Washington Layoffs — April 2023
Employers in Washington reported 6 WARN Act notices in April 2023, displacing an estimated 9,673 workers — signaling an acceleration from March and up 1846% versus April 2022. The average filing covered 1612 workers, with 5 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 1 | 9,266 |
| Education | 2 | 243 |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 121 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 43 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 9,266 workers across 1 notice. Notably, Education reported 243 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 1 | 9,266 |
| Spokane | 2 | 232 |
| King | 3 | 175 |
Montgomery bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 96% of all affected workers with 9,266 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Conshohocken | 1 | 9,266 |
| Spokane | 2 | 232 |
| Seattle | 3 | 175 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 5 | 9,656 |
| Layoff | 1 | 17 |
The high proportion of closures (100% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David's Bridal | Conshohocken | 9,266 | Closure | |
| Durham School Services | Spokane | 226 | Closure | |
| Phoenix Processor Limited Partnership | Seattle | 115 | Closure | |
| Q2 Solutions | Seattle | 43 | Closure | |
| Summit Public Schools Washington | Seattle | 17 | Layoff | |
| Elkay Interior Systems | Spokane | 6 | Closure |
The most significant filing came from David's Bridal at its Conshohocken facility, reporting 9,266 affected workers. Durham School Services followed with 226 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Washington labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Retail 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.