Virginia Layoffs — December 2014
Employers in Virginia logged 3 WARN Act notices in December 2014, involving roughly 310 workers — climbing above November and up 44% versus December 2013. The average filing covered 103 workers, with 1 closure among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 1 | 160 |
| Mining & Energy | 1 | 85 |
| Professional Services | 1 | 65 |
The Utilities sector dominated layoff filings with 160 workers across 1 notice. Meanwhile, Mining & Energy reported 85 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Buchanan | 2 | 245 |
| Loudoun | 1 | 65 |
Buchanan bore the heaviest burden, accounting for 79% of all affected workers with 245 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Oakwood | 1 | 160 |
| Hurley | 1 | 85 |
| Sterling | 1 | 65 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Closure | 1 | 160 |
| Layoff | 2 | 150 |
The high proportion of closures (52% of affected workers) suggests structural shifts rather than temporary cutbacks in Virginia's labor market.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunCoke Energy | Oakwood | 160 | Closure | |
| TECO Coal | Hurley | 85 | Layoff | |
| Harris IT Services | Sterling | 65 | Layoff |
The biggest impact was at SunCoke Energy at its Oakwood facility, reporting 160 affected workers. TECO Coal followed with 85 workers.
Trend & Outlook
After a dip last month, layoff activity has ticked back up.
This data points to mounting pressure on the Virginia labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Utilities 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.