Washington Layoffs — May 2019
Employers in Washington posted 3 WARN Act notices in May 2019, affecting an estimated 1,410 workers — reflecting a significant uptick compared to April and up 547% versus May 2018. The average filing covered 470 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Information & Technology | 1 | 1,066 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 210 |
| Retail | 1 | 134 |
The Information & Technology sector saw the heaviest impact with 1,066 workers across 1 notice. On a related front, Mining & Energy reported 210 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 2 | 1,200 |
| Pend Oreille | 1 | 210 |
King absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 85% of all affected workers with 1,200 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 2 | 1,200 |
| Metaline Falls | 1 | 210 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 1,276 |
| Closure | 1 | 134 |
Closures accounted for 10% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security Industry Specialists | Seattle | 1,066 | Layoff | |
| Teck | Metaline Falls | 210 | Layoff | |
| Macy's | Seattle | 134 | Closure |
The largest notice was filed by Security Industry Specialists at its Seattle facility, reporting 1,066 affected workers. Teck followed with 210 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 Information & Technology 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.