Employers in Washington logged 6 WARN Act notices in October 2011, involving roughly 1,275 workers — climbing above September and up 597% versus October 2010. The average filing covered 212 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Admin & Support Services | 1 | 222 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 76 |
The Admin & Support Services sector dominated layoff filings with 222 workers across 1 notice. Meanwhile, Manufacturing reported 76 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Snohomish | 3 | 903 |
| Pierce | 1 | 92 |
| King | 1 | 58 |
Snohomish bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 71% of all affected workers with 903 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Everett | 1 | 760 |
| Statewide | 1 | 222 |
| Tacoma | 1 | 92 |
| Darrington | 1 | 76 |
| Arlington | 1 | 67 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 977 |
| Layoff | 2 | 298 |
The high proportion of closures (77% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimberly-Clark Corporation | Everett | 760 | Closure | 2011-10-19 |
| Washington State Employment Security Department | Statewide | 222 | Layoff | 2011-10-21 |
| Lowe's HIW, Inc | Tacoma | 92 | Closure | 2011-10-20 |
| Hampton Lumber Mills | Darrington | 76 | Layoff | 2011-10-12 |
| BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc | Arlington | 67 | Closure | 2011-10-13 |
| Kerry Ingredients & Flavours | Kent | 58 | Closure | 2011-10-13 |
The biggest impact was at Kimberly-Clark Corporation at its Everett facility, reporting 760 affected workers. Washington State Employment Security Department followed with 222 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Admin & Support Services 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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