OLYMPIA, Wash. — A new Challenger, Gray and Christmas report has revealed that Washington ranked third in the country for job layoffs in January. The state experienced a significant increase in job cuts across several major industries.
Washington recorded more than 19,000 layoffs through February 5. In comparison, the state had cut just over 2,000 jobs by this time last year.
The technology sector led the layoffs, with Amazon announcing over 2,000 job losses in the state. Meta and Expedia also announced hundreds of job cuts.
In contrast, Idaho saw only 141 job cuts in January, compared to 23 in January of the previous year.
While artificial intelligence was cited as the primary factor for 7% of job cuts nationwide last month, the report stated that measuring its direct impact on the U.S. workforce remains challenging.
The report also mentioned that transportation, healthcare and chemical companies announced significant cuts nationwide.
