Virginia Layoffs — March 2017
Employers in Virginia filed 8 WARN Act notices in March 2017, impacting roughly 608 workers — representing a notable rise over February and roughly flat versus March 2016. The average filing covered 76 workers, with 7 closures among the notices.
Industry Breakdown
| Industry | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Transportation | 1 | 364 |
| Retail | 7 | 244 |
The Transportation sector led the way in workforce reductions with 364 workers across 1 notice. In a parallel development, Retail reported 244 workers.
Geographic Hotspots
| County | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Botetourt | 1 | 364 |
| Alexandria City | 2 | 125 |
| Norfolk City | 2 | 62 |
| Fairfax | 1 | 36 |
| Richmond City | 1 | 11 |
Botetourt absorbed the greatest share of layoffs, accounting for 60% of all affected workers with 364 workers across 1 notices.
| City | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Roanoke | 1 | 364 |
| Alexandria | 2 | 125 |
| Norfolk | 2 | 62 |
| Fairfax | 1 | 36 |
| Richmond | 2 | 21 |
Layoff Type Analysis
| Type | Notices | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Layoff | 1 | 364 |
| Closure | 7 | 244 |
Closures accounted for 40% of affected workers, while the majority of filings were layoffs rather than permanent shutdowns.
Largest Layoffs
| Company | City | Workers | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreightCar America | Roanoke | 364 | Layoff | |
| Macy's | Alexandria | 119 | Closure | |
| Dollar Express | Norfolk | 44 | Closure | |
| Bebe Stores | Fairfax | 36 | Closure | |
| Bebe Stores | Norfolk | 18 | Closure | |
| Dollar Express | Richmond | 11 | Closure | |
| Bebe Stores | Richmond | 10 | Closure | |
| Dollar Express | Alexandria | 6 | Closure |
The single largest action involved FreightCar America at its Roanoke facility, reporting 364 affected workers. Macy's followed with 119 workers.
Trend & Outlook
This marks the third consecutive month of rising layoff activity.
The data underscores mounting pressure on the Virginia labor market, with activity running above both recent and year-ago benchmarks. The Transportation 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.