Washington Layoffs — May 2024
Employers in Washington submitted 7 WARN Act notices in May 2024, putting at risk an estimated 779 workers — up substantially from April and up 384% versus May 2023. The average filing covered 111 workers, with 4 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1 | 216 |
| Healthcare | 2 | 201 |
| Retail | 1 | 172 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1 | 112 |
| Transportation | 1 | 42 |
| Information & Technology | 1 | 36 |
The Manufacturing sector emerged as the hardest-hit sector with 216 workers across 1 notice. Separately, Healthcare reported 201 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| King | 4 | 371 |
| Yakima | 1 | 216 |
| Clark | 1 | 150 |
| Spokane | 1 | 42 |
King absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 48% of all affected workers with 371 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Yakima | 1 | 216 |
| Seattle | 3 | 199 |
| Tukwila | 1 | 172 |
| Vancouver | 1 | 150 |
| Airway Heights | 1 | 42 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 4 | 542 |
| Layoff | 1 | 150 |
The high proportion of closures (70% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Washington's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Columbia Fruit Packers | Yakima | 216 | Closure | |
| Amazon | Tukwila | 172 | Closure | |
| Prestige Care | Vancouver | 150 | Layoff | |
| Assurance IQ | Seattle | 112 | Closure | |
| Obvio Health USA | Seattle | 51 | ||
| Paradigm Delivery | Airway Heights | 42 | Closure | |
| Expedia | Seattle | 36 |
Topping the list was New Columbia Fruit Packers at its Yakima facility, reporting 216 affected workers. Amazon followed with 172 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
These figures highlight 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.