Verizon is eliminating approximately 165 positions at 23 locations across Washington state as part of a restructuring effort designed to consolidate operations and maximise facility utilisation.
According to a Washington State Employment Security Department Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification dated Monday, the layoffs are scheduled to begin on 23 January 2026, providing affected employees with advance notice as required by federal and state worker protection laws.
A letter from Verizon to the Employment Security Department indicated the telecommunications company “is consolidating and restructuring its operations to maximize the utilization of company facilities and resources.” The layoffs will affect employees in specific business functions rather than representing across-the-board cuts throughout the organisation.
The position eliminations include 54 remote employees who work from home locations throughout Washington, and 22 employees based at a Verizon office in Bellevue. The remaining job cuts affect Verizon retail stores and business services locations, with individual sites losing between one and as many as 11 employees depending on the facility’s size and function.
The affected locations span the state from Vancouver near the Oregon border to Bellingham near the Canadian border, and from coastal communities to Spokane in eastern Washington. Cities where layoffs will occur include:
Bellevue, Bellingham, Burlington, Covington, Federal Way, Kennewick, Kirkland, Lakewood, Marysville, Olympia, Redmond, Renton, Seattle, Silverdale, Spokane, Spokane Valley, Tacoma, Tukwila, Vancouver, Wenatchee, Woodinville, Yacolt, and Yakima.
The letter shows that 54 retail sales and management positions are being eliminated, along with various technical, engineering, analyst, business, and sales positions representing the diverse functions required to operate a telecommunications network and retail presence.
The layoffs are expected to be permanent rather than temporary furloughs, meaning affected employees will not automatically be recalled when business conditions improve. Affected employees will have opportunities to apply for other positions at Verizon if they are eligible and if suitable openings exist elsewhere in the company’s operations.
The restructuring reflects broader trends in the telecommunications industry where companies are reducing physical retail presence as more customers conduct transactions online or through mobile applications, whilst also consolidating back-office functions to reduce operational costs in a highly competitive market where profit margins have compressed.
Verizon’s announcement comes as major telecommunications companies face pressure to invest heavily in 5G network infrastructure whilst simultaneously managing mature wireless markets where subscriber growth has slowed and competition from cable companies offering wireless service has intensified.
The 165 job cuts in Washington represent a small fraction of Verizon’s total workforce of more than 100,000 employees nationwide, but they will have significant impacts on affected individuals and families, particularly those working in retail positions that may not easily transfer to other sectors given the decline of brick-and-mortar retail employment generally.
Washington’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification system requires employers planning mass layoffs or facility closures to provide advance notice to affected employees, state employment agencies, and local governments, allowing workers time to seek new employment, access retraining programmes, or prepare financially for unemployment whilst also enabling state agencies to mobilise resources supporting displaced workers.
