Virginia Layoffs — December 2016
Employers in Virginia filed 10 WARN Act notices in December 2016, impacting roughly 1,178 workers — representing a notable rise over November and down 33% versus December 2015. The average filing covered 118 workers, with 8 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Retail | 5 | 720 |
| Construction | 2 | 227 |
| Transportation | 2 | 150 |
| Manufacturing | 1 | 81 |
The Retail sector led the way in workforce reductions with 720 workers across 5 notices. In a parallel development, Construction reported 227 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield | 2 | 328 |
| Colonial Heights City | 1 | 183 |
| Henrico | 1 | 161 |
| Norfolk City | 1 | 134 |
| Fairfax | 1 | 122 |
Chesterfield was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 28% of all affected workers with 328 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Colonial Heights | 1 | 183 |
| Midlothian | 1 | 173 |
| Glen Allen | 1 | 161 |
| Richmond | 1 | 155 |
| Norfolk | 1 | 134 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 8 | 1,114 |
| Layoff | 1 | 48 |
The high proportion of closures (95% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Virginia's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin's | Colonial Heights | 183 | Closure | |
| Martin's | Midlothian | 173 | Closure | |
| Martin's | Glen Allen | 161 | Closure | |
| Martin's | Richmond | 155 | Closure | |
| Delivery Agent Holdings | Norfolk | 134 | Closure | |
| The Kane | Alexandria | 122 | Closure | |
| The Kane | Hanover | 105 | Closure | |
| Quad/Graphics | Manassas | 81 | Closure | |
| Retail Relay (Realy Foods) | Charlottesville | 48 | Layoff | |
| Schenker | Chesapeake | 16 |
The single largest action involved Martin's at its Colonial Heights facility, reporting 183 affected workers. Martin's followed with 173 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores a mixed picture for Virginia's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Retail 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.