Employers in Virginia reported 12 WARN Act notices in October 2011, displacing an estimated 1,131 workers — signaling an acceleration from September and up 521% versus October 2010. The average filing covered 94 workers, with 9 closures among the notices.
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 221 |
| Transportation | 1 | 122 |
The Manufacturing sector topped the list of affected industries with 221 workers across 2 notices. Notably, Transportation reported 122 workers.
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield | 4 | 394 |
| Greensville | 2 | 190 |
| Norfolk City | 2 | 124 |
| Martinsville City | 1 | 110 |
| Newport News City | 1 | 98 |
Chesterfield felt the sharpest impact, accounting for 35% of all affected workers with 394 workers across 4 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 4 | 394 |
| Emporia | 2 | 190 |
| Norfolk | 2 | 124 |
| Henrico | 1 | 123 |
| Martinsville | 1 | 110 |
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 9 | 885 |
| Layoff | 2 | 184 |
The high proportion of closures (78% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Virginia's labor market.
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QuadGraphics N | Richmond | 126 | Closure | 2011-10-17 |
| Berry Plastics Corporation | Henrico | 123 | Closure | 2011-10-28 |
| GRTC Transit System | Richmond | 122 | Layoff | 2011-10-03 |
| Rock-Tenn Company | Martinsville | 110 | Closure | 2011-10-25 |
| Muller Martini Manufacturing Corp | Newport News | 98 | Closure | 2011-10-27 |
| Lowe's Home Centers Inc | Emporia | 95 | Closure | 2011-10-17 |
| Lowe\'s Home Centers, Inc | Emporia | 95 | Closure | 2011-10-17 |
| Genie | Shenandoah | 92 | Closure | 2011-10-13 |
| ARL Richmond Management LLC (Richmond Ramada Plaza) One Post Office Square Suite | Richmond | 73 | Closure | 2011-10-19 |
| ARL Richmond Management, LLC (Richmond Ramada Plaza) One Post Office Square Suite | Richmond | 73 | Closure | 2011-10-19 |
| MV Transportation Inc | Norfolk | 62 | 2011-10-03 | |
| MV Transportation, Inc | Norfolk | 62 | Layoff | 2011-10-03 |
The most significant filing came from QuadGraphics N at its Richmond facility, reporting 126 affected workers. Berry Plastics Corporation followed with 123 workers.
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The numbers illustrate mounting pressure on the Virginia 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 Virginia. 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 Virginia WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.
Get weekly layoff reports in your inbox
Free weekly digest of WARN Act filings and analysis.
