West Virginia Layoffs — August 2018

Employers in West Virginia logged 3 WARN Act notices in August 2018, involving roughly 426 workers — falling below July and up 132% versus August 2017. The average filing covered 142 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.

Industry Breakdown

Industry	Notices	Workers
Mining & Energy	2	368
Retail	1	58

The Mining & Energy sector dominated layoff filings with 368 workers across 2 notices. Meanwhile, Retail reported 58 workers.

Geographic Hotspots

County	Notices	Workers
Wyoming	1	359
Fayette	1	58
Webster	1	9

Wyoming was the epicenter of layoff activity, accounting for 84% of all affected workers with 359 workers across 1 notices.

City	Notices	Workers
Pineville	1	359
Smithers	1	58
Cowen	1	9

Layoff Type Analysis

Type	Notices	Workers
Closure	2	417
Layoff	1	9

The high proportion of closures (98% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in West Virginia's labor market.

Largest Layoffs

Company	City	Workers	Type	Date
Mission Coal Company Pinnacle Mine Complex	Pineville	359	Closure	2018-08-06
Kroger Store #669	Smithers	58	Closure	2018-08-20
Arch Coal Eastern Complex	Cowen	9	Layoff	2018-08-04

The biggest impact was at Mission Coal Company Pinnacle Mine Complex at its Pineville facility, reporting 359 affected workers. Kroger Store #669 followed with 58 workers.

Trend & Outlook

This data points to a mixed picture for West Virginia's labor market, with activity diverging between monthly and annual comparisons. The Mining & Energy sector warrants close attention heading into the next period.

This analysis is based on official WARN Act filings reported by West 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 West Virginia WARN notices, browse layoffs by state, or download the full dataset.