Employers in Washington reported 14 WARN Act notices in September 2023, displacing an estimated 1,446 workers — signaling a deceleration from August and down 14% versus September 2022. The average filing covered 103 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 6 | 270 |
| Agriculture | 2 | 90 |
The Retail sector topped the list of affected industries with 270 workers across 6 notices. Notably, Agriculture reported 90 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Pierce | 2 | 816 |
| King | 8 | 532 |
Pierce saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 56% of all affected workers with 816 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Tacoma | 2 | 816 |
| Seattle | 8 | 532 |
| Statewide | 2 | 90 |
| King County | 2 | 8 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 543 |
| Layoff | 2 | 135 |
Closures accounted for 38% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WestRock Company | Tacoma | 408 | Closure | 2023-09-13 |
| WestRock | Tacoma | 408 | 2023-09-13 | |
| Flexe, Inc | Seattle | 131 | Layoff | 2023-09-26 |
| Flexe, Inc | Seattle | 131 | 2023-09-26 | |
| Target | Seattle | 51 | Closure | 2023-09-28 |
| Target | Seattle | 51 | 2023-09-28 | |
| Target | Seattle | 51 | 2023-09-29 | |
| American Nursery Services, Inc | Statewide | 45 | Closure | 2023-09-28 |
| American Nursery Services | Statewide | 45 | 2023-09-28 | |
| Target | Seattle | 39 | Closure | 2023-09-28 |
| Target | Seattle | 39 | 2023-09-28 | |
| Target | Seattle | 39 | 2023-09-29 | |
| Divvy Homes, Inc | King County | 4 | Layoff | 2023-09-08 |
| Divvy Homes | King County | 4 | 2023-09-08 |
The most significant filing came from WestRock Company at its Tacoma facility, reporting 408 affected workers. WestRock followed with 408 workers.
The numbers illustrate a easing in workforce disruptions across Washington, with filings falling below both recent and year-ago levels. 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.
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