Washington Layoffs — October 2015

Employers in Washington submitted 5 WARN Act notices in October 2015, putting at risk an estimated 554 workers — down from September and down 56% versus October 2014. The average filing covered 111 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.

Industry Breakdown

Industry	Notices	Workers
Manufacturing	2	216
Accommodation & Food	1	82

The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 216 workers across 2 notices. Separately, Accommodation & Food reported 82 workers.

Geographic Hotspots

County	Notices	Workers
Whatcom	2	256
King	2	216
Clark	1	82

Whatcom bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 46% of all affected workers with 256 workers across 2 notices.

City	Notices	Workers
Bellingham	2	256
Renton	2	216
Vancouver	1	82

Layoff Type Analysis

Type	Notices	Workers
Closure	2	236

Closures accounted for 43% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.

Largest Layoffs

Company	City	Workers	Type	Date
Ch2M	Bellingham	128	Closure	2015-10-20
Ch2M	Bellingham	128		2015-10-20
Graphic Packaging	Renton	108	Closure	2015-10-08
Graphic Packaging	Renton	108		2015-10-08
Red Lion Hotel	Vancouver	82		2015-10-31

Topping the list was Ch2M at its Bellingham facility, reporting 128 affected workers. Ch2M followed with 128 workers.

Trend & Outlook

These figures highlight a easing in workforce disruptions across Washington, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. 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.