West Virginia Layoffs — January 2016
Employers in West Virginia filed 7 WARN Act notices in January 2016, impacting roughly 1,570 workers — representing a notable rise over December. The average filing covered 224 workers, with 2 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Mining & Energy | 4 | 1,212 |
| Retail | 1 | 140 |
| Transportation | 1 | 121 |
| Utilities | 1 | 97 |
The Mining & Energy sector led the way in workforce reductions with 1,212 workers across 4 notices. In a parallel development, Retail reported 140 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Boone | 2 | 986 |
| Kanawha | 1 | 146 |
| McDowell | 1 | 140 |
| Cabell | 1 | 121 |
| Lewis | 1 | 97 |
Boone saw the most concentrated activity, accounting for 63% of all affected workers with 986 workers across 2 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Whitesville | 2 | 986 |
| Ecksdale | 1 | 146 |
| Kimball | 1 | 140 |
| Huntington | 1 | 121 |
| Charleston | 1 | 97 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 5 | 1,309 |
| Closure | 2 | 261 |
Closures accounted for 17% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Natural Resources | Whitesville | 508 | Layoff | |
| Alpha Natural Resources | Whitesville | 478 | Layoff | |
| Blackhawk Mining, LLC Panther Creek Mining | Ecksdale | 146 | Layoff | |
| Walmart Store 3811 | Kimball | 140 | Closure | |
| CSX Transportation Huntington Division Headquarters | Huntington | 121 | Closure | |
| Southwestern Energy | Charleston | 97 | Layoff | |
| Blackhawk Mining, LLC Hamppden Coal, LLC Hampden #2 Mine Hampden Prep Plant | Gilbert | 80 | Layoff |
The single largest action involved Alpha Natural Resources at its Whitesville facility, reporting 508 affected workers. Alpha Natural Resources followed with 478 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores 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.