Washington Layoffs — May 2011
Employers in Washington logged 4 WARN Act notices in May 2011, involving roughly 598 workers — climbing above April and up 312% versus May 2010. The average filing covered 150 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 321 |
| Education | 1 | 168 |
| Transportation | 1 | 109 |
The Manufacturing sector dominated layoff filings with 321 workers across 2 notices. Meanwhile, Education reported 168 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| 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 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| 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.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grays Harbor Paper | Hoquiam | 231 | Closure | |
| Insight Schools | Bellevue | 168 | Closure | |
| Petermann Northwest | Seattle | 109 | Closure | |
| BAE Systems | Keyport | 90 | Closure |
The biggest impact was at Grays Harbor Paper at its Hoquiam facility, reporting 231 affected workers. Insight Schools followed with 168 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
This data points to 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.