West Virginia Layoffs — February 2019
Employers in West Virginia posted 3 WARN Act notices in February 2019, affecting an estimated 328 workers and up 315% versus February 2018. The average filing covered 109 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mining & Energy | 2 | 260 |
| Retail | 1 | 68 |
The Mining & Energy sector saw the heaviest impact with 260 workers across 2 notices. On a related front, Retail reported 68 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Fayette | 1 | 252 |
| Mercer | 1 | 68 |
| Webster | 1 | 8 |
Fayette saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 77% of all affected workers with 252 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Powellton | 1 | 252 |
| Bluewell | 1 | 68 |
| Cowen | 1 | 8 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 2 | 260 |
| Closure | 1 | 68 |
Closures accounted for 21% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission Coal Company Seminole West Virginia Mining Complex | Powellton | 252 | Layoff | |
| Kroger Store #273 | Bluewell | 68 | Closure | |
| Arch Coal Eastern Complex | Cowen | 8 | Layoff |
The largest notice was filed by Mission Coal Company Seminole West Virginia Mining Complex at its Powellton facility, reporting 252 affected workers. Kroger Store #273 followed with 68 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
The trends suggest mounting pressure on the West Virginia labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. 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.