect 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.
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