Kentucky Layoffs — October 2015
Employers in Kentucky filed 7 WARN Act notices in October 2015, impacting roughly 2,000 workers — representing a notable rise over September and down 6% versus October 2014. The average filing covered 286 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 2 | 1,466 |
| Transportation | 1 | 225 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 8 |
The Manufacturing sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,466 workers across 2 notices. In a parallel development, Transportation reported 225 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Boyd | 3 | 1,519 |
| Whitley | 1 | 225 |
| Henderson | 1 | 148 |
| Montgomery | 1 | 100 |
| Letcher | 1 | 8 |
Boyd bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 76% of all affected workers with 1,519 workers across 3 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Boyd | 1 | 733 |
| Whitley | 1 | 225 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 5 | 1,042 |
| Closure | 1 | 225 |
Closures accounted for 11% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK Steel Corporation -Ashland Works | 733 | Layoff | ||
| AK Steel Holding | Boyd | 733 | ||
| CSX Transportation | Whitley | 225 | Closure | |
| Century Aluminum Sebree | 148 | Layoff | ||
| Lexington Metal Systems | 100 | Layoff | ||
| STEIN INC. -Ashland KY Facility | 53 | Layoff | ||
| Arch Coal, Inc./Cumberland River Coal | 8 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved AK Steel Corporation -Ashland Works at its Kentucky facility, reporting 733 affected workers. AK Steel Holding followed with 733 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Kentucky's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Manufacturing sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.
This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by Kentucky. 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 Kentucky WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.