Washington Layoffs — December 2016
Employers in Washington posted 3 WARN Act notices in December 2016, affecting an estimated 901 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to November and up 104% versus December 2015. The average filing covered 300 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation & Food | 1 | 761 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 79 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 61 |
The Accommodation & Food sector saw the heaviest impact with 761 workers across 1 notice. On a related front, Healthcare reported 79 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 3 | 901 |
King felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 100% of all affected workers with 901 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 2 | 840 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 61 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 2 | 840 |
The high proportion of closures (93% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Sportservice | Seattle | 761 | Closure | |
| Spectrum Health Systems | Seattle | 79 | Closure | |
| Disney Social Games | Bellevue | 61 |
The largest notice was filed by Seattle Sportservice at its Seattle facility, reporting 761 affected workers. Spectrum Health Systems followed with 79 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 Accommodation & Food 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.