Washington Layoffs — December 2018
Employers in Washington reported 4 WARN Act notices in December 2018, displacing an estimated 261 workers — signaling an acceleration from November and up 302% versus December 2017. The average filing covered 65 workers, with 3 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 102 |
| Transportation | 1 | 75 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 58 |
| Healthcare | 1 | 26 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 102 workers across 1 notice. Notably, Transportation reported 75 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 3 | 235 |
| Thurston | 1 | 26 |
King felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 90% of all affected workers with 235 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 1 | 102 |
| Everett and Renton | 1 | 75 |
| Bellevue | 1 | 58 |
| Lacey | 1 | 26 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 3 | 186 |
| Layoff | 1 | 75 |
The high proportion of closures (71% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julep Beauty | Seattle | 102 | Closure | |
| Employee Transportation Services | Everett and Renton | 75 | Layoff | |
| Thomson Reuters | Bellevue | 58 | Closure | |
| Providence | Lacey | 26 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from Julep Beauty at its Seattle facility, reporting 102 affected workers. Employee Transportation Services followed with 75 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate 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.